Strictly speaking, Felis Lybica is a subspecies of Felis Silvestris (wild cat). Cats have existed for approximately 30 million years. Exactly when the European wild cat developed as a species is not certain. In all probability, the geographical separation of Africa from Eurasia and the climatic differences between these regions caused the separation of the various types of Felis Silvestris. It is assumed that small cats originally lived throughout Eurasia, "emigrating" to southern climes during the Ice Age and returning after the glaciers had melted. The thick coat of the "Silvestris" probably originates from this time too.

Nowadays, however, the situation is as follows:

Felis Silvestris

The north is home to the larger, stockier wild cat. It possesses a thick coat and has a short tail. Even in areas where it exists today, one scarcely ever sets eyes on it, as it actively avoids civilisation. It is very large, and has even been known to prey on rabbits, although this is probably an exception. Felis Lybica, of which there are many subspecies, is different. They can all be regarded as the ancestors of our domestic cats. Lybica is thinner than the European wild cat, has a shorter coat and a considerably longer tail. Both forms possess 3 characteristic black rings on the tail, as well as black pads and a brick red muzzle.

Felis Lybica is distributed over a very broad area, extending from North Africa to the Near East and, with the exception of the large deserts or rain forests, over almost the whole of Africa. We know from excavation work and representations in ancient Egyptian art, that the wild cat has lived alongside and together with humans for many thousands of years. It is assumed that it was the cat which approached humans, domesticating itself, as it were. However, we do not know this for certain.

Felis Lybica

Looking at a modern, domestic Egyptian cat, one can immediately recognise its ancestors. They have the same long body and tail, long legs and predator's gait. A comparison of both pictures below shows this clearly.

Just as the domestication of the wild cat was "exceptional", so too was its fate - its extinction. The fact that it is not only threatened by extinction but that it will unavoidably become extinct is known to everyone involved with these unique creatures.

Felis Lybica has neither tusks nor a coat which would entice human hunters and robbers to kill it. As a smallish predator, it would also have sufficient room and prey in its natural habitat. Its enemy is not mankind, but rather an animal of the same species, the domestic cat. It seems incredible, as these are its own "grandchildren". Like me, whoever has lived in a southern Mediterranean country could see that domestic cats multiply rapidly in a favourable climate and find their daily diet of mice, grasshoppers and even snakes, where necessary, outside the confines of human settlement.

The very same animals hunted by these semi-domestic cats are also the prey of Felis Lybica. As there is no unlimited supply of food, the wild cats and semi-domestic cats are forced to share.

Wild cats never have more young than their environment can support. They normally become pregnant twice a year and have smallish litters of 2 - 3 kittens. By contrast, the domestic cat is unrestrainedly fertile. Naturally, not all the young survive. Life is too austere and harsh for that. However, once they have been born and nurtured by their mothers they also require their share of the limited food supplies offered by their environment.

More important still is probably the difference in mating behaviour between wild and semi-domesticated cats. The female domestic cat has a louder mating call than Lybica. The wild cat hears the call first and mates with the female. The result is hybrids. Of course, "semi-domesticated" male cats also mate with Lybica females: as the genetic differences are minimal this is also easy.

Tomb paintings of a Lybica 1900 years BC

What remains is a wild cat population hybridised with the domestic cat and at the same time a domestic cat population hybridised with Felis Lybica. Whoever intends to halt this process, which has no doubt been going on since time immemorial, would have to protect the wild cat by sterilising all domestic cats within a restricted area. Mankind already has difficulty finding the means to protect large and spectacular wild animals. How much more difficult would it be with such a modest wild cat!

It can already be seen that at some point in time Felis Lybica will become an animal in a wildlife park or zoo, instead of in the wild. An extremely sad prospect. During my years in Israel I too have tried to encourage zoologists to join the fight for a Felis Lybica rescue project, though I regret to say that my attempts were in vain.

At that time another idea came to mind.....

You can read about this under Difficulties.