African Wild Cat

1^st out of our 6 featured “Cats” …lets start with the smallest one first:

The AFRICAN WILD CAT is sandy brown to yellow grey in colour, with black stripes on the tail. ... Today's domestic cats are generally believed to be descendants of the African Wild Cat, which were tamed by the Egyptians over 4000 years ago to control rats and mice raiding their granaries. 

Lifespan: 5 – 12 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity

Speed: same as a cat ;)

Scientific name: Felis silvestris lybica

Mass:  3 - 8kg (very similar to domestic cats)

Height: 35 – 40cm (adult at shoulder – very similar to domestic cats)

Did you know:

Ancient relatives: Results of genetic research indicate that the African wildcat diverged into three clades about 173,000 years ago, namely the Near Eastern wildcat, Southern African wildcat and Asiatic wildcat. African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East and are the ancestors of the domestic cat. 

Crossings between domestic cats and African wildcats are still common today.

It occurs across a wide distribution and has a wide variety of coat colours to help it blend into its environment. Colours range from sandy to greyish-brown and dark grey, best to be distinguish between a domestic cat by the orange/reddish/tan colour on the back of their ears