European forest cat: description, history, habitat, photo

The European forest cat is not a breed, much less a feral specimen of a domestic pet. This is exactly the type of cat from which, apparently, most of the natural breeds of cats known to mankind originated.

Wild European cats can be found in many zoos around the world. At first glance, these animals are no different from domestic cats. Moreover, in fact, these are dangerous and intelligent predators that are adapted to live only in natural conditions.

History of the species

Scientists believe that the Forest Cat appeared in the Pleistocene era, which began more than 2.5 billion years ago and ended 11.7 million years ago. Considering that humanity is only 2.8 billion years old, wild cats are at least 9 years older than humans.

The end of the Pleistocene era is characterized by an incredibly harsh climate. The planet had just experienced an ice age, the ice masses were retreating reluctantly, weather conditions also changed in waves - periods of sharp warming alternated with periods of the onset of very cold air masses. These processes served as an impetus for the transformation of flora and fauna. It was at this time that the woolly rhinoceros, mammoth, giant deer, cave lion and many other species appeared, most fully adapted to harsh climatic conditions.

With subsequent global warming, most animals of the glacial and post-glacial periods were unable to mutate and became extinct. The cat, which went into the shady forests and mountain ranges, managed to survive.

Thus, we can only talk about the approximate, latest date of the emergence of the European forest cat as a species - 11.7 million years ago. Although, most likely, this animal is older and has survived to this day since the Ice Age without any special changes.

The domestication of cats occurred much later, about 10 thousand years ago, when people began to lead a sedentary lifestyle, build homes, develop agricultural land and stockpile food.

Mr. Cat recommends: characteristics

The Central European forest cat, Felis silvestris silvestris or European Wildcat, is a predatory mammal of the cat family. The Latin name for Forest Cats can be roughly translated as “a wild cat living in the forest.” They live on almost the entire planet, namely in Europe, Asia and Africa (steppe species are distinguished there). To learn more about the classification and understand it, read the article about Steppe cats. This article will focus only on those wild Forest cats that have acclimatized on European territory.

This is a small animal, which is still larger than an ordinary domestic cat, although it is very similar to it in its general structure:

• The body is quite long, elongated, muscular.
• Male individuals are from 45 to 93 cm in length, weigh 6-9 kg; females from 39 to 78 cm and 4-7 kg.
• The limbs are of medium length with sharp claws that can be hidden in the fingertips. They are well adapted for climbing trees and rocks, hunting and protecting themselves from enemies.
• The hind legs are somewhat longer and more powerful than the front legs. They help the animal make high jumps.
• The tail is of sufficient length (from 18 to 41 cm), usually slightly larger than the size of the body. Wide at the base and slightly tapering further, but its tip is not pointed, but rounded.
• Large head with developed wide cheekbones. The jaw is short and blunt. European forest cats have a larger cranial volume than domestic cats, a ratio known as the Schauenberg index.
• The ears are medium in size (5-7 cm), widely spaced, without tufts at the tips, but with inner feathering.
• The vibrissae are voluminous, thick, and white. Near the mouth there are 8-18 of them on each side, 5 to 8 cm long, near the eyes there are fewer of them - 7-8 and they are shorter (5-6 cm). But they are also on the inside of the hand, this is a group of 3-6 hairs 4-5 cm long.
• The eyes are large and widely spaced, with a slit-like vertical pupil. The iris is colored yellowish, greenish or emerald-golden.
• The lobe is flat, large, brick-colored.
• The coat is of uniform medium length throughout the body, it is much longer on the tail, making it appear large and fluffy.
• The undercoat is thick and voluminous. Because of it, the animal is perceived as much larger.
• Color in grayish tones. There are patterned lines on the head, back, sides, and tail. There are usually four clear lines on the back of the skull.
• The tail is surrounded by black rings, from three to ten.
• Summer fur after molting is much lighter, without ocher and brownish impurities, sometimes ashy.
• They usually have four pairs of nipples: two on the chest and two on the belly.
• The chromosome set includes 38 diploids.

European wild cats mainly live in deciduous and mixed forests, where there are no human settlements. Populations are also found on coasts and in coastal forests, near wetlands, and on hills. Avoid high mountain areas, snow-covered areas with a high thickness of cover.

The Central European forest cat is much larger than its wild relatives from the steppes. There are even males weighing 14-16 kg. The closest relatives of these animals are swamp lynxes and manulas.

Lions

The lion belongs to the cat family. He is rightfully considered the king of beasts. This predator is second in size only to some species of tigers. The diet of these formidable mammals depends on their habitat. But they all hunt mainly large herbivores. The victims of African lions are often zebras, buffalos and antelopes. Individuals living in Asia hunt wild boars and deer.

Lions are social animals. They unite in small groups, which include several females and one male leader. It is noteworthy that food production falls entirely on the shoulders of females. Males themselves rarely hunt.

Each pride has its own clear territory, its protection and security is carried out by the leader.

Varieties of Wild Forest Cat

The wild forest cat includes 23 subspecies, including, in particular:

• Central European Felis silvestris silvestris;

• Caucasian Felis silvestris caucasica;

• Turkestan Felis silvestris caudata;

• Omani Felis silvestris gordoni;

• Steppe Felis silvestris lybica;

• African subspecies Felis silvestris cafra;

• Chinese Felis silvestris chutuchta;

• Domestic Felis silvestris catus.

Habitat of the European Forest Cat

Most populations of European forest cats live in the west and center of the continent - in Western Ukraine, Moldova, Slovakia, the Carpathians and Transcarpathia. A subspecies, the giant Iberian cat, also lives on the Iberian Peninsula.

The European cat is also found in the Caucasus, where it is adjacent to Felis silvestris caucasica. A fairly large part of them have lived in Scotland since ancient times, but now they are under threat of extinction due to widespread interbreeding with domestic cats.

The Ukrainian population lives mainly in broad-leaved hornbeam-oak, beech and other mixed forests. The Moldavian also chose beech forests for its habitat, but is also found in floodplains. These are dense thickets of tallow and reeds with rare hollow willows and sedges.

The European part of Russia, Germany, southern Spain, Italy are also among the places where the European forest cat lives.

These animals are able to live at an altitude of 2-3 thousand meters above sea level. Their thick coat with a warm undercoat can withstand large temperature changes, heat, high humidity and frost.

Between the late 17th and mid-20th centuries, the cat's habitat became fragmented due to large-scale hunting and regional extermination. The animal may have completely disappeared in the Czech Republic and is considered regionally extinct in Austria, although stray individuals from Italy still migrate there. The species has never inhabited Scandinavia, and Sicily is the only island with a population of these animals living there.

Features of behavior

European forest cats are very careful, they can even be called shy. This often leads to manifestations of aggression towards strangers. These cats especially avoid human settlements and try not to be seen by people at all. In general, they prefer not to enter into conflicts with their relatives or with any other predators.

They live alone. An adult male is able to control a forest area of ​​up to three square kilometers. To mark boundaries, the cat leaves marks from physiological secretions and claw marks on tree trunks. Therefore, strangers rarely wander into its territory.

The European forest cat has many natural enemies - lynx (Lynx), large steppe cat, jungle cat (Felis chaus), fox (Vulpes Vulpes), gray wolf (Canis lupus), jackal (Canis aureus), marten (Martes martes), bear (Ursus arctos). In Tajikistan, the wolf is the most serious competitor for the Forest cat; quite frequent destruction of cat holes is observed here. Birds of prey, including the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) and saker falcon (Falco cherrug), are often quite successful at preying on cat kittens. Naturalist Seton Gordon recorded an incident where a Forest cat fought with a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), resulting in the death of both parties.

The animal spends most of the daytime in a den, most often built in an old hollow in a large tree. Tree hollows usually contain enough sawdust, so the cat does not make additional bedding. If fleas appear in the den, the Steppe cat moves to another place. In winter, when snowfall prevents the cat from traveling long distances, it remains in its shelter until the climatic conditions for movement improve.

Those individuals that live in the mountains make rookeries in rock crevices or abandoned burrows of badgers (Meles meles) and foxes (Vulpes Vulpes). They are small depressions under cliffs, dense accumulations of branches; for Wild cats this is not only a den, but also a temporary shelter in times of danger.

Crevices in rocks or holes, equipped as shelters, are lined with dry grasses and bird feathers.

In the floodplains, animals choose wide forks of trees and abandoned nests of large birds, such as herons, for shelter and resting places.

The predator goes out for prey at night, several hours before dawn. But in winter conditions it practices additional hunting early in the morning and late in the evening.

European forest cats living in floodplains control up to one or two hectares of territory, but during the mating season, males can leave the boundaries of their territory in search of females.

The European forest cat is capable of moving very quickly when pursuing prey or escaping from pursuit, and is an excellent climber of trees and low rocks.

The animal has excellent hearing and vision, and a slightly lower level of smell. It is silent, but capable of making low and hoarse meowing sounds, and can purr, snort, purr, and hiss.

Due to the large number of enemies in the forest, from which, however, the predator is able to instantly hide in trees and rock crevices, the appearance of the beast is associated with a gloomy and wary creature. Nevertheless, this is one of the most beautiful and noble animals in the world, somewhat reminiscent of an exotic domestic cat.

Diet

European forest cats are typical medium-sized predators, the average prey of which is varied:

• hares;
• rabbits;
• land birds;
• martens;
• proteins;
• water rats;
• muskrats;
• stoats;
• caresses;
• ferrets;
• baby deer, chamois and roe deer;
• wild and domestic goats;
• hoarding rats;
• hamsters;
• lizards;
• snakes;
• small rodents (mice, voles, dormouse).

Partridges, chukars, rail birds, ducks and pheasants are especially vulnerable to attacks by the European Forest Cat. The predator not only attacks them, but also destroys their nests. Previously, these animals even hunted bustards and eagles.

When hunting for ducks, animals can swim, but they do this extremely rarely; they do not like water. Although occasionally they do not refuse to feast on frogs, crayfish and toads, this is truly a delicacy for them. Sometimes European forest cats, although extremely rarely, enter human settlements to hunt turkeys, ducks, geese, and chickens.

Despite the fact that the predator can move very quickly, when hunting it does not use the role of a beater, but prefers to take a wait-and-see position, watching for prey at a hole or nest. Then follows a rapid jump and the death of the victim. In this case, the cat kills small individuals by gnawing the occipital bone, and jumps onto the back of larger ones and tries to tear the neck. If the attack is unsuccessful, the cat will not pursue the prey, but will look for another victim.

The Forest Cat's vision is designed in such a way that he is able to concentrate only on a small area of ​​the territory, the rest of the space is blurry for him, and he is not able to track a fast-moving animal. But he can make simply gigantic jumps for his size - two to three meters in length and height.

These animals are very voracious; a three- to four-month-old kitten can eat up to ten medium-sized mice per day, and an adult up to one and a half to two kilograms of fresh prey. Although the European cat is a relatively small animal, it is a brave and fearless hunter. So, not every hunting dog will dare to attack a rat or a hamster, but he boldly rushes at these evil rodents.

Hunting for martens, ermines, weasels or ferrets is also dangerous, and the cat does not always emerge victorious from that fight. Many young individuals die in such battles.

The first hunt usually takes place a few hours before dark, and the second closer to dawn. On cloudy summer days, the animal can leave the den during the day.

It usually eats prey by sitting on the ground on its hind legs and holding the carcass with its front legs. It does not tear out pieces of meat, but bites them off with its fangs.

European cats' hearing is so well developed that it picks up sounds up to 25 thousand vibrations per second, that is, it is able to hear the movement of a shrew.

Puberty and reproduction

The European forest cat is a pronounced individualist with a difficult and secretive character, but during the mating season the animal transforms. He becomes extremely active and proactive in his search for a mate.

Reproduction usually occurs twice a year. The first mating season occurs in January-March.

Female and male individuals make loud calling sounds and actively mark their territory. Males chase females and often fight with each other for the right to own a female.

After mating, the female begins to prepare a den - she selects a hollow or hole and lines it with dry herbs, leaves, and feathers of eaten birds.

In April-May the birth of the first litter occurs, which usually contains from three to six cubs.

The babies are small (150-200 g), covered with dark down, blind and absolutely helpless. Their coloring is more spotted than that of adults and is more consistent with the ancient type.

After the birth of kittens, the male leaves the female and does not take part in raising and raising the offspring.

The mother feeds the babies with milk for up to three or four months, protects them from affection and ermine, and, if necessary, moves them to a new place.

From one and a half months, the cubs begin to crawl out of the hole, play actively and try solid food. They learn to climb trees, where they hide in case of danger.

From two months of life, European forest kittens begin to learn to hunt, and at five or six they are able to live independently. Although females reach sexual maturity only at nine months, and males only at three years.

When the teenagers leave their mother, the next rut begins. During this period, cats try to position themselves closer to the free cat and still start endless fights among themselves.

The strongest male eventually takes the lead and becomes the father of the new, hardiest offspring.

Sometimes females mate with stray cats, most often feral domestic ones, and then the species degenerates, since genetically these varieties are very similar and are capable of hybridization. The issue of degeneration due to mating with domestic cats is debatable, since they are much weaker than their wild counterparts.

Sometimes domestic cats lost in the forest often become friends with European wild cats. The offspring remain in the forest and mix with the main population, significantly weakening it genetically. Although scientists' opinions on the scale of degeneration from such hybridization vary greatly.

There is no doubt that it was from wild cats that domestic cat breeds such as the Norwegian Forest and Siberian originated.

Mother lynx teaches baby lynx to hunt in the forest in the Southern Urals

One of the camera traps installed on the territory of the Taganay National Park (Chelyabinsk region) filmed lynxes near a salt lick - a structure in the form of a feeding trough for feeding moose with salt. The footage shows how an adult lynx carefully examines the tracks left by moose, and her baby diligently repeats all the movements of his mother. You might think that the cats are preparing for an ambush, but zoologists say that the lynx cub needs the excursion rather for general development - in reality, these predators are too tough for elk.

– The basis of the diet of these predators is hares, as well as grouse and small rodents. The lynx cub will have to undergo “hunter school” before the start of the next mating season, which will begin in March, explains employees of the Taganay National Park.

Captivity

Even if European Forest Cat kittens end up in human hands at an early age, it is very difficult, almost impossible, to tame them.

In nature reserves and zoos, this predator lives and reproduces willingly, but it is better not to keep it in an apartment or private house. Sooner or later, the wild temper will definitely manifest itself and both sides will suffer - both animals and people.

Moreover, the European forest cat is very uncomfortable living next to a person due to its high caution and even timidity. If such a pet ends up in the house, it is necessary to create suitable conditions for it:

• Provide sufficient area for active movement and climbing, or better yet, a spacious enclosure.
• Do not mix a wild cat with other pets.
• Organize timely deworming, treatment for external parasites and regular vaccination.
• Closely monitor the health of your unusual pet, and in case of illness, promptly contact veterinary clinics.
• Choose the right and complete diet, in which the majority should be protein foods - lean meat (poultry, veal, rabbit), fermented milk products, fresh fish, offal (liver, heart, lung), chicken eggs.
• Don’t forget about the need to include vitamin-mineral complexes in your diet.

The European forest cat is genetically a very healthy animal, but with improper care and nutrition it can die very quickly. After all, the lifestyle itself in a home or enclosure is a great stress for a predator.

If there is a lack of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, micro- and macroelements in the food, the pet may develop serious diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease, glycogenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathies, and retinal dysplasia.

Under high-quality conditions of detention, the European forest cat can live in captivity for up to 30 years, while in nature its life expectancy rarely reaches 15.

New leopard spotted in “Land of the Leopard”

In the Land of the Leopard National Park in the Primorsky Territory, a previously unknown adult Far Eastern leopard was recorded on video. The animal was captured close-up in 4K on a camera equipped for automatic shooting. Valuable personnel made it possible to identify the new settler and create a “passport” for him.

The newest member of the large leopard family is a young female, who has been assigned the personal number Leo 207F. While studying materials from a camera installed by wildlife photographer Sergei Gorshkov, Land of the Leopard employees “met” a Red Book cat whose skin pattern of spots did not match any other individual in the database of the Russian population of the world’s rarest big cat.

Identification numbers are assigned to leopards that have previously been caught on camera as kittens, as well as those caught on camera traps for the first time as adults.

Leo 207F appeared before specialists as an adult - now she is more than two years old.

In the video, the female goes out onto a spacious viewing platform with a breathtaking view of the autumn forest. She explores the area, sniffs the ground: this may indicate that Leo 207F is open to new acquaintances and is ready to give birth to kittens.

“According to our studies of leopard reproductive biology, the first mating of females occurs on average at the age of 2 years and 3 months. The data source is photographs of females with litters from automatic cameras. We determine the age of the kittens visually in comparison with the existing photo database of leopards from zoos. We track the history of each litter, record all registrations, the age of the kittens, and thus calculate the date of expected conception,” emphasized Anna Vitkalova, an employee of the science department of the Land of the Leopard Federal State Budgetary Institution.

Note that the material was obtained in the northern section of the national park, which is territorially included in the Ussuri urban district. The more frequent appearance of spotted cats here may indicate an expansion of the range of leopards, whose numbers are growing. Rare predators are spreading and gradually occupying lands outside of specially protected natural areas, which leads to the need to expand the national park.

Since Leo 207F was discovered quite recently, it has not yet acquired a name. However, an animal with such a successful “portfolio” can count on the imminent appearance of its own Guardian, who will give it a name. The leopard's keepers become a kind of “godparents” of the spotted predators: they choose a name for their ward and monitor its fate through photo and video materials. The title is awarded for contributions to the work to revive the population of the rare leopard, both to individuals and organizations.

The Far Eastern leopard is the rarest big cat in the world. According to the latest data, 110 of these graceful predators have been recorded in Russia. This is still not enough for a complete restoration of the population, but progress is obvious: at the beginning of the 21st century, only about 35 Far Eastern leopards remained in the wild.

Source

Purchasing a kitten

If you have already decided to purchase this pet that is extremely unsuitable for keeping at home, then you should buy it only from a professional breeder. The cost of kittens starts from 40 thousand rubles.

It is better to choose a baby between two and four months of age, then there will be at least some chance of taming. Although you still shouldn’t expect that a wild kitten will grow into an affectionate pet. Even the most flexible exotic baby will still retain his freedom-loving character.

Keeping the European Forest Cat at home is also extremely undesirable due to the fact that the natural population has recently been greatly reduced as a result of human activity - deforestation, drainage of swamps, environmental pollution, and the growth in the number of cities and other settlements.

Today, in the habitats of animals, the density of their settlement is no higher than twenty individuals per hectare (100 by 100 m), and sometimes two or three per square kilometer (1000 by 1000 m). A decrease in the food supply – the number of rodents and birds – also has an effect.

Although the commercial importance of wild cats has never been great, in the middle of the last century up to five thousand of their heads were exterminated for pelts. Today, many predators fall into traps set for martens and badgers.

Today, the Central European Forest Cat is included in the second appendix of CITES (Convention on International Trade). In many European countries this species has disappeared completely, for example, in Belarus. Thus, in Dagestan there are only one hundred copies of a rare animal.

Survivor

Specialists from the Bolshekhehtsirsky Nature Reserve near Khabarovsk discovered an Amur tiger in camera trap footage that was believed to have died of starvation in the forest, the press service of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Zapovednoye Priamurye”, which includes the reserve, reported on Thursday.

The tiger was identified by its stripes, a pattern that is unique to each predator of this species. The reserve's staff compared the camera trap footage with the existing base of Amur tigers, which are regularly spotted in this area, and identified the missing predator. Now experts determine the gender of the animal, as well as the fate of the remaining individuals from this litter. In total, this reserve is home to a group of seven Amur tigers.

Three Amur tiger cubs were born on the territory of the Bolshekhehtsirsky Nature Reserve in the spring of 2022. They were first spotted on forest camera footage last fall. The possible death of the brood in the reserve was reported in early October of this year.

The Amur tiger is listed in the International Red Book as an endangered species. 90% of its population lives in Primorye and Khabarovsk Territory. Its numbers are stable and are now estimated at 580-600 individuals (95% of the world population of the animal). In the Khabarovsk Territory there are about 110-130 individuals.

Interesting Facts

• Forest cat populations are primarily threatened by hybridization with the domestic cat. Road traffic deaths are a significant problem in Europe.
• The wild cat population in Scotland has declined since the turn of the last century due to habitat loss and persecution by landowners.
• According to the notes of the famous zoologist and game warden L.P. Sabaneev, in the Middle Ages the Spaniards used the fur coat of the European forest cat to trim their cloaks and dresses.
• Even parchment was made from animal skin; the ancient European aristocracy called it cat parchment, and it was considered especially valuable. By the way, the code of laws of the Pyrenees is written on it.
• The Iberian or Pyrenees variety of forest cat still lives on the peninsula. This is the largest, even gigantic subspecies, the size of which remains the same as during the Ice Age.
• In the former Soviet Union, Forest cats were accidentally caught in European pine marten traps. Nowadays they are caught in snares without bait on abandoned trails of the red fox, European badger, European hare or pheasant.
• One method of catching Forest Cats was to use a modified muskrat trap with a spring placed in a hidden hole. The smell of prey led the predator into the trap.
• Forest cats are protected and in most countries of their range they are listed in the second appendix of CITES. The European Forest Cat is also listed in the Second Schedule of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, as well as the European Union Habitats and Species Directive. Conservation action plans have been developed in Germany and Scotland.

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Tiger

This wild cat is considered the largest representative of the cat family. Tigers can weigh up to three hundred kilograms. The length of the largest specimens recorded by scientists exceeded 3 meters. However, sizes may vary depending on the variety. The largest are Bengal and Amur tigers.

The predator has a flexible, strong body. The tiger is practically the only one in its family who is able to distinguish colors. The animal has acute hearing and an excellent sense of smell. Thanks to these features, it can detect even the faintest odor over very long distances. This makes the tiger one of the most dangerous predators in the world.

Tiger skin comes in several colors: brown, white and yellow. It has traditional vertical stripes on it. The length of the coat depends on the habitat. Southern varieties have sparser and shorter cover. The fur of northern specimens is denser and longer.