European wildcat  (Felis silvestris grampia)

The status of the wildcat is unclear in Britain; crossbreeding with feral domesticated cats has made defining a true wildcat extremely difficult (6). It is currently legal to control feral cats, and so confusion between feral cats, wildcats and hybrids could have devastating effects (6). Habitat alteration and hunting pressure are thought to be responsible for the original decline in Britain (5). Wildcats were persecuted widely as vermin by gamekeepers, and the extent of current accidental killing is unclear. However, the most serious threat to the species at present appears to come from feral domestic cats, not only through hybridisation, but also from the spread of diseases such as feline leukaemia virus, which has already been detected in wildcats in both Scotland and France (6).

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is illegal to kill or take a wildcat, or to damage or destroy their dens (2). However, it is clear that the confusion surrounding the issue of crossbreeding must be resolved if true Scottish wildcats are to be conserved. Current research is focusing on the issue of crossbreeding between wildcats and feral cats in order to establish the relationship between the two (7). It seems that genetically distinct wildcats do persist in remote parts of western and northern Scotland (7).