The African wildcat is the ancestor of our domestic house cats, and many of its behaviors remain virtually unchanged after thousands of years of domestication. Like house cats, African wildcats often dig shallow holes in loose soil or gravel to bury their waste. This behavior is thought to help conceal their scent from predators and other cats, although they sometimes leave droppings exposed to mark territory. We came across this wildcat looking very much like my own house cat, albeit burying his waste in a much larger litter box out on the Kenyan savanna. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 180-600mm lens (at 600mm) ISO 6400, f/6.3 at 1/400th of a second.
Are you sure this wasn’t in your backyard??! LOL. Didn’t know that an African Wild Cat existed — surely anyone, but you, would mistake this for a common feral cat, and not bother to take a pic. Another curiosity from the African savannah!
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
The African wildcat is the ancestor of our domestic house cats, and many of its behaviors remain virtually unchanged after thousands of years of domestication. Like house cats, African wildcats often dig shallow holes in loose soil or gravel to bury their waste. This behavior is thought to help conceal their scent from predators and other cats, although they sometimes leave droppings exposed to mark territory. We came across this wildcat looking very much like my own house cat, albeit burying his waste in a much larger litter box out on the Kenyan savanna. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 180-600mm lens (at 600mm) ISO 6400, f/6.3 at 1/400th of a second.
Remarkable shot of a remarkable species that could easily be mistaken for a domestic cat. Thanks for sharing both the image & the info!
A couple people in our group thought domestic cat because we weren’t far from camp.
Are you sure this wasn’t in your backyard??! LOL. Didn’t know that an African Wild Cat existed — surely anyone, but you, would mistake this for a common feral cat, and not bother to take a pic. Another curiosity from the African savannah!
Lol, it does look remarkably similar to my cat Kai.