Saving Wildcats

Split image of a wildcat’s face on a white background. Left text "Reality" with the wildcat scowling; right text "LinkedIn" shows the same wildcat with tie. Both images have job description text underneath. There is a humorous tone.

🪪 European wildcat (Felis silvestris)

One of the UK's rarest mammals | Accomplished mesopredator | Cultural icon | UK's last native cat species | Experienced camera trap model | Working parent | Species reintroduction specialist

Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

Keep up to date ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/join-us 😻

Two wildcats surrounded by vegetation, one in the foreground with a focused expression, and another in the background. Sunlight filters through evergreen branches.

Pawsitive signs 💕

There is lots of excitement at the conservation breeding for release centre, based at @highlandwpark.bsky.social.

All six breeding pairs coupled up this year have been recorded mating.

Whilst matings don't always mean kittens, it's certainly a paw in the right direction 🐾

savingwildcats.org.uk/conservation-breeding

It's FriYAY 🎉

Need something to do this weekend?

Support wildcat conservation by visiting the members of the UK conservation breeding programme for wildcats 🐾

Without the UK's captive population, Scotland's wildcats would be lost forever.

Find out which zoos and wildlife parks are members ⬇️

Don’t FURget your mama 🩷

She puts up with a lot!

It's your last chance to give her the gift of wildcat sponsorship in time for Mother's Day ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor 💐

2/2 The team continue to monitor the newly establishing population using GPS-radio collars and camera traps, which wildcats like Dhoon regularly pass by.

Further releases are planned for this summer 🌄

A wildcat with bright reflective eyes holds a stick in its mouth, captured at night in a grassy outdoor area. The scene suggests stealth and wildness. Overlay reads "when you were released as a wildcat but identify as a dog"

1/2 Dhoon the dog 🐕‍🦺

To date, this partnership project, led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), has released 46 wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park, and at least nine of those females have given birth to kittens in the wild.

Sponsor his parents, Margaret and Oscar, and you'll receive exclusive updates on his progress ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor 🧡

All grown up 🏡

At six months old, Bramble's got his big boy boots on and has moved into his own pre-release enclosure 🌳

As he finds his independence, he will be developing the skills he'll need ahead of his potential release later this year.

Find out more ➡️ nature.scot/doc/definition-wildcat-updated-guidance

It’s good to be different 😼

Unlike domestic cats, European wildcats are native to Britain and are part of a healthy, functioning ecosystem.

While the two species appear similar, there are key differences, including their skull shape and gut length, and wildcats typically only breed once per year 🐈

Fern did such a wonderful job - she's very talented 😻

A mixed-media illustration shows a domestic cat and a wildcat cuddling in a grassy field, surrounded by trees made of bark and twigs. Two other wildcats watch, discussing if it's "unnatural."

Forbidden love 🚫

Last year, 11-year-old Fern's incredible piece of artwork was one of the winning entries of the primate-age wildcat art contest 🎨

It highlights how wildcats are threatened by interbreeding and disease from domestic cats. Neutering and vaccinating your pet can help save them 😻

What do you call a Scottish Wildcat? From Kelpie and Stovie to Yorlin and Dornoch, Rosie Beetschen learns about the importance of a name

cairngormsconnect.org.uk/news/185/37/...

Cat-Fiadhaich "Wildcat" 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Just like wildcats, Scotland’s native language, Scottish Gaelic, is sadly endangered.

To celebrate #WorldGaelicWeek, and the wildcat's long history as part of Scottish culture, the team wanted to highlight @cairngormsconnect.bsky.social's recent blog ⬇️

savingwildcats.org.uk/about-saving-wildcats/clinging-by-a-claw

Two wildcat kittens playfully interact on a forest floor with scattered branches and greenery. Their expressions are lively and curious.

A group of seven people stand in a dimly lit room beside a bright projector screen displaying a forest scene. One person holds a neon green sign that reads "We [heart] wildcats," conveying enthusiasm and support.

A crowded bulletin board features a “Quote of the day” in red: “Everyone who lives dies, but not everyone who truly lives.” A flyer with a wildcat drawing announces a documentary showing. Various notes and reminders with colorful accents and doodles, including a rainbow "Thank you" card and small flag illustrations, create a vibrant and busy atmosphere.

Near, far, wherever you are 🌍

The Halley VI Research Station team recently hosted a screening of ‘Clinging by a Claw’ in Antarctica 🙀 We're incredibly grateful for their support.

Following the recovery of Scotland’s wildcats from outside of the UK? Find out how you can watch the film ⬇️

A wildcat walks through a grassy area along the edge of a dense forest. The cat is mid-stride, focused and alert, under a canopy of overhanging branches.

On the edge 🐾

Wildcats benefit from a mosaic of diverse habitats, including grassland, scrub, and mixed woodland 🌳

GPS-radio collar data from the released wildcats has shown them using habitat edges and following linear features to move around, such as fence lines and rivers 🏞️

Mothers matter 💐

Show your mum how much she means to you this Mother's Day by giving her the gift of wildcat sponsorship.

By becoming part of Margaret or Skye's journey through motherhood, she will also be saving their species in Scotland ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor 🧡

Screening: Clinging by a claw Saving the Scottish Wildcat – one of Scotland’s most iconic and beloved wild animals.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/screening-...

Boosting biodiversity 🌿

Wildcats are returning to Scotland as an important part of a healthy ecosystem.

On 24 February, follow their journey back to the Highlands at Yes Carnoustie's Angus screening of feature-length documentary 'Clinging by a Claw' 📽️

🎟️ Book your ticket ⬇️

Close-up of a wildcat's face with intense green eyes, framed by the text: "The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland presents Clinging by a Claw: Saving Scotland's Wildcats," narrated by Sam Heughan. Below, a tranquil landscape of forested hills is overlaid with a logo for SCOTLAND: The Big Picture.

Catch a screening of Clinging by a Claw, the film we produced for @saveourwildcats.bsky.social

🐾 24 Feb, Càrn Ústaidh Hub, Carnoustie: https://bit.pulse.ly/jczuvusycn
🐾 1 April, The Barn, Banchory: https://bit.pulse.ly/tlfih1w9rs
🐾 21 April, Ladbroke Hall, London: https://bit.pulse.ly/ftcmyffuul

nature.scot/doc/definition-wildcat-updated-guidance

What's on the inside counts 😻

Decades of interbreeding with domestic cats (hybridisation) means that genetic testing is crucial to establish whether an individual is a wildcat 🐈

Yet, to identify potential wildcats, experts must first assess coat markings (pelage scoring) for key characteristics ⬇️

Saving Wildcats is looking for an in-situ volunteer!

savingwildcats.org.uk/field-volunteer-2026

Close-up of a wildcat's face showing its green eyes, pink nose, and whiskers. The intense gaze is both captivating and serene.

Wildcats need YOU 🫵

Saving Wildcats is looking for an enthusiastic volunteer to assist the field team with:

🔸GPS radio-tracking of released collared wildcats
🔸Camera trap checks
🔸 Handling and analysing camera trap survey data

Accommodation and an expense allowance are provided.

Apply NOW ⬇️

Canada, if you're looking for a new curling champion... 😼🇨🇦

Wildcat Winter Olympics, anyone?

Wishing #TeamGB all the best this week 🇬🇧

Read the study ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/media/tntfclye/langridge-et-al-2025.pdf

Camera trap image of a wildcat with a bushy, ringed tail is walking through a grassy landscape on a frosty day. Sparse trees in the background under a cloudy sky. Calm and serene setting.

Camera trap image of a wildcat with a bushy, ringed tail is walking through a snowy, grassy landscape on a winter day. Sparse trees in the background under a cloudy sky. Calm and serene setting.

A path well travelled 🐾

Research has shown that the average territory size for the released female and male wildcats has been 5.6 and 16 square kilometres respectively.

Both sexes patrol their home range, no matter the weather, to scent mark their boundaries 🗺️