Scottish Wildcat

[MichaelMcGuire]

(Wha ye lookin' at? fuk aff!)

intro:
Pound for pound the Scottish wildcat is one of the most impressive predators in the world; intelligent, fearless, resourceful, patient, agile and powerful they are genuine superpredators and until as recently as the 1950s were believed to be man killers.

inspired and terrified the same Highland clans that defied the Roman and English empires. Today the wildcat continues to receive the respect of Highland farmers and gamekeepers, many of them happy to recount the tale of the wildcat mother killing herself to kill a golden eagle attacking her kittens, or stories from childhood of wildcats evading teams of watching keepers to snatch lambs from their father's fields.


Clan MacPherson (one of seven that use the wildcat)

(Ur it will hae yer hain aff.)

Every inch a cat in every sense of the word the Scottish wildcat epitomises the independent, mysterious and wild spirit of the Highlands like no other creature.

"They'll fight to the death for their freedom; they epitomise what it takes to be truly free I think."
Mike Tomkies

By appearance the Scottish wildcat resembles a very muscular domestic tabby, the coat is made up of well defined brown and black stripes and usually has a ruffled appearance due to its thickness. The gait is more like that of a big cat and the face and jaw are wider and more heavy set than the domestic cat. Most apparent is the beautiful tail; thick and ringed with perfect bands of black and brown ending in a blunt black tip. The Scottish form is the largest in the wildcat family with males typically between 6-9kg (13-17lb) and females 5-7kg (11-15lb), around 50% larger than the average domestic cat. Fossil examples measuring 4 feet from nose to tail have been found; such a cat could have weighed around 14kg (30lb).

Their body is an evolutionary perfection; eighteen razor sharp retractable claws and rotating wrists for gripping prey and climbing trees, immensely powerful thigh muscles for 30mph sprinting, the ability to fall from the highest pine tree, land on its feet and walk away unscathed, incredible stealth, balance and agility all wrapped in a thick, camoflaged and religiously cleaned coat with one downy layer to keep in the warm and another outer layer to keep out the rain and cold.

Unique to Britain, and now only found in Scotland, they are a sub species of the European wildcat (felis silvestris silvestris) and although similar to the European the Scottish is slightly larger with a thicker coat, more heavily camoflaged and hunts and lives across a wider range of habitats; it is also infamously known as the only wild animal that can never be tamed by human hand, even when captive reared

Originally a forest creature, Scotland's heavy deforestation and tightly varied habitats has forced the wildcat to evolve and utilise everything available to it, with individuals typically including a mixture of habitats in their territory.

Once found across the British mainland they are now confined to the Scottish Highlands. Eye witness sightings of cats in the Borders region and even Northern England are not complete impossibilities but any cats in those areas are likely to be heavily hybridised. Locations of the best populations is slowly coming into focus and unsurprisingly it seems that they primarily exist in the less developed areas of the Highlands in the far north and west.

http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/wildcat.html
snips taken from above link, + some in put above from me.

Scottish wildcat conservation project Highland Tiger has created this official introductory film explaing the issues faced by the Scottish wildcat and what can be done to help these amazing animals.
http://www.highlandtiger.com/

[hedgehog]

1. I think I've shared a house with a couple hybrids over the years!

It's be silly to say I "owned" them!

Looking over the web site, the wild cat is described as having unusually thick fur. No kidding - we have had a couple huge grey tigers with heavy coats. Like I said, I suspect we're talking hybrids here.

[justiceischeap]

2. You never "own" cats

they own you.

[Aerows]

3. LOL

Exactly. I'm my cats' person.

[MichaelMcGuire]

4. These chaps can never be house cats even the hybrids they don't tame.

I've only seen one, once....
At a glance
Their twice the size of a house cat.

These guys are rarer than Tigers which are in the number of about 5000
Scottish Wildcat only about 400 left

[justiceischeap]

5. Beautiful critters!

I hope they're able to save them. Nothing worse than animal extinction if it can be helped.

[MichaelMcGuire]

10. The best chance they have is if everyone plays a part in their future

even with something as simple as sharing with others, and having a ethos that this valuable big cat has a right to exist and willing to fight for it. Just to be clear when I mean everyone, I do mean everyone. This big cat is as much yours as mine and if its gone the world will be poorer for it.


Personally I think there needs to be research into the areas they are living (like the Cairngorms), and a drive to make owners of house cats be responsible owners by neutering and vaccinating against diseases.


Cairngorms

[edit]
typo

[ieoeja]

15. According to that article, my house cats are LARGER than the Scottish wildcat.

"The Scottish form is the largest in the wildcat family with males typically between 6-9kg (13-17lb)."

The smallest of my three is in that range. The largest weighed in at 23 lbs and has grown since that weigh-in.

The 2nd largest has the same markings, was found in a Chicago alleyway pregnant, and is the mother of the other two (plus a third son at another house). She and the 23+ lb son, who mostly got her coloring, are also mean as heck. So who knows. Maybe I actually do have a Scottish wildcat and her hybrid sons in my house!

[jsmirman]

16. I was going to say - my boy is 15 pounds

he's got powerful shoulders and is just big all over (handsome far beyond what is reasonable, as well).

He stands to peek over the counter and just about makes it, and that is three feet off the ground.

He's a gorgeous found cat, but he's definitely no wildcat, even though he goes primal every once in a while.

[MichaelMcGuire]

21. I'd love to see a picture

[Maine-ah]

24. Looks about the size of one of my Maine Coons.

They also look very similar. At least their bodies and tails, the head not so much.

This is Simon, his brother, Henry (aka King Henry aka Hen) is darker, but Simon takes better pics because he'll actually sit still. Two of the sweetest boys ever.





Our Hen

[MichaelMcGuire]

28. Cats lying right along the Settee I could never get a seat.

The whole thing to its self!

[jsmirman]

32. Maine coons are amazing

such athletic cats.

Your basic cat is an excellent athlete, but maine coons with their climbing, leaping, quick strike ability are something else.

Although the one month my guy was living with a maine coon (might have been only half-maine coon, as the cat didn't have the size of a normal maine coon), the other cat kept jumping on him and darting out at him, and I kept splitting them up. I thought my cat didn't know how to fight.

Finally, one time it happened, I let it go a few seconds longer. My guy (who as I mentioned is a big boy) just rolled the other cat over and essentially sat on him. Turned out he was just like, you can start, but I'm going to finish this. I didn't see that one coming.

[roguevalley]

13. American Shorthairs black and awesome. I love them best.

tabbies rule. All of them were ours. Cats helped make me better.

[Solly Mack]

6. K&R

[Marrah_G]

7. Gorgeous!

[highplainsdem]

8. Beautiful!

[AngryAmish]

9. Honey Badger don't care.

[malaise]

11. Amazing cats

Rec

[MichaelMcGuire]

12. Highland Tigers channel

Last edited Tue Feb 14, 2012, 04:27 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.youtube.com/user/HighlandTigers

Very grumpy Scottish wildcat released unharmed
The footage was taken by a farmer who had set a cage-trap to catch any feral cats around his Aberdeenshire farm so that they could be neutered at the local vets. Much to his surprise, when he checked in the morning, he had caught a very grumpy wildcat! The cat was released unharmed a few seconds after the video was taken. It bounded away and disappeared into nearby woodland.

[jsmirman]

18. That cat is awesome

if you love cats, once you've read the video description (why it was caught, what a surprise it was, that it was released right after this), it is very hard not to chortle by the end of the video.

[MichaelMcGuire]

19. The traps are for wild house cats...

They go in, get sent to the vet.... snip snip and set free again. He was lucky to get this close this time to the real Scottish wildcat before letting it go its merry way.



Theres a story of a female wildcat saving her kittens from a golden eagle even if it meant her own life.

"Around Strathspey in the Highlands there's a widely known story of a gamekeeper out walking his land one day who spotted a golden eagle circling and diving at something below.

He worked his way in closer to see what it was hunting and was surprised to see a female Scottish wildcat standing over a group of very young kittens.

Th eagle kept coming in to try and drive off the adult so it could get at the kits but the wildcat stood its ground hissing furiously and lunging at the eagle whenever it came close.

Eventually, the eagle got just a little too close, the cat leapt and got a hold of it, biting at the throat and kicking at the body with it's rear legs in classic feline style.

The eagle managed to haul itself skyward with wildcat still attached going at it, eventually the wildcat overcame the bird and both fell a substantial distance to the floor.

The keeper rushed to where he saw them both go down and found the eagle just torn to pieces and the wildcat writhing on the floor, alive and aware but its back broken by the fall, of course he killed it straight away, still hissing furiously at him.

The story has passed into local legend somewhat (perhaps helped by the area being Clan Chattan territory, a clan who mostly have wildcats in their leader's crest) but I've heard it from numerous people and the details are always the same so I'd certainly give it some credence, feline mothers are well known to do anything to protect their young." - Steve Piper
www.scottishwildcats.co.uk

[Princess Turandot]

22. LOL I just played this video. The head of one of my cats popped up like a meerkat on the first hiss.

he stayed that way staring at the door to the room for several seconds after the video ended.

[MichaelMcGuire]

14. kick

[jsmirman]

17. Is it silly that the cat in the top photo looks scottish to me?

I'm a cat person, but an animal person overall - in terms of badass animals, I have a certain partiality to the wolverine, but this is a fascinating creature.

[MichaelMcGuire]

20. Possibly it did say "Wha ye lookin' at?" it was a dead give-away.

Although I thought the top picture of post 4's looked more Scottish?

[jsmirman]

23. You know there's "goofy scot variety" and "handsome scot"

I think you have them both between those two pictures...

[MichaelMcGuire]

25. Like this?

and

[jsmirman]

31. I don't think that's quite goofy enough

but the guy in the top video certainly is handsome.

[rppper]

26. I had a hybrid for 13 years.....

Max was a lynx/Persian mix....sable coat with light brown stripes, big blue eyes, long back legs, furry ears and belly.....he was HUGE....3ft long from tail to nose, a lean 23lbs, paws were nearly 2 inches across when extended. He was my friend, loved his belly scratched and paws rubbed.....he was 5 years old when I rescued him. He passed away 3 years ago....I love big cats!

[MichaelMcGuire]

27. bump

[AnnieBW]

29. I can haz haggis?

Kat fud awful. Haggis better.

[Withywindle]

30. K & R

For a beautiful animal and a little wildness left in the world. May they always hunt free.

[Puzzler]

33. Fabulous animal!