Is it possible I have a European Wildcat?

romsoccer126

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Is it possible or common to have this happen? I think she is a european or african wild cat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildcat

Every detail matches. Ive had to feed her raw meat since she was young, if you have ever seen my last posts. Everything points to the fact she is more wild.
 
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romsoccer126

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heres just one photo of the african wild cat felis lybica sarda on wikipedia. seems identical to me
 
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Norachan

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All domestic cats are descended from African Wildcats, so she's got those genes somewhere in her heritage, that's for sure. It's very unlikely that she would be a pure African Wildcat unless you actually live in Africa.

We had a poster from Africa who adopted an African Wildcat kitten a while back, maybe you'd like to take a look at this thread?

 [thread="295610"]I Have Just Found Out That My Kitten Is An African Wildcat Felis Silvestris Lybica​[/thread]  

She looks like a DSH brown tabby to me. She's very pretty. Where did you get her?
 
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romsoccer126

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I found her abandoned in a box in Kent , Ohio at a very young age. Never seen a kitten look so weird. It is just strange to me how identical she looks to those wild cats. And acts more wild than any other tabby cat or other cat I have had or seen. Eats raw meat, makes all sorts of vocalizations, plays fetch, easily overstimulated, etc.. I thought she was a pixie bob for a while. Thanks for that thread. She looks just like that cat, and also exhibits the traits/characteristics of a wild cat. Is it possible certain tabbies are more linked to wild genes than others? 
 

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I always say cats have so many different personalities that if you can think of it, it exists. All cats will eat raw meat if they're accustomed to it. Some breeds are more vocal than others, so who knows what's in her background! Tabby is just what her coloring is called, it really doesn't have much that much to do with her breed. Yes, most cats like to sleep a lot, but I've come across a few every now and then of all colors and markings that are just crazy active and playful and, yes, love to play fetch! Because she was born in Ohio, and African wildcats don't just wind up in the US by accident, she's probably not. It's very difficult to identify what breeds a cat is without knowing their parents, so we just say Domestic Short Hair. Even cats from the same litter can have wildly different personalities, so maybe it is a case of her ancestral wildcat genes being a little more expressed than your average house cat, who knows!
 
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romsoccer126

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She craves/begs for meat, and has quick reoccuring health problems if not fed raw meat unlike other cats. Thats more what I meant I guess. Interesting thoughts and comment though. Thanks. Cats are incredibly interesting! Does the black tips on the ears mean anything? I know maine coons have that. And she had a litter one kittens, one was a main coon.
 

tsukiyomi

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She craves/begs for meat, and has quick reoccuring health problems if not fed raw meat unlike other cats. Thats more what I meant I guess. Interesting thoughts and comment though. Thanks. Cats are incredibly interesting! Does the black tips on the ears mean anything? I know maine coons have that. And she had a litter one kittens, one was a main coon.
I imagine it could just be a stomach digestive thing.
 
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catpack

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You finding her in Ohio means it is very very unlikely she is an African wild cat. Her coloring almost looks to be Torbie to me. Hard to tell for sure in the one pic.

We have a few cats in our rescue that are on specific canned-only (no grains, glutens or gums/thickeners) diets due to GI issues. They are completely intolerant of dry food and your typical grocery store brand canned foods. I think the issue is more common than most people are aware of.

All that aside, your girl is gorgeous and she is lucky to have landed in your care!
 
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romsoccer126

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Thank you! Yes she must be part tortie. Like you said, you can tell by the coat a bit. I love her mix. One of her kittens had mainly a tortie coat. 
And yes that sounds just like her. I feed all my cats mainly raw meat now.
 
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StefanZ

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I just want to add.  In the title its European Wildcat, in the thread its the African Wildcat, the Lybica.

And these are in much two different.  European wildcat is renown to be practically impossible to get tame.  Not mentioning even being a loved family member.  While the Lybica isnt that difficult.   One of the reasons why our cats descends from the Lybica and not from the European Wildcat...   :)

Next, if she is a torbie, ie a tortie,  they do talk about tortoide.   Many torties, alike with redhaired women, are supposed to be somewhat more lively and active, in an positive way more aggressive, than the average cat or woman.

Perhaps there is something in this?  The gene for this especial red connected with some sort of "activity gene"
 
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romsoccer126

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Im not a scientist, but if you type in African Wildcat on a search engine, they look almost identical. I found that out after I made this post. I mean at the same time, if you type in tabby cat on google, you get similar results as well. But you must note the small differences, and large similarities. From the pictures online, the African Wildcat and European wildcat look extremely similar. It would make sense the ones from Europe have longer hair as well, for the colder weather. I mean, my cat literally looks 100% identical to the African Wild cat, stripe for stripe, color for color, other than the fact she is not as skinny (she is well fed). More so like the african wild cats posted online than other brown tabbys I see in person and online (although some do look identical to her). I am reading about how fur color and genes can be related and possibly play out to personality traits. It is quite interesting. I wish I knew more about how genes, scientific names, and this type of stuff works. Great to get into though 
 
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conikat

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Hi there,
To me, she looks like she's mixed with Savannah. The head shape, long ears and eye shape added to her coloring and leg stripes make me think so. I had one and knew the breeder ( lots of visits, discussions, etc.). This doesn't make me an expert by any means, but pretty well acquainted with them. The behavior is very much Savannah too. Whatever she is is absolutely beautiful! I have an Accidental Bengal mix ( also found in a box). And feel very lucky to have her. A bit wild and active, very athletic but eats cat food. There seem to be many more of these mixes than there used to be with escapes and other incidents and accidents? We now have local mixes of Savannah and Bobcat and either with domestics. I'm watching the results with great interest. I think you're lucky to have her, don't you?[emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]128522[/emoji][emoji]128150[/emoji][emoji]128536[/emoji] that's how I feel, and very blessed.
 

StefanZ

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Im not a scientist, but if you type in African Wildcat on a search engine, they look almost identical. I found that out after I made this post. I mean at the same time, if you type in tabby cat on google, you get similar results as well. But you must note the small differences, and large similarities. From the pictures online, the African Wildcat and European wildcat look extremely similar. It would make sense the ones from Europe have longer hair as well, for the colder weather. I mean, my cat literally looks 100% identical to the African Wild cat, stripe for stripe, color for color, other than the fact she is not as skinny (she is well fed). More so like the african wild cats posted online than other brown tabbys I see in person and online (although some do look identical to her). I am reading about how fur color and genes can be related and possibly play out to personality traits. It is quite interesting. I wish I knew more about how genes, scientific names, and this type of stuff works. Great to get into though
Wonderful you got up such a living interest. Yeah, its a big part of the adventure.  The feeling of wonder, the awakened curiosity, the want to KNOW.

Also, remember, very often are questions more important than the answer.   Going along the way may be more important than coming to the end point, as the poet wrote.
 

molly92

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Next, if she is a torbie, ie a tortie,  they do talk about tortoide.   Many torties, alike with redhaired women, are supposed to be somewhat more lively and active, in an positive way more aggressive, than the average cat or woman.

Perhaps there is something in this?  The gene for this especial red connected with some sort of "activity gene"
As a redheaded woman, I think that one's a bit of a myth.
 
Im not a scientist, but if you type in African Wildcat on a search engine, they look almost identical. I found that out after I made this post. I mean at the same time, if you type in tabby cat on google, you get similar results as well. But you must note the small differences, and large similarities. From the pictures online, the African Wildcat and European wildcat look extremely similar. It would make sense the ones from Europe have longer hair as well, for the colder weather. I mean, my cat literally looks 100% identical to the African Wild cat, stripe for stripe, color for color, other than the fact she is not as skinny (she is well fed). More so like the african wild cats posted online than other brown tabbys I see in person and online (although some do look identical to her). I am reading about how fur color and genes can be related and possibly play out to personality traits. It is quite interesting. I wish I knew more about how genes, scientific names, and this type of stuff works. Great to get into though 
Cat colors and genetics are very interesting! There are some genes that we know are linked for cats, meaning the two genes are on the same chromosome and are often inherited together. All-white cats are often deaf for this reason. So it's possible certain genes that influence personality could be linked to certain coat colors or patterns. Cat colors actually provide lots of practice for students learning about genetics because coloring is on the sex (X and Y) chromosomes for cats, and it can get pretty complicated. If you really want to get into it, this link is a pretty thorough overview: http://ib.berkeley.edu/courses/ib162/Week3a.htm
 

conikat

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The photo above is my Bengal mix, Kisa. We think there are similarities between yours and mine. Question? Did she have stripes down her back when she was little? They had several Bengal kittens on this year's " Kitten Bowl", and they all had those stripes running down their backs. Just an FYI for you. They are so fascinating, especially the mixes, that we can't help but want to know, even if it's unlikely that we ever will. I have photos of baby and young Savannahs if you'd like to see those. Looking at your photo again, she looks more like Kisa than the Savannahs I've known, plus they are very large cats. The Bengals are smaller...and yes they seem to need/ love meat too. The Savannahs have to have it, along with some special powdered nutrients for their health. You should be able to find that info on line. If I still had mine, I could have sent it to you. Good luck with your baby girl, she's a beauty!
 
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