The African Wildcat is a Close Relative to Domestic Cats

By
Jovana N
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Around 6,000 years ago, the Egyptians tamed African Wildcats so they would help them fight rodents and keep their possessions safe.

The African wildcats look a lot like domestic cats. That’s not an accident, given that they are pretty closely related. Besides their physical appearance, the two species have many other things in common as well.

The African wildcats, as their name suggests, live in Africa, but they can also be found in India, China, and Mongolia. Their fur color depends on the area they live in, so they can blend into their surroundings while hunting. The typical length of a cat is around 1 foot 8 inches, with their tail is half that length.

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•A little one• . . Over the last months 9 months @malamalagamereserve I’ve mostly spent my time in the presence of the big cats. The little ones are a little harder to find and spend time with… . However on my recent trip to the Okavango Delta one of the highlights was watching an African wild cat interacting with a honey badger. It was a short lived sighting but once the honey badger scurried off we were left with a relatively relaxed cat. . . #botswana #botswanasafari #okavango #okavangodelta #khwai #safaritravel #travelphotography #africanwildcat #littlecat #africanimals #africangeographic #epicnature #wildlife_perfection #natgeowild #bbcearth #amatuerphotography #nikon #sigma #capturethemoment

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Their favorite food includes mice and rats, but they will also eat small birds, rabbits, scorpions, and spiders. They are extremely territorial and will keep their space safe from intruders. Their life expectancy is around 16 years and they typically give birth to two to five kittens at a time.

There are also subspecies that formed from crossings between domestic cats and African wildcats and they are actually pretty common.