50 million years ago, the two carnivore families - Felidae and Canidae - diverged from their common ancestor. In the past 40 million years, evolutionary mutations have given raise to a variety of subfamilies, and their species, within the Felidea family. Modern molecular genetics and phylogenetics recognize three major lineages in felid evolution:

Approximately 12 million years ago, the first branching lead to the evolutionary development of the small South American cats ( like the Ocelot, Margay, Oncilla, Geoffroy’s cat) - called the Ocelot lineage. The species of this lineage are still very primitive cats, some of which still include fruit in their diet.

Between 10 - 8 million years ago, the second branch gave raise to the ancestors of our domestic cat (to include the African and Eurasian wildcat, Sand cat, black-footed cat, jungle cat, and Chinese mountain cat) - the Domestic cat lineage.

The third lineage - the Panthera lineage. (Puma, cheetah, leopard cat, rusty-spotted cat, fishing cat, serval, caracal, and others) - started to evolve about 6-4 million years ago, as a gradual divergence of mid-size and large cats, from the second branching.

The most recent divergence is dated between 3.8-1.8 million years ago, and represents the split of the lynxes (such as Canadian and Eurasian Lynx, bobcat, and clouded leopard) and big cats (like the lion, tiger, jaguar, and leopard).

The domestic cat, as a directs descendant from - or a subspecies of - the African wildcat, is placed in the genus Felis, which represents the Domestic cat lineage - the second oldest branch of the Felid family tree.

Classification of the Felidea/Cat Family (by W. Christopher Wozencraft 1993 - taxonomy set followed by the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group) :

Felidea Subfamily/genus:
Felis

• bieti - Chinese mountain (desert) cat
• chaus - Jungle cat
• margarita - Sand cat
• nigripes - Black-footed cat
• silvestris,:
  • ornata - Asiatic Wildcat
  • libyca - African Wildcat
  • silvestris - European Wildcat
  • catus - Domestic Cat

It is estimated that the process of self-domestication of. Felis silvestris, libyca group began approximately 4000 - 8000 years ago in North Africa. The resident human population at this time - the Egyptians - were a agricultural society, and the accumulation of crops on fields and in storage represented a irresistible opportunity for rodents to make their home within the human settlements. A large rodent population in turn attracted the cat - the natural predator of rodents.. The belief system of the antique Egypt enabled the cat to flourish among humans, who highly respected and protected the cat.

From its North African home, the cat - in the company of humans - eventually found its way to nearly every continent on this planet during the following centuries and millennia.

Although various, human promoted mutations have changed the appearance of some cats quite dramatically in the past few thousand years from their wild form, the fact remains that the domestic cat is nothing more but a slight variation of its species : Felis silvestris, libyca group.

Lets take a close look at our domestic cat's kin:

African Wildcat - Felis silvestris, lybica group

The African Wildcat is the most widespread of the species in the genus Felis - besides the domestic cat. She differs from the European form by a sleeker built with less distinct tabby markings. Due to the large geographic area this species inhabits, Wildcat appearance varies depending on location. In general, the coat thickens and the coloration and tabby markings become more intense, from north to south. Typical background colours vary from a reddish to sandy yellow to a tawny brown and grey, marked with more or less intense tabby stripes and dots. All black individuals occur occasionally. In her size, the African Wildcat is indifferent to the domestic cat, and an African Wildcat is very difficult to distinguish from a domestic tabby in the field.

Her habitat stretches throughout the entire continent of Africa and into the Middle East. However, the African Wildcat does not appear to inhabit the continent’s tropical rain forests, and populates the dessert areas only thinly. Population density depends foremost on prey availability.

Throughout her habitat, rodents appear to be her major prey, but a variety of birds, reptiles, and amphibians are also taken, if the opportunity arises. The largest prey an African Wildcat will hunt are young antelopes. Insects and arachnids - like scorpions, are frequently taken, presumably in relation to a seasonal decline in the rodent population.

African Wildcats do not group into “colonies”, but lead a more solitary lifestyle. Family units of a mother and her kittens will remain together for many months, until the young will eventually make their own lives upon becoming sexually mature. Although the males may appear to be true loners, they too lead a very social life, patrolling their territory that will overlap or include several smaller ones of females, who he considers his harem. He will defend his territory from challengers, thereby protect the females and their kittens.

The gestation period of the African Wildcat is the same as it is for our domestic cats - 56-63 days - after which 2-4 kittens are born on average. At the age of 11 months, the kittens are sexually mature, and may go on to live as long as 15 years.

Asian Wildcat - Felis silvestris, ornata group

The Asian Wildcat inhabits much of Iran and the eastern regions of the Caspian Sea, reaching far into China, Mongolia, and Russia. In her appearance she differs much more from our domestic cat in size and appearance. This subspecies is much smaller, with females weighing only as much as 2.7 kg, and has a more greyish-yellow or reddish background with distinct small black or red-brown spots. In some regions, especially in central Asia, the cats may also display strips.

Asiatic Wildcats are frequently observed resting or making their den in burrows, and are most typically associated with scrub desert. They do not inhabit the steppe grassland of Mongolia or alpine steppe habitat. However, they don’t shy away from cultivated areas and are often found near human settlement. Favourite prey are rodents like gerbils, voles, and mice, but hares, young ungulates, birds, insects, lizards, and snakes are also taken. Sometimes, eggs of ground birds are scavenged.

The Asian Wildcat raises litters of an average of 3-6 kittens, who mature similarly to the kittens of the African Wildcat. However, males of the Asian Wildcat may not be sexually mature until their second year of life.

European Wildcat - Felis silvestris, silvestrisgroup

The forest cats of Europe and wester Russia are grey-brown in coat colour with a well defined pattern of black stripes. The coat is thick and bushy with a bunt-ended tail. Although the European Wildcat looks much bigger than the African Wildcat, repeated weight measurements have shown that they are not. The European Wildcat is the oldest group in the subfamily Felis silvestris, or the first descended of the common ancestor of all cats (except for the Ocelot lineage) - the Martelli’s cat (Felis [silvestris] lunensis). Molecular analysis indicates that the African Wildcat diverged from the European form only about 20,000 years ago. 12,000 to 16,000 years after that, the first African Wildcats made their homes among human settlements, giving raise to our domestic cat.

The habitat range of the European Wildcat used to cover all Europe, including England, and stretching as far east as the Caspian Sea. Due to heavy persecution in the late 1700s and early 1900s, only small populations of wild forest cats remain. Starting in the 1920s, some European countries made efforts to reintroduce wild cat populations. Today, the European Wild cat inhabits protected areas in Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom (Scotland), Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Slovacia, and Italy. European Wildcats are also found in the Mediterranean, like Greece and Turkey.

The European Wildcat thrives in a mixed forest habitat, but adapt to life in coniferous forests, Mediterranean scrubland, and even along sea coasts. The are never found in heavily cultivated areas, and will at best tolerate cultivation in the form of grazing areas divided into plots. Often they will retreat into very swampy habitat to avoid contact with human activity.

Favourite prey of the European Wildcat throughout her range are rodents. However, the cats in Spain and Scotland heavily prey on rabbit as well. Other small prey seems to be of little importance. The European Wildcat is the only one of the wildcats, we have discussed so far, who will - especially in winter - scavenge and even cache her kills.

The gestation period of the European Wildcat last somewhat longer than that of the other Felis silvestris species, and a forest cat mother will give birth to an average of 4 kittens after 63-68 days. The little forest cats learn to be independent very fast and may leave the family bond as early as 4 months of age, and reach sexual maturity at about 10 months. Life expectancy is can be up to 15 years. However, the incident of human-caused mortality - accidental or intentionally - is very high among European Wildcats throughout most of her range.

The ability for any of the species in the Felis silvestris subspecies to interbreed with one another, clearly underlines how closely they are indeed related. The species Felis silvestris "flows" from the northern parts of Europe, around the Mediterranean, into and all through Africa, and into the East as far as China. 26 subspecies are recognized, to include the three we have discussed,. and Scientist are in a heavy debate if more should be added, or some taken away. Genetically these populations may be indistinguishable from each other, and only subtle changes in appearance and the area of their distributions justifies to classify them as being different from each other.

It is well known to biologists that the domestic cat, Felis silvestris catus, readily breeds with the wild species who inhabit the same area. Because of the wide distribution of the domestic cat and overwhelming numbers of stray animals, hybridization of stray domestic cats and wild cats is raising concerns, however. In many parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia hybridization is one of the principal threats to the survival of the wild cat species. While habitat destruction, persecution, and fur trapping have greatly weakened the wild populations, hybridization might be pushing them over the edge.