ALLEY CAT RESCUE

your kitty's wild ancestor

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    • How Rescuers Can Effectively Adopt Out Cats >
      • Adopting Adult Feral Cats
    • Winter Tips for Protecting Cats
    • Summer Tips for Cats
    • Feral Cats and the Law
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      • Where have all the birds gone?
      • Debunking the Myths and Misinformation: Cat Predation
      • Why Eradication Methods Fail
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      • How to Prepare for an Emergency
    • FIP, FeLV, FIV >
      • Testing for FeLV/FIV
    • Common Cat Health Issues >
      • Feline Panleukopenia
      • Fleas
      • Zoonotic Diseases
      • Rabies
      • Toxoplasmosis
      • Ringworm - Symptoms and Treatment
      • Ringworm Myths Debunked
      • Obesity in Cats
      • Diabetes
      • Indoor/Outdoor Cats
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        • Cat on Cat Aggression
      • Meowing and Yowling
      • Urine Marking
      • Behavior Issues in Elderly Cats
    • Introducing Cats
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    • Tips for Entertaining an Indoor Cat
    • Cat Supply Resources
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    • AWC Conservation Projects
    • Press Release on African Wildcat Campaign
    • Differences between AWCs and domestic cats
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click here report an awc sighting!

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A Report by Louise Holton
​

Did you know
that our domestic housecats who sit on our laps and sleep on our beds come from a wild ancestor? This wild ancestor is the African wildcat, Felis lybica lybica. How many are there left in the wild? It’s difficult to estimate the numbers as the cats are nocturnal, very elusive, usually live alone, and are well camouflaged.
​
For the definition of African wildcats, we turned to Dr. Jim Sanderson, the Founder and Director of Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation. Dr. Sanderson told us: 

“Felis lybica is a separate species with three subspecies.
In Eastern and Southern Africa, the subspecies is Felis lybica cafra. Felis lybica lybica is the ancestor of the domestic cat.
Felis lybica ornata is the wildcat of Asia.”


​The domestic cat is now Felis catus, a separate species that was domesticated mostly from a lineage of Felis lybica lybica from Mesopotamia (Driscoll et al. 2007). One third of U.S. households have housecats, and more than 600 million cats live among humans in the world. And probably 600 million more live on streets and in alleyways. We have this wildcat to thank for our beloved companion animals!

Over the years the origin of the domestic cat, Felis catus, has been elusive. For many years, researchers believed that it was the Egyptians who first domesticated the cat. This is because around 3,500 years ago, Egyptian artists depicted cats in their art on wall paintings and on mosaics. Statues and paintings showed cats sitting under chairs and being worshiped as deities. The cat goddess Bastet, who rose to prominence around 1,000 B.C., was the Goddess of love and joy. Also at that time, the penalty for killing a cat was death. Pet cats who died were mummified and eventually buried with their dead owners. What made it easier to think the Egyptians domesticated Felis lybica lybica was that this wildcat also lived in Egypt and is easier to tame than other small wildcats like the Scottish and European wildcat. 

Just in the last few years, genetic and archaeological discoveries changed this. Genetic findings showed that cat domestication began in the Fertile Crescent around 10,000 years ago, coinciding with the beginning of agriculture. The wildcats living here took advantage of the mice and rats found around grain storages, and eventually humans started putting out food scraps for them. The cat most likely domesticated herself, as she saw an easy way to find food. The farmers liked having these wildcats around since they took care of the rodents, and continued to find ways to encourage them to stay. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement that still plays out today, as domestic cats are welcome to live in barns to keep rodents in check, and keep food storage relatively free from rodents.
​
To some extent, domestication of wildcats continues to this very day, as it does in parts of Africa, where wildcats often come in contact with villagers. Southern African wildcats living around the Satara Camp in Kruger Park have found that at night they can easily find scraps of meat left in camps around the areas where people barbeque. 
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Last year I visited Satara Camp and late one night we found a southern African wildcat next door to our bungalow. She was under a car cleaning herself like any Moggie would after a meal. She was not afraid of us but also wouldn’t let us get too close! Even with only a flashlight on her, I could see her distinctive black feet, and the striped tail, plus the orange tinge to the backs of her ears, all so characteristic of the wildcat.
​
Alley Cat Rescue has been at the forefront of working to keep the southern African wildcat pure. Habitat loss, hunting, and cars all take a toll on the southern African wildcat, but hybridization has a significant effect as well. Because the cats are so similar in DNA, they interbreed very easily, and hybrids can still give birth to litters of kittens.

Conservation Status
The southern African wildcat is listed as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but they do say the species is declining. Wildcats are listed on Appendix 11 by CITES, which means the cat is not immediately threatened but does need trade sanctions to ensure their survival.

Sadly there is an imbalance of funding for the 33 species of small wildcats in the world. There is a tendency to support conservation efforts for big cats but not smaller cats. With only 1.2% of ALL funding for wildcats directed towards ALL cat species, there is an increased need for additional funding. The other 98.8% of wildcat donations goes towards funding tigers, panthers, and other large cats. While Alley Cat Rescue loves ALL cats, we would like to see more funding put towards the small wildcats and of course support our project in South Africa: Saving Your Kitty’s Heritage.

Alley Cat Rescue is the first and only group in the world with an Action Plan to save this iconic species. There are groups in Scotland with a similar plan to save the Scottish wildcat.

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Appearance
While southern African wildcats bear many physical similarities to the modern-day domesticated cats, there are some distinct differences. Southern African wildcats have unusually long front legs, which results in a gait similar to the cheetah. These longer front legs are seen in ancient bronze Egyptian statutes. It gives the cat a very upright sitting position which is completely absent in domestic cats and in hybrids.

​Depending on where they live, their coat colors range from light, sandy stripes in the deserts to dark gray/brown stripes in forested areas. They have stripes around their face that range in color from dark ochre to black. The two larger stripes run horizontally on the cheek, from the outer corner of the eye to the jaw. A smaller stripe runs from the inner corner of the eye to the tip of the nose, and there are four to six stripes across the throat. Their hind legs are also striped, and they have two dark rings that circle the front legs. African wildcats have a dark stripe that runs along their back, while their flanks are lighter in color. They have vertical pale stripes on their sides, which often fade into spots. The end of their tail has two to three rings and a black tip, and their feet are usually black underneath. In terms of size and weight they are closely comparable to the domestic cat.


References and Further Reading
Bryner, Jeanna. “House Cats’ Wild Ancestor Found.” LiveScience, Purch, 28 June 2007, www.livescience.com/7299-house-cats-wild-ancestor.html

Driscoll, Carlos A, et al. “The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication.” Science (New York, N.Y.), U.S. National Library of Medicine, 27 July 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5612713/

Kitchener A. C., Breitenmoser-Würsten Ch., Eizirik E., Gentry A., Werdelin L., Wilting A., Yamaguchi N., Abramov A. V., Christiansen P., Driscoll, C., Duckworth J. W., Johnson W., Luo S.-J., Meijaard E., O’Donoghue P., Sanderson J., Seymour K., Bruford M., Groves C., Hoffmann M., Nowell K., Timmons Z. & Tobe S. 2017. “A revised taxonomy of the Felidae.” The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. Cat News Special Issue 11, 80 pp., https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/ handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf

Dr. Jim Sanderson, PhD., Founder and Director of Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation (SWCCF); https://smallcats.org/
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  • Home
    • About >
      • Mission
      • Our Team
      • Board of Directors
      • Financial Information
      • Email Sign-up
    • ACR in the Press
    • ACR Publications >
      • Newsletters
      • Blog
      • Press Releases
      • National Surveys
    • Adoptions >
      • Adoption Application
      • Cats available for adoption
      • New Cat Checklist
      • Introducing A New Cat
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact Us
    • Partners
  • Action Alerts
    • Spay Neuter Pledge
    • No Declaw Pledge
    • Campaigns >
      • TNR Support Letter
      • The Feral Fix
      • Working Cats Program >
        • Shelters with Working Cat Programs
      • End Deadly Eradication Methods
      • "Fix the Family"
  • Spay/Neuter
    • Early Age Spay/Neuter
    • Misconceptions About Spay/Neuter
    • State Low Cost Spay/Neuter
  • How to Help Community Cats
    • Find a Stray Cat?
    • What is a Feral Cat? >
      • Feral vs. Stray Cats
      • Benefits of Feral Cats
    • TNR-- What does this mean? >
      • TNR Statistics
      • TNR Step-by-Step
      • Targeted Trapping
      • TNR Tips
      • Hard to Catch Cats
      • TNR Equipment Loan Resources
      • Where to Buy TNR Equipment
      • TNR/Community Cat Care Financial Resources
      • Helping Shelters Implement TNR Programs
      • Common Complaints
    • Providing Shelter
    • CAT Action Teams: TNR Groups by State
    • Health Care
    • Cat Overpopulation
    • Relocation
    • Feral Kittens >
      • What to do if you find kittens
      • Stages of Kitten Development
      • Orphaned Kittens
      • Socializing Feral Kittens
      • Fostering Kittens
    • How Rescuers Can Effectively Adopt Out Cats >
      • Adopting Adult Feral Cats
    • Winter Tips for Protecting Cats
    • Summer Tips for Cats
    • Feral Cats and the Law
    • Cats and Wildlife >
      • Cats and Predation
      • Where have all the birds gone?
      • Debunking the Myths and Misinformation: Cat Predation
      • Why Eradication Methods Fail
    • Handbook Download
  • Cat Health & Supplies
    • Health Care for Your Cat >
      • Vaccines
      • Wellness Vet Checkups
      • Microchiping
      • Nail Trimmings
      • Effects of aging
      • Hospice Care and Euthanasia Decisions
      • Vet Care Financial Assistance
      • How to Prepare for an Emergency
    • FIP, FeLV, FIV >
      • Testing for FeLV/FIV
    • Common Cat Health Issues >
      • Feline Panleukopenia
      • Fleas
      • Zoonotic Diseases
      • Rabies
      • Toxoplasmosis
      • Ringworm - Symptoms and Treatment
      • Ringworm Myths Debunked
      • Obesity in Cats
      • Diabetes
      • Indoor/Outdoor Cats
    • Cats & Claws
    • Animal Cruelty Against Cats
    • Hazardous Poisons
    • Poisonous Plants
    • Cats and COVID-19
    • Cat Supplies
    • Pet Food Banks
    • Pet Disaster Preparedness
  • Cat Behavior
    • Solutions to Prevent Surrendering your cat >
      • Rehoming
    • Common Cat Behavior Issues >
      • Litter Box Problems
      • Scratching and Destructive Behavior
      • Aggressive Cats >
        • Cat on Cat Aggression
      • Meowing and Yowling
      • Urine Marking
      • Behavior Issues in Elderly Cats
    • Introducing Cats
    • Cat Enrichment
    • Tips for Entertaining an Indoor Cat
    • Cat Supply Resources
    • Lost Cat
  • African Wildcats
    • AWC Conservation Projects
    • Press Release on African Wildcat Campaign
    • Differences between AWCs and domestic cats
  • Donate
  • Store