How likely is it that my cat is partly wild cat.

[maura larling]

Ok so i adopted a kitten from our local spca and her mother wasn't with her. Now firstly some reasons i think she could be crossed with a wild cat: She's big at 10 weeks of age she weighed 2.5 pounds, and from what I've seen average weight at that age is 1.5-2 pounds she's also female and not overweigth(infact im sure if anything she's slightly underweight). Shes pretty aggressive, she's will quickly turn pretty aggressive if I'm petting her too vigorously( she's never hurt me she just gives me warning bites), she makes a sound I've never heard any domestic cat make. Shes also an amazing climber and jumper, when she was 6 weeks old she could already climb a curtain to more than 2 meters. And she could jump a meter high(I don't know if this is normal I have never owned a cat before this, but it seems a bit extreme to me... and my friend with 2 cats agrees that it's a bit extreme for a 6 weeks old kitten. There is also a wild cat that can be encountered in our area( and that I've seen in our area): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_wildcat and she has similar eye colour and body markings(although faint) and the same colour nose/feet and face/body shape. They are also infamous for mating with domestic cats(to such an agree that they struggle to find purebred cats of this kind). I will post a video of the cat cus I don't really have any good photos of her. Thank you for any replies!


Edit : I just did some searching and i found a video that has the sound my cat makes, she isnt very vocal but recently started making this noise often it happens at 50 secs :

   

 

[kcpo24]

Lol if that cat is in ur area then I'm assuming u live in africa? Also a picture would help greatly [emoji]128077[/emoji]

 

[Willowy]

Domestic cats basically ARE Little African Wildcats . Genetically speaking. So, yes, if there are wildcats in your area, the domestic cat populations are probably well-mixed with the wildcats. This shouldn't make a lot of difference in her behavior, as the small wildcats are pretty similar to housecats.

 

[StefanZ]

As I understand, this kitten behaves entirely normal, and is "age-adequate" in everything.   If that kitten is noticeably bigger than others her age may be she has an Ancestor, alike a Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest cat as granddad - both big breeds.

If you live in Africa, so Lybica, the african wildcat, may be mixed in yes.  But they are very near akin our house cats, their ancestors 1000 generations back, so this is not impossible.  They are also wellknown to be fairly easy to tame and domestice.  Per defintion.

But the European Wildcat, although very similiar to our moggies, is another story.  They are shy, and practically impossible to socialize.  I presume if you take them as very small, it should be possible, but hardly an adult.  While itns not that difficult with a housecat whom is born as ferale.

Thus, I presume, their mixes will be difficult to socialize completely.

I had recently read a book by an english animal behavioral scientist, John Bradshaw?  on cats.

He wrote they did looked at DNA in cats in Asia, both domestics and the wild species.   They found quite a few domestic DNA in the wild living small cats species.  But hardly any wild cat DNA in domestics!   He didnt explained why, but I presume, the mixes were to shy and aggressive to make good home cats.  So nobody bothered to put any big effort to socialize them hybrids.

It could possibly happen in Europe or USA, where we do have lotsa of cat lovers whom can put lotsa of energhy in fostering the shy cats...

Anyways, in practice, real hybrides are very rare.   Yours is 100% for sure not any wild cat hybrid no.   At least, not in the several last generations.   (possibly the Lybica, but nothing else)

 

[maura larling]

Domestic cats basically ARE Little African Wildcats . Genetically speaking. So, yes, if there are wildcats in your area, the domestic cat populations are probably well-mixed with the wildcats. This shouldn't make a lot of difference in her behavior, as the small wildcats are pretty similar to housecats.

Wait so are you saying all domestic cats have a similar ancestor in the way humans have?

 

[maura larling]

As I understand, this kitten behaves entirely normal, and is "age-adequate" in everything.   If that kitten is noticeably bigger than others her age may be she has an Ancestor, alike a Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest cat as granddad - both big breeds.
If you live in Africa, so Lybica, the african wildcat, may be mixed in yes.  But they are very near akin our house cats, their ancestors 1000 generations back, so this is not impossible.  They are also wellknown to be fairly easy to tame and domestice.  Per defintion.

But the European Wildcat, although very similiar to our moggies, is another story.  They are shy, and practically impossible to socialize.  I presume if you take them as very small, it should be possible, but hardly an adult.  While itns not that difficult with a housecat whom is born as ferale.
Thus, I presume, their mixes will be difficult to socialize completely.

I had recently read a book by an english animal behavioral scientist, John Bradshaw?  on cats.
He wrote they did looked at DNA in cats in Asia, both domestics and the wild species.   They found quite a few domestic DNA in the wild living small cats species.  But hardly any wild cat DNA in domestics!   He didnt explained why, but I presume, the mixes were to shy and aggressive to make good home cats.  So nobody bothered to put any big effort to socialize them hybrids.
It could possibly happen in Europe or USA, where we do have lotsa of cat lovers whom can put lotsa of energhy in fostering the shy cats...

Anyways, in practice, real hybrides are very rare.   Yours is 100% for sure not any wild cat hybrid no.   At least, not in the several last generations.   (possibly the Lybica, but nothing else)

Thanks this reply was very informative would you mind giving me the name of the book?

Also I think it's highly unlikely that she is crosses with a nfc or main coon, she does have the lynx ears, but in south africa cat culture doesnt really exist cats are seen as something you have to kill Mice and thats it. Only a select few cherish and love their cats like me infact to such extend that Ive never seen a persian or main coon or any long haired cat people just arent willing to pay for a more exotic breed because they dont see cats as amazing majestic animals like we do, they see them as a rodent killer that they can get for free from tim next door cus tom didnt sterilise his cats. Also long haired cats and dogs are rare here too since we have a very warm climate. But there is a pretty high likelyhood that maybe she could have a long haired parent because her hair is like medium in length.

 

[StefanZ]

Thanks this reply was very informative would you mind giving me the name of the book?

Also I think it's highly unlikely that she is crosses with a nfc or main coon, she does have the lynx ears, but in south africa cat culture doesnt really exist cats are seen as something you have to kill Mice and thats it. Only a select few cherish and love their cats like me infact to such extend that Ive never seen a persian or main coon or any long haired cat people just arent willing to pay for a more exotic breed because they dont see cats as amazing majestic animals like we do, they see them as a rodent killer that they can get for free from tim next door cus tom didnt sterilise his cats. Also long haired cats and dogs are rare here too since we have a very warm climate. But there is a pretty high likelyhood that maybe she could have a long haired parent because her hair is like medium in length.

its this bok, Cat sense, by John Bradshaw.  Not that great book, but still interesting.

http://catsensebook.com/.

Ah, so you are in Africa for real, its not just a misspelling.     So yeah, I understand you wont have any natural longhair there.   Although both Maine Coon and Norwegians began their carrier as mousers by the local farmers in the northern America respective Norway, so they can surely do it today too.  Maine coon arent only majestic, they are known to be quite agile too,

for example.

The tail is the best indicium if they are medium+, or shorthair with longish hair.    Furry tail = medium+.

 

[maura larling]

 
its this bok, Cat sense, by John Bradshaw.  Not that great book, but still interesting.

http://catsensebook.com/.

Ah, so you are in Africa for real, its not just a misspelling.     So yeah, I understand you wont have any natural longhair there.   Although both Maine Coon and Norwegians began their carrier as mousers by the local farmers in the northern America respective Norway, so they can surely do it today too.  Maine coon arent only majestic, they are known to be quite agile too,

for example.

The tail is the best indicium if they are medium+, or shorthair with longish hair.    Furry tail = medium+.

Yup also in this post this person says that most lynx tipped cats have longer coats, Nidalee does have lynx tip ears.

http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/whats-in-my-cat-ears/4974