Size: How big is the Scottish Wildcat?

This is very difficult to answer. The size of a Scottish wildcat is another thing that has been confused by hybridisation.

Most sources state that wildcats are up to 50% larger than a domestic cat. Given that domestic cats vary in size a great deal, this description is of limited value.

It adds further difficulty to the answer when you consider that these observations have been made by people observing hybrids which were mistaken as wildcats. These hybrids were observed in captivity, or were actually European wildcats.

European wildcats have been consistently described as slightly smaller animal. This makes sense, as they live in warmer climates and would have less need for body mass such as fat to keep warm).

Recorded history

Thankfully, there is some useful information in the history books. Victorians dug up a wildcat skeleton that measured 4 feet from nose to tail tip. The following statement appears in A General History of Quadrupeds by Thomas Bewick in 1790;

“Some Wild Cats have been taken in this kingdom of a most enormous size. We recollect one having been killed in the county of Cumberland, which measured, from nose to the end of its tail, upwards of five feet”

It seems likely that the true wildcat is a far more substantial animal than we’ve given it credit for over the years. One eye witness sighting collected by the SWA in 2008 reinforces this idea.

eye witness reports

The eye witness reported that a German shepherd dog chased and cornered a wildcat only for the cat to launch a retaliatory attack. The unfortunate dog didn’t do all that well, getting a considerable quantity of it’s face torn off and a hefty vet bill.

The dog owner insisted the wildcat’s paws were virtually the same size as the dog’s and that the cat itself was far larger than they expected a wildcat to be. The description of markings, banded tail etc. made it clear it couldn’t be one of the UK’s famed “alien big cats”.

So one of the simplest questions about wildcats has one of the most difficult answers.

It seems quite possible that the wildcat we’re trying to save will be something closer to 100% larger than a domestic or more. A cat of that size would be consistent with the Highland legends of them bringing down small deer.