Wildcat

🐾Wildcat: Your new pet

The wildcat is an exceptional animal that is worthy to know and appreciate for its huge virtues, it is a feline which can gain everyone respect just with its presence, it’s intimidator but interesting and deserves to be studied.

Its exact origin place is uncertain, there is just the conviction that it’s a very ancient breed that has been derivate in subspecies that are now distributed in a big part of the world, especially in the European and Asiatic continent, but there still is no certainty about how it distributed that much.

The severe of this case is that this breed was very abused by humans in some historical period where cats, in general, were cruelly killed firstly because they had less understood abilities, which made its population decreased, keeping relegated to the areas of the wood in Europe, such as Spain, Africa or China.

Nowadays, it is a protected species but is still considered as a species in extinction danger, its sell and distributed is prohibited in most of countries, specially because it has attracted the attention of hunters that kill it even to eat it or that have to been killed to protect the chicken breeders because they use to take those as preys.

It isn’t a domestic cat and it isn’t too prudence to try to have it in captivity especially when it is adult or have had grown in its natural habitat because it develops less compatible behaviors and abilities with humans and could be a danger or disturbing element.

In its natural state is a very smart feline, with a lonely lifestyle and lives for the hunts of those preys which provoke it, even when it likes to eat bunnies or rodents but it is very capable to include ducks and even deer in its menu, killing them with cunning and patiently waiting to capture them.

Even when the small interaction it has left humans have had with itself in its natural environment, it has been seeing that they prefer woods areas and places with thickets, are excellent climbers and try to rest in cavities or gaps, fallen threes or rocky spaces are perfect for them to hide and rest.

By its side, they are animals which don’t use to sleep too much and can be awake almost twenty-two hours if they are stalking some prey, besides they are hyperactive and very sensible.

Are territorials, and prefer to mark is territory by scratches on the threes or spreading is urine, because they don’t like to share with other cats of its species nor even coexist next to them, it is just seeing together twice a year and is when they feel the reproduction necessity.

Another interesting thing about this kitty is that is a lover of water, are good swimmers and can even hunt inside of it reaching some ducks’ life, because the Wildcat loves to eat, and it would to it every time of the day to be possible.

Being in captivity it is a kind of different representation, but it doesn’t lose at all its natural abilities, but it develops it in a less grade.

In the first place, it has to be said that the Wildcat you decide to adopt must be a kitty and preferably find the way to found it coming directly from domesticated parents, avoiding it developed some preferences for its natural customs.

However, it’s been seeing that these felines change its attention a fierceness to unconditional love to its adoptive parents and in less grade the rest of its adoptive human family, showing that they even want to see them every time checking they are around.

But they aren’t pets easy to have at home due that they are very hyperactive, don’t rest, don’t need it and don’t like to do it, require to keep entertained with games or activities which wear out its plenty energies, which seems not to decrease with the past of time, and can be old cats with a kitty behavior.

Another aspect which needs some attention is a voracious appetite, which is of course caused for its incessant movement, which makes its metabolism very fast, so it has to be continuingly advisory to not overfeed it or undernourish it.

About its maintenance requirements, it is a few, fortunately, this kitty just needs traditional vaccines and minimum cares as weekly brushing and a monthly bath, also the proper treatment for its teeth.

This is because they are strong cats, its fur is dense and powerful and its health is almost unbreakable, doesn’t suffer about inherited diseases and can live more than fourteen years on its own.

🐾History and origin

The origin and exact date where this feline could be born are uncertain, even nowadays aren’t a way to prove who it was created nor even how it derivate in so many subspecies distributing all around the world.

Its think that, just as happened with other kind of animals, the ancients or bases which the wildcats come may get extended all over the world in the first conquers civilizations embarkations, that carry many of its animals with different purposes, but there are other history tellers which dismiss this theory due to the wild nature of the kitty which is thought that never had this kind of contact with humans.

What it is a proved fact is that it may be one of the ancients that created the domestic cats, and is confirmed principal because of the huge similitudes they have with each other and for the existence years, this breed has, being endorsed by many researchers’ studies.

It wasn’t till the Egyptians period where are founded in its writes and hieroglyphs the paints where it showed they started to be an important part of history and started to be evaluated as important beings, due to cats, in general, were considered as mystic creatures which blessed those families which have them as pets.

However, the Wildcat isn’t specifically reflected on those writes and could be confused with any other small cat, but that evidentially shouldn’t be mixed as a pet but as a hunting element.

But such importance changed many times with the past of the years, and it is a very known fact that many cat breeds were burned alive and chases while a big part of the ancestor century in European cities or counties, being victims of the characteristic bonfires.

This was produced firstly because a bunch of ideas and prejudges were proliferated in the civilization about almost everything they didn’t understand and cats’ abilities were uncompressible and even scary.

The idea to known that these animals could see in darkness, that its eyes shined in darkness the way it does, the fact they are so agile, that they can jump so high, the fact they are so reserved and smart wasn’t understood in the few studies they made by the time and associated with maligns presences, so they decided to burn them or kill them outside, considerably decreasing its presences in more populated areas.

After this period they stopped being chased but nothing was made to protect so the breed saw itself seriously threatened and set now exclusively into the woods boasting its multiple abilities to live on its own.

Since 2007 some studies were made in its DNA, and was determined the existence of 5 associated subspecies to the breed, decreasing the quantity it was believed before, letting settle down the next way:

• European Wildcat: Its scientific name is Felis silvestris silvestris and it’s located in Europe zone and the Anatolia Peninsula.
• African Wildcat: Which scientific name is Felis silvestris lybica, it’s located in the North of Africa and Occidental Asia.
• Sub-Saharan African Wildcat: Also named as Felis silvestris cafra.
• Asian Wildcat: It was BAUTIZADO as Felis silvestris ornate, founded in Central Asia, in the north of Pakistan and the Northeast of India.
• Chinese Wildcat: It is founded in the North of China and was named as Felis Silvestris bieti.

It is known that the domestic cat derivation was made from the African Wildcat or Felis Silvestris Lybica, due to it’s less aggressive or shy than the other subspecies and it gets close easily to humans, letting them domesticate it.

Independently of the geographic area these cats are living, they show a preference for woody zones, no matter climate because they can adapt easily to any environmental change, but it denotes its preference also for thickets, forest or rocky areas, and some other loves places where are lakes or rivers to swim.

Even when a few years ago it was cataloged as a protected species in the CITES agreement, it has been evidenced a huge decrease in the number of this breed kitties, which has made difficult to see them frequently and that its commercialization got prohibited because it is in the red list of animals with extinct possibilities.

Also, the strangeness of its species has captivated the attention of many hunters that decided to capture them and even kill it to eat it, putting it in more danger.

🐾Breeds’ characteristics

The wildcat has an incredible similitude with the domestic cat we are used to seeing, just that thicker what makes it also look like the Iberian wildcat, but in general are very harmonic cats, with extraordinariness’ physical activities which make it very requested for any lovers of this kind of creatures.

One of the characteristics of the Wildcat is that they are the bigger exponents between felines of sexual deforming diformism, because there is a big difference between males and female exemplars, especially about is length.

This is why it can be perfectly distinguished that females are much smaller and less thick but still enter into medium-sized kitties’ category.

The bigger could length above 90cm long and 38cm tall till the crux, being the standard between the 70 and 80cm long and 25cm tall.

This aspect goes extremely linked to its length, to the place where they live and the way they had grown up, however, if it’s a feline with wild qualities or if it has been domesticated and well cared, but generally, they can weight 4 to 6kg the females and males can reach the 10kg.

It is important to say that this feline is a food’ fan, it eats everything at every time, keeping a voracious appetite so if it is in captivity it has to have a very cared nutritional regimen to avoid it suffer overweighting.

Contrarily to the strong its factions may look, the wildcat nose is very small, its Windows are almost unwatchable and have an inverted triangle, but with the cropped tips; commonly is in a strong pink color with a delineation in a dark tone, it is divided in the less part for a little groove that goes up almost until the middle.

These kitties have its eyes kind of big, it has an oval shape with the downside very rounded and are located in an oblique way in the face, mostly had it delineated and its eyebrows set a little weight over them and extend in a line in its cloak to its temples, making its sight look deeper.

Are Green amber, very light and the pupil is vertical, also the can see very well in darkness what makes them animal which likes to move at nights.

Compared with its face proportions, the wildcat ears are relatively small, triangular but with a rounded tip and a little deviation of the skin in the base to the extern side; the front side shows the intern face, covered by white medium size hair that protects the pavilion, and the extern face has little hairs with the same color of the cloak, soft and flexible.

One of the things you can easily see about the Wildcat’ health is the way its fur looks, because this breed’ characteristics set the between the ones which have a dense fur, with thick, short, and shiny hair, and if its not, then it must be studied the conditions where it is unwrapping because it is being affected as well for the inclemency of climate or by a nutritional deficiency.

This breed’ cats don’t show significant variability in its colors, so it’s easy to distinguish them in this aspect, generally have a brown or gray base, which mixes with a dark grey presented in spots just as the ones the tigers have, or this same spots distribute in all the fur.

Some others may have zones with a white base, especially on the abdomen or on the intern side of the tail.

Contrarily of most of the kitties, this breed’ exemplars have a long and thick tail which have a rounded tip, usually they move it to show its emotional state, it is always up but never over the back and its color is the same of the rest of the fur, the tigress with grey base have it with a black tip.

Movement

The wildcat is very habile and fast, also very active and agile, they can make big jumps and when they attack they go directly to its target, being a very accurate predator, its walk is smooth and secretive, showing it with less effort when it is in its natural habitat, when it is domesticated it is a little rough and sometimes it hits itself for the fast of its movements.

🐾Behavior and personality

These are very attractive felines, especially when they are kittens, which make everyone want to have them as pets, but its nature and personality aren’t very close to the presence of humans in its lifestyle.

Firstly, is important to say that they are very lonely animals, and don’t even share time or space with others of its same breed; they prefer to be alone every time and don’t like to have family close, except for their mothers which have its little kittens, that they protect deeply until they understand they are ready to be independent.

This fact makes the study around its customs and development very limited because the less socialization it has the more aggressive it would act in front of the unknown and for it we the humans are unknowns.

The only way you would see them close to theirs is by the time when they feel the reproduction necessity, that by its biological way isn’t very frequent and appears just twice a year.

This, added to its excellent visibility in darkness makes it a night animal, a time when they frequently hunt, but it isn’t limited to it they see or smell a possible prey at the daylight.

In this aspect they are very effective, secretive, and attack with no scares; use to bite in its preys’ nape, but when are bigger animals like antelopes, they prefer to bite at the throat and wait for its blood to drown them, when they hunt ducks or aquatic animals they wait at the threes over the water for the right moment.

They also are very territorial animals, prefer down threes, thickets and gaps, and cavities where they can be warm, delimit their space with scratches on the threes or with urine, are very good climbing threes and move well over them, and also are excellent swimmers.

Can a wildcat be domesticated?

Yes, it can be, but this requires some conditions to be made, first of all, it is preferable to adopt kitties which fathers were domesticated, this would erase a series of risks because the feline wouldn’t be in contact with nature and its wild customs wouldn’t be too much exposed.

It is important to keep in mind that isn’t prudence try to capture an adult wildcat directly from the woods, due to its aggressive level is very high and also are carnivorous predators that don’t understand the respect for humans because some of them haven’t ever seen us.

Either is good to capture pups which has been weaned and that already hunted, because they will understand that is a natural habit part of its survival state and it’s harder to try to change its customs that teach them from the start, but trying to retire them from the care of its mother when they are little is almost impossible, so the most prudence is to search for those homes that have cared for them and help them to reproduce.

There are few record cases where has been seeing that the wildcat itself has adopted the human family, being the one that gets close to farms searching where reproduce itself and that already has been in that environment, the one who stay and try to adapt some human customs, but keeps it freedom state go and coming when it wants to.

How do they act inside home?

The captivity’ wildcat is very active, some people have qualified it as a hyperactive two years old child that never gets old, so it demands a high attention level to avoid it gets bored and get irritable behaviors, as to break furniture or meowing incessantly.

Also, they don’t control very well its abilities due that they have them but don’t need them too much and you will see them hitting against walls when they run fast in small spaces, thing that they control while the grown-up, but being pups they can make some disasters with their coarseness.

Its behavior, on the other side, gets dosed, became into very sweet kitties and developing an hobby to its adoptive family, to the point of needing to know they have them close almost all the time, and even when they aren’t the exemplars of the most loving breed they do appreciate its owners a lot, are independent and a little reluctant to strangers, either are very given to play with children because they don’t react very well to its treatments.

🐾General cares

The wildcat that lives in the woods around the world would not accept any kind of care by humans because its wild condition makes it very independent in this aspect.

However, these cats can have a life long enough because they get used to living by his own, being the first to lick itself constantly, generally these cats do it for many reasons being the principal obviously to get clean, and have other associated benefits that are getting fresh because they don’t have sweat glands so they need its saliva to make the same effect.

Likewise, its tong has a rough aspect and is similar to sandpaper in its texture, which makes it bring with it some elements, so basically, the wildcat can take sponge baths every day.

On the contrary are those who has been grown in captivity and especially the ones who have made it inside home, the ones since they little assume that the responsibility to their cares can be shared with humans but in a limited way because they don’t like too much the continuous contact, but can be trained since they are pups.

The best strategy it can be taken for this feline to accept common practices in its maintenance is to do it since they arrive home and keep a continuity even when they don’t look to need it, so they will assume it as a normal part of their life and not as something imposed from nowhere.

The Wildcat’ brushing

Contrarily to what is thought about the short-haired cats, these kitties need to be brushed at least once a week, to help the retire dead hair that hasn’t fall yet and also to take off possible worming that could be collected in some of its walks.

Wildcat’s bath time

As every feline, independently of its capacity to lick everyday, it is always necessary to bath them, because it will help them to retire some dirtiness that have been recollected in zones that aren’t so easy to reach, it erase the bad smell and helps to care its fur especially when the especial cat products are used.

But with this breed’ kitties bath time isn’t an easy job because even when they love water and swim, aren’t obedient or stay calm for too much time, being necessary to them to get use to bath time since they are pups and do everything to make it last as short as possible.

Their spaces

The wildcat is very smart and even when it lives and develops very well outside, it can also get used to human habits, understanding how it works almost all objects, taking interesting for some in particular.

It is always necessary to help them to take some habits with the purpose to help get better its coexistence capacity, just as the one of sleeping in a basket, which is going to require a lot of patience because the domesticated wildcat is still a little bit rebel and is going to opt for the places it likes the most.

You may need to give it these freedoms because its wild nature isn’t the same as the other breeds that are more used to share with humans and can adapt its routines to its owners’ ones.

Another important thing is to teach it to make its physiological necessities in a sandbox, on the contrary it will choose any space it wants to and it will be harder to take it off of this decision, also are some smells which set down as one of its dregs or its urine, that you will have to remove with dedication.

This sandbox needs to be cleaned daily, with the use of a shovel you can extract the solids your pet has left and the sand needs to be changed at least twice a week.

About its place toe at it is ideal for it to be a very clean zone, bad smells free, because even the plastic smell of the trays may make your kitty don’t want to eat, and is necessary to change the plate for some of glass o porcelain, just as its water can, remember some materials these cats aren’t used to just as others felines because of the time it has life in nature.

About its water provision, it has to be continued and you have to check it is always clean and potable, so it isn’t convenient to get it to use to drink it directly from the tap, also when they eat based in feed can it is important they eat a good amount.

Diet and feeding

In the first place, you need to understand this breed has a wild nature and for many years has survived on his own without the help of human intervention so in its natural habitat it will just answer to what its instincts guide it, being the hunt part of its diet.

Commonly the wildcat hunt when the night falls, but there are some months of the year when it changes it modus because of its preys’ habits, which depending of climate can make its customs variable trying to adapt, but when are some shortage marked by possible foods, these kitties can be scavengers for a time to survive and while they wait for taking possession of new territories.

Its hunt usually locates in the action radio it has marked previously as its territory, respecting the delimitation of other wild animals of its species or other, but if it sees an effective opportunity it will attack.

Are fast and attack with a big probability of success, don’t hurry up and study its prey if it’s necessary to chase them they do it without problems, became in excellent predators, also its size and agility make them very capable.

Most of the animals the wildcat eat are rodents, also likes bunnies, and it’s been seeing that they cant capture deer, from who they will eat until its meat lose its good smell, because they don’t tolerate food in decomposition, and in the case of big preys they let a lot of rests for other less demanding predators.

Food for the wildcat in captivity

When you have a wildcat you always have to keep in mind the quality of its wild nature even in its feeding, because it isn’t a domestic cat as we are used to and its nutritional requirements are stricter.

In this sense, you can’t forget about the importance of giving to them enough proteins which came from animal beef, just as some vegetables and carbohydrates, but is transcendental for you to understand that its diet can’t be vegetarian or based in other components that have to be used more as support.

This is because of its organic composition it needs the amino acids which gives it the protein to care its fur, its muscular composition, to help with some of its abilities and to get its sight better. Also, it is capable to purge itself entirely because those things the body doesn’t use for the cat’s health, it expulses it in its dregs, avoiding to keep with rests that turn into glucose and make them obese.

Also it is necessary to let the wildcat mother gives it the entire lactation period because mother milk will help to the cat development in its first weeks, helping them to evolve in its physical and motorway, and also will immunize while its being breastfeed and you must wait for a prudence time to start with the vaccines routine.

Very son the kitty could start to eat bland foods made pap preferable, so if you consider giving them croquettes then it is recommendable to be dissolved in water, never in other animals’ milk, until its teeth it’s strong enough to bite.

From there the adult feed regimen starts, which needs to be monitored by a veterinary because it may require some changes depending on your pet health’ state or age.

Croquettes for the wildcat

This kind of food became easily in the preferred by many pet owners because added of being effectively expedited it is totally healthy and can give the exact amount of nutrients you kitty needs just by choosing the right brand, which usually will be recommended by its specialist who will indicate you to make sure the brand it’s making especially by animal protein.

Home feeding

Due to this feline’ characteristics, this will probably be the most effective way to feed them, so they can enjoy of the benefits of eating food with its natural texture and flavor, but it is also a good option try to mix them with croquettes and make mixed plates.

In any case you have to avoid giving your wildcat a big amount of tuna or fish and less if its raw, procure to cook its diet without using dressings of any kind, without salt or sauces, or milk or chocolate, and for no reason any human candies, trying to offer them roasted, grilled, or cooked.

🐾Health

By now hasn’t being detected any deceases coming from wildcat’ ancients, which means they don’t have any congeneric congenital or inherited, what is an advantage because doesn’t have a condition that could damage its life quality since they are born.

This is why even living in natural conditions and living by its own they can live between 12 and 14 years, which is a very long period for the kind of animals which develops in its conditions.

Nevertheless, when you have it at home it is important to take some other previsions that helps it to keep strong even for more time and that also protects other pets and the humans that get related with it.

In these forecasts the first place is set by the vaccine, guaranteeing the feline’ protection and avoiding it can become in an element which could propagate a virus to other pets.

It’s sure the amount or type of vaccine your wildcat needs will depend of the place you are, the climate which affects you or even of the existence of some pointed disease in the environment or in its life, so every process is different and needs to be checked by its veterinary which will say what, how many and when to apply them.

The ideal will be start the process just after the kitty is been weaned off, isn’t necessary while the lactation period because between its multiple benefits there is the benefit to keep it immunized or better said to set up its defenses to the point that isn’t probably it gets sick or to catch a virus.

Once it ended being breastfeed it lost entirely the protection it mothers give to it and will need some vaccines doses as the trivalent which include the calicivirus, the panleukopenia, and the rhinotracheitis, just as the one which avoid the feline leukemia or angriness, and many others that will be set by its specialist.

Besides, the wildcat needs to de deworming close to the two months born, to avoid it adhere to its intestine breaking it or making digestive problems in a short or long time.

By other side it is necessary to recognize that even when they are strong cats and don’t have congenital diseases, these kitties are invincible and could get some common cat disease so it is important to keep it checked and make sporadic controls to check it health state.

Added to this is the fact that the wildcat is strong and, to say it somehow, it prefers to suffer by his own, because it doesn’t show it suffer because its high resistance to pain, so you need to watch it right to recognize when it feels bad, when it feels good o when it’s just resting, that tends to be few hours a day.

Between some other affection that could make get bad any cat in general, there is the osteoarthritis, which isn’t a condition associated to the breed that shows specially when the cat has an advanced age, that could be when it’s 10 years old.

This disease affects the cat’s articulations directly, making it weak in a way that it cartilage lose the shock absorber effect and make them feel too much pain for it, decreasing its agility and they desire for move.

This is why if you see your wildcat has lost its desire to be active you must call your veterinary immediately, because one of this breed’s characteristics is the hyperactivity, they don’t like to keep quite for to much timing and this sickness may cause serious mental and physical problems.

The most effective way the veterinary can make this conclusion is by dismissing other diseases, and making the right physical test by requiring radiographies where he could see the evolution of those and will prescribe some pain relieving or medicines that will retard the affection progress, but you must consider that isn’t curable and that obesity, between some other things, can influence in the pain feeling and the lose of mobility.

By other side the wildcat, in its wild state or in captivity, could also suffer alopecia, that is another disease that makes them lost notably its hair, but needs more that just cutaneous creams to reach the principal cause and erase it.