“Most of these cats are endangered and many are at the point of near extinction. These little guys are in need of first, recognition, and on a larger scale, funding to provide research and breeding facilities.” Ian Anderson (musician, Jethro Tull) – Small Wild Cat Advocate

Small wild cats can be found all over the world. They are much smaller than big cats. Most, but not all of them, are larger than housecats.

More About Small Wild Cats

Small wild cat species include the African golden cat, Andean mountain cat, Asian golden cat, Bornean bay cat, black-footed cat, bobcat, Canada lynx, caracal, Eurasion lynx, fishing cat, flat-headed cat, Geoffroy’s cat, Iberian lynx, jaguarondi, jungle cat, kodkod (guigna), leopard cat, marbled cat, margay, ocelot, oncilla (little spotted cat), Pallas’ cat, Pampas cat, rusty-spotted cat, sand cat and serval.

There are also small wild cat subspecies, such as the Chinese desert cat, Iriomote cat and Scottish wildcat. and closely related “wildcat” species (felis silvestris) in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Chinese mountain cat small wild cat

Small wild cats can be traced back to Martelli’s wildcat (Felis lunensis), which was first described by naturalist Ugolino Martelli in 1906.  Martelli’s wildcat lived in Europe during the Pilocene period approximately 2.5 million years ago.  Felis lunensis fossils have been found in Italy and Hungary.

African wildcats are generally considered to be the ancestors of the domestic cat.  It is believed that the housecat became domesticated approximately 10,000 years ago to prevent rats from eating harvested food, especially grain.

There are more than 30 recognized species of small wild cats. The cats can be found in many different habitats such as deserts, forests, grasslands, scrub lands and mountains. They prey on rodents, birds, reptiles, squirrels and rabbits.

fishing cat small wild cat

Distribution – Where Small Wild Cats Live

Small wild cats in Europe include the European wildcat, Scottish wildcat, Eurasian lynx and Iberian lynx.

Africa is home to the African golden cat, African wildcat, black-footted cat, serval, caracal and sand cat.

There are several South American small wild cats – the Andean cat, Geoffroy’s cat, jaguarundi, margay, ocelot, Pampas cat, oncilla and Guina.

In Asia you will find the Asiatic golden cat, Bornean bay cat, Chinese mountain cat, Asiatic wildcat, fishing cat, Pallas’s cat (manul), jungle cat, marbled cat, clouded leopard, rusty-spotted cat, leopard cat and flat-headed cat.

The jaguarundi, lynx and ocelot are small wild cats that can be found in North America.

You can even find small wild cats in the Middle East.

Small Wild Cat Conservation

Like big cats, small wild cats face many threats to their survival such as the loss of habitat, prey, hunting, illegal trade and human conflict.