Scottish Wildcats

What makes the Scottish Wildcat different?

The Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris grampia) may look similar to a domestic cat, but it is a totally different animal, enabling it to survive in the bleak Scottish wilderness.

It has a wide, flat head, ears that point more sideways, a bushy blunt-ended tail encircled with dark rings, and a distinctive striped coat. But the biggest difference is in its behaviour. This is not a cat that purrs. It will never approach a human, let alone rub up against your legs. If cornered, it will hiss, spit, snarl and attack!

It can be found in upland forest, moorland, scrub and hill ground where they lie up during the day. The wildcat hunts small mammals such as rabbits and rodents and will also eat birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. They may also scavenge fresh carrion. Solitary and territorial, the wildcat is active mainly around dawn and dusk.

Hope, Our Resident Hybrid Scottish Wildcat

Throughout 2019, our rehabilitation facility welcomed three potential Scottish Wildcats. One of them, lovingly named Hope by our Community, failed the pelage scoring and the DNA test, sadly confirming that she’s not a pure Scottish Wildcat.

This means that she is not pure enough to be accepted for the Scottish Wildcat Action’s captive breeding program, or to be released in the wild without being neutered. Given the complexity of the neutering operation and how accustomed to human presence the cat was, we have decided to keep her! She was moved to a refurbished and large enclosure, where she is now a happy and relaxed cat.

In the Summer of 2020, after a brief and unfortunate escape from the enclosure, Hope has given birth to three new kittens. Since it is still too early to make any decisions on whether the kittens are ferals or Scottish Wildcats, we don’t have any further release or neutering plans thus far.

How are we supporting Scottish wildcat conservation?

To give this wonderful species the best possible future, we mainly support Scottish Wildcat Action; however, we still care for the protection of hybrid Scottish wildcats and are committed to care for our resident cat. Therefore, our main efforts to support this species include:

• Ongoing maintenance of the Wildcat rehabilitation enclosure

• Providing food & shelter for our resident hybrid wildcat, Hope and potentially taking on new hybrid residents, unsuitable for release

• Providing educational days with local schools to teach them more about the species

The Highland Titles Wildcat Rehabilitation Facility

Prior to the now near-universal agreement that the Scottish wildcat can no longer be saved in the wild, Highland Titles have built and operated one of the finest wildcat rehabilitation facilities in Europe.

This facility welcomed three kittens whilst it was in operation. One male passed the purity test, and was therefore released. The other male was given a low pelage score, and was therefore neutered and released locally – this means the cat has left the enclosure, but there is still access to food and shelter if he wishes to return, or if his hunting skills are making it difficult for him to find enough food.

The third cat, is our very own Hope – who embodies all of our previous conservation efforts and our hope for the future of this species.