African Wildcat - Felis Silvestris Cafra © Brian Basson Photography 2014

The Wildcat Felis silvestris ranges over Africa, Europe and central Asia to India, China and Mongolia. It is the most common and widely distributed wild cat species in the world. Their size, coat colour and pattern vary from continent to continent. Cats in drier areas tend to be pale or tawney with faint markings while those from humid areas tend to be darker and more heavily spotted or banded.

All domestic cats are descendants of a group of Wildcats from 9,000 – 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent of Western Asia. This area is believed to be the origin of agriculture, when nomadic tribes first began to settle and grow crops. The grain was stored in granaries that attracted rodents, which in turn attracted Wildcats. With no further need to forage widely for food, the cats and humans began an alliance that is still in place today.
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