The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wild cat that can be found in Africa and Asia. Approximately 173,000 years ago, African wildcats split into three groups, the Near Eastern wildcat, Southern African wildcat and Asian wildcat.  The Near Eastern wildcat was domesticated and is the ancestor of today’s house cat.

Scientific Name: Felis lybica
Conservation Status: Least Concern

Subspecies: 

Interesting African Wildcat Facts

  • Around 10,000 years ago, Ancient Egyptians tamed the Near Eastern African wildcat to protect their granaries by reducing rat populations.
  • The ancestor of the domestic cat is the African wildcat.

More About the African Wild Cat

Physically Appearance

The cat’s fur color ranges from sand-grey to pale yellow or red, with dark stripes around the face. It weighs between 7-18 pounds, is 14-16 inches tall and lengths of 29-46 inches.  Colors range from sandy to  greyish-brown and dark grey. There are 2 main colors. One is greyish-tan and the other is steel grey. The darker variation is found in wetter areas, while the lighter one is found in the drier regions. It has bold stripes on the coat that run along the neck and legs similar to a striped tabby, but with less stripes and more widely spaced. African Wild Cats usually have cream  patches on their throats, abdomen and between forelegs. The ears are orangey-brown with no central white spots on the backs. The tail is bushy and blunt ended, unlike a domestic cat’s tapered tail.

African Wildcat FROM  TO
Weight 7.1 lbs. 9.9 lbs.
Body Length 16 in. 22 in.
Tail Length 9.8 in. 12.6 in.

Habitat (Where African Wild Cats Live)

The African wild cat inhabits forests, woodlands, savannahs, semi-desert regions, steppes and rocky areas.

Hunting and Prey (Diet)

Mainly nocturnal and terrestrial. Their main diet consists of rodents, hares, birds, reptiles, amphibians, young antelope, insects and arachnids.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Gestation is 56-63 days. Females produce a litter of 1-5 kittens. The average number is 3. Newborns weigh approximately 2.75-4.5 ounces. Their eyes open by the 10th day and they begin to walk by 16th-20th day. Hunting starts at 12 weeks and they are independent by 5 months. They reach sexual maturity around 11 months.

In captivity, they can live up to 15 years.

Conservation

The main threat for the African Wild Cat is cross-breeding with domestic cats. Because of the wide spread problem of feral, pure African Wild Cats are rare.