Brought to You by the Letter W

This post is hosted at ABC Wednesday.

W is for Wildcat!
My high school mascot and my daughter's college mascot is the Wildcat, so I thought it would be interesting to find out a little more about REAL wildcats.

Peter Trimming - Yawning 'Kendra' 

Felis silvestris is the technical name of the species, and there is a broad range of Wildcats. Different types of wildcats are found in Africa, Europe, Asia, India, and Mongolia.

Image Credit

The markings, color, and fur of a Wildcat vary depending on the specific type of wildcat it is.  Some have stripes; others have spots.  Some are gray; some are orange and/or brown.  For a wild feline, the Wildcat is small, but they are larger than most housecats.  Their legs are longer.  They have a rounder face than most cats who live in the wild.  They have very long tails, often marked with black rings.

Image Credit

Wildcats are basically solitary animals who prefer to be alone except during mating time. They are carnivores.  Their favorite meals are things such as rats and birds.  They often live in areas with rocks and fallen trees that they use for refuge.

Image Credit

Wildcats make noises similar to housecats such as mews, hisses, and rumbles.  They also make a high-pitched whistling noise that housecats don't make.  At times in history, wildcats were domesticated, but not so much anymore.  A wildcat is not the same thing as a feral cat.

Image Credit

The Wildcat is one of the top 5 most common mascot names in the U. S.  I hope you enjoyed this post!

Subscribe in a reader