Today’s domestic cat derived from the African Wildcat (Felis lybica). New evidence shows that the wildcat was domesticated around 9,500 years ago in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East and Egypt, although it was the Egyptians who truly welcomed the cats into their homes. Not only were they intrigued by the cats’ beauty, they soon realized the cats’ ability to keep the rodent population under control. Cats were soon elevated to deity status and revered as goddesses, such as Bastet the cat goddess.

To this very day, city feral cats keep rodents under control. When the cats were wiped out during the Middle Ages, the plague—caused by fleas on rodents—killed one third of the population in Europe—34 million people. Rarely do cats receive credit, but the Black Plague of Europe is one of those examples that shows the problem that could arise if ferals are eliminated. When cat populations were restored, the Plague subsided, as rodents once again had a predator to control their populations.

The African Wildcat lives throughout the continent of Africa (and the Middle East), occupying forests, grasslands, and brush lands. Because of their diverse habitats, they have a wide variety of coat variations, ranging from a light sandy color in dry areas to darker grey/brown colors in forested areas. Today’s striped tabby looks remarkably like its ancestors.

Unfortunately, these beautiful creatures are listed on the Convention on the Interna¬tional Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) treaty as “threatened,” but international legislation does NOT protect the African Wildcat over most of its range. Farmers shoot the cats, believing they kill their livestock, and for use of their fur. Habitat loss and population fragmentation also plays a role in the decreased numbers of Wildcats. However, their biggest threat of extinction comes from hybridization or the inter-breeding of the Wildcat with domestic and feral cats. This interbreeding dilutes the gene pool and over time, the African Wildcat will “fade out” and its species will ultimately become extinct.

In attempts to conserve the Wildcat, some breeding programs exist to release kittens into parks and reserves, but these efforts are limited and still come with the fear of interbreeding. Therefore, the most practical solution is to trap-neuter-return (TNR) stray and feral cats. This will cease the interbreeding and also help combat the cat overpopulation crisis.

In the Fall of 2008, Alley Cat Rescue plans to visit sites in South Africa, where the African Wildcat is believed to still inhabit. ACR will work with local biologists and park reserves to TNR stray/feral cats. Currently, ACR is raising funds to purchase a mobile vet clinic; which will allow us to patrol each site and sterilize the cats. Ultimately, the combined efforts should reduce the number of cats interbreeding and thus, allow the number of African Wildcats to increase.