Wildcat Switzerland: Back, but threatened

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is one of the oldest native mammal species in Switzerland. Until the 18th century, it was systematically persecuted, nearly eradicated, and vilified as the "most damaging predator of our homeland." It has been protected since 1962. For about 25 years, it has been returning, primarily to the Jura Mountains, and now also to the Swiss Plateau. The population is estimated at over 1,000 individuals, with an upward trend. On the Swiss Red List, it is listed as "near threatened" and as a species of high national priority.

What sounds like a success story is more fragile than it seems. The wildcat isn't hunted, but it isn't actively protected either. Its return is a self-perpetuating process, but the conditions are worsening: habitats are being fragmented and cut up, road traffic regularly claims victims, and the greatest threat comes from our living rooms. Around 2 million domestic cats live in Switzerland. Where wildcats and domestic cats mate, the genetic disintegration of a species that has survived for millennia is threatened. The current hybrid rate is 15 percent, and it will increase as the wildcat spreads further into the Swiss Plateau.

This dossier compiles the most important facts about the wildcat in Switzerland: its biology, its ecological significance, the real threats it faces, the political shortcomings, and the question of why a protected species in the 21st century needs more than just a listing in the hunting law. Those wishing to delve deeper will find the most comprehensive material in our dossier on hunting in Switzerland .

What awaits you here

Biology and lifestyle: Who the European wildcat is, how it lives, what distinguishes it from the domestic cat and why it is considered a secretive hunter of the Swiss forests.
Ecological significance: Why the wildcat is indispensable as a mouse regulator, indicator species and element of intact ecosystems.
History: From extinction to return: How the wildcat almost disappeared and why its recovery is a product of conservation, not recreational hunting.
Hybridization: The biggest threat comes from the living room. Why interbreeding with domestic cats endangers the genetic survival of the species and what can be done about it.
Threats: Road traffic, habitat fragmentation, mistaken identity shootings, trapping, log piles and knotted wire fences.
Hobby hunting and the wildcat: Why the greatest danger to the wildcat does not come from the individual shooting, but from the system of hobby hunting itself.
Geneva and the wildcat: Why the Geneva model also works for wildcats.
"Did you know?" 20 facts about the wildcat that hardly anyone knows.
Alternatives: What really helps: mandatory neutering, wildlife corridors, professional game wardens.
What needs to change: Concrete political demands.
Argumentarium: Answers to the most common claims.
Quick links: All relevant articles, studies and dossiers.

Biology and lifestyle: The secretive hunter of the Swiss forests

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) belongs to the cat family (Felidae) and is a distinct species that has been native to Europe since the last Ice Age. It is not a feral domestic animal: the domestic cat (Felis catus) is descended from the African wildcat (Felis lybica) and was domesticated in Mesopotamia around 9,000 years ago. Although the two species are closely enough related to produce fertile offspring, they have evolved separately over millennia. The wildcat was here before the domestic cat.

Adult European wildcats reach a head-body length of 45 to 65 centimeters in females and up to 75 centimeters in males, with a bushy tail of around 30 centimeters that ends in a broad, blunt curve with two to three black rings. They weigh between 3 and 5 kilograms (females) and 4 to 7 kilograms (males). Their fur is yellowish-gray with a faded, brownish-black striped pattern, a distinctive dorsal stripe that ends at the base of the tail, four to five neck stripes, and one shoulder stripe on each side. Unlike tabby domestic cats, the European wildcat's markings are indistinct and never sharply defined.

Wildcats are strictly solitary animals and active from dusk to night. During the day, they rest in tree hollows, rock crevices, abandoned badger setts, or piles of logs. Females' territories range from approximately 2 to 5 square kilometers, while males' ranges are 5 to 15 square kilometers. These territories are marked with urine, feces, and cheek secretions. The mating season (rut) falls between January and March. After a gestation period of approximately 63 to 68 days, the female gives birth to two to five kittens, which remain with their mother until autumn. Mortality among the kittens is high: many do not survive their first year. Their natural lifespan is 12 to 14 years, while in captivity they can live up to 21 years.

The European wildcat is a pure carnivore and ambush predator with exceptionally well-developed senses. Its diet consists of approximately 90 percent small mammals, primarily voles and field mice. Occasionally, it also preys on birds, insects, amphibians, or small reptiles. Up to 24 prey animals, with a total weight exceeding 450 grams, have been found in the stomachs of dead wildcats. The European wildcat only scavenges carrion in extreme emergencies, a characteristic that clearly distinguishes it from foxes and badgers.

Natural predators of the European wildcat include the lynx and the wolf ; young wildcats are also preyed upon by the eagle owl, golden eagle, goshawk, and fox. The wildcat prefers structurally diverse and densely wooded deciduous forests with rocky outcrops and undergrowth. However, recent research from the KORA Wildcat Project 2024-2027 shows that the species is more adaptable than previously thought: at Lake Neuchâtel, wildcats also utilize reed beds and agricultural land, provided sufficient cover is available.

More on this topic: The wildcat and wildcat is animal of the year

Ecological significance: mouse hunter, indicator species and element of intact forests

The European wildcat is a keystone species in European forest ecosystems. Its functions are measurable, documented, and cannot be replaced by recreational hunting.

As a natural regulator of mouse populations, the European wildcat maintains a balance between field mice and voles. With a diet consisting of 90 percent small mammals, it is one of the most efficient natural mouse hunters in Swiss forests and agricultural landscapes. Fewer mice mean less damage to young trees, fewer crop losses in agriculture, and fewer ticks that rely on mice as hosts.

As an indicator species , the European wildcat is a sign of the quality of forest ecosystems. Where wildcats are found, there are structurally diverse, undisturbed forests with high biodiversity. The presence of the wildcat indicates that a habitat offers sufficient cover, prey, peace and quiet, and connectivity, which also benefits dozens of other species.

As part of natural predator communities, the European wildcat complements the roles of the lynx, wolf, and fox. While the lynx primarily hunts roe deer and chamois, and the fox preys on mice, carrion, and small game, the European wildcat specializes in small mammals and hunts in habitats (dense undergrowth, rocky areas) that are less accessible to foxes. Intact predator communities are the backbone of healthy ecosystems, precisely what recreational hunting systematically destroys.

Pro Natura named the European wildcat "Animal of the Year" in 2020 and made it an ambassador for "wild forests and diverse cultural landscapes." This choice was no coincidence: The wildcat symbolizes more wilderness, less tidiness, and the understanding that nature regulates itself when left to its own devices.

History: From Extermination to Return

The history of the wildcat in Switzerland is a cautionary tale about the consequences of human ignorance and hunting hubris. As recently as the 18th century, the wildcat was widespread in the Swiss Plateau and the Jura Mountains. Then came the systematic persecution.

KORA quotes from historical hunting literature: The wildcat "is among the most harmful predators in our region" and "hunters have every reason to pursue this uncanny visitor in every possible way." This attitude led to the near-complete collapse of the Swiss population. Whether the wildcat ever truly became extinct in Switzerland will remain unknown, but its numbers were certainly reduced to a critical minimum.

The European wildcat was only placed under protection in Switzerland in 1962. While there have been some reintroductions, its return is likely primarily due to migrating animals from the French Jura, the Sundgau region, and Burgundy. Since the 1990s, sightings in the Swiss Jura have been increasing. Systematic wildcat monitoring, which utilizes the valerian method (wildcats rub against valerian-sprayed wooden slats, leaving behind hairs for genetic analysis), revealed a doubling of the occupied territory between the initial survey in 2008/10 and the second survey in 2018/20: from 15 to 31 percent of the Jura area. The population was estimated at over 1,000 individuals in the second survey, compared to "a few hundred" in the first.

The KORA population density estimate for the northern Jura Mountains is 26 individuals per 100 square kilometers of suitable habitat. The population is continuing to spread from the Jura Mountains into the Swiss Plateau and potentially into the Pre-Alps. The KORA Wildcat Project 2024–2027 is currently investigating this spread, hybridization dynamics, and the health of the wildcats. In the canton of Vaud, wildcats are being fitted with GPS transmitters to study their movement patterns and habitat selection.

The recovery of the European wildcat shows what conservation efforts can achieve. But it also shows how quickly conservation can be undermined: not through targeted persecution, but through indifference to habitat destruction, a lack of connectivity, and the failure to neuter domestic cats in wildcat habitats.

Hybridization: The biggest threat comes from the living room

Around 2 million domestic cats live in Switzerland. Most of them are allowed to roam freely outdoors. Where the wildcat's range extends into the Swiss Plateau, these two species encounter each other and can interbreed. The result is fertile hybrids that are often virtually indistinguishable from purebred wildcats. And that is precisely the problem.

Hybridization doesn't threaten wildcats with immediate death, but rather with genetic erosion. When domestic cat genes spread through the wildcat gene pool over generations (introgressive hybridization), the species loses its genetic distinctiveness. This is precisely what has happened in Scotland: the wildcat population has been so heavily contaminated by hybridization that genetically pure wildcats are now almost nonexistent. There, the wildcat is losing its species identity and becoming a "feral domestic cat."

The Swiss wildcat monitoring program shows that the current hybrid proportion in the Swiss wildcat population is 15 percent. Since the initial survey, gene flow between domestic and wildcats has increased slightly. KORA warns that hybridization could increase as the wildcat spreads further into the Swiss Plateau, where the domestic cat population density is particularly high.

However, a large paleogenomic study by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (2025) also presents a more nuanced finding: Over 8,500 years, domestic and wild cats in Europe have interbred surprisingly little. The ancestry of most modern domestic cats can be traced back to wildcats to a degree of less than 10 percent. Mating was rare, presumably because both species have adapted to different ecological niches and exhibit different behaviors. Only when wildcat populations dwindle to critically small numbers due to habitat loss and persecution does this natural barrier fail, as has been the case in Scotland since the 1960s.

Pro Natura identifies hybridization as a key medium-term threat and emphasizes the responsibility of cat owners: those who keep free-roaming cats should have them neutered. In addition to hybridization, KORA also identifies the transmission of domestic cat diseases (feline panleukopenia, feline leukemia, FIV) as a serious risk. In the Bucheggberg study area (SO/BE), KORA is currently analyzing how wildcats, domestic cats, and hybrids behave in the same environment.

More on this topic: Domestic cat and wildcat: Hybridization and its effects , and hybrid cats

Threats: What really endangers the wildcat in Switzerland

The European wildcat is protected in Switzerland (JSG Art. 7), listed as a "strictly protected species" (Annex II) in the Bern Convention, strictly protected in the EU Habitats Directive (Annex IV), and listed in the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (Appendix II). Nationally, it is considered "potentially threatened" with high priority. Nevertheless, it faces a number of threats that receive little political attention.

Road traffic is one of the most frequent causes of death. Wildcats are crepuscular and cross roads during their nightly hunting forays. The risk of collisions increases, especially in areas where the wildcat population is expanding and establishing new territories.

Habitat fragmentation caused by roads, settlements, intensive agriculture, and infrastructure isolates subpopulations, prevents genetic exchange, and can lead to local extinction. Wildcats need interconnected habitats with migration corridors between forested areas. Pro Natura nature reserves in the Jura Mountains can serve as partial habitats for wildcats, but interconnected corridors across the Swiss Plateau are largely lacking.

Log piles are used by wildcats as hiding places and birthing sites. When logs are mechanically loaded, young animals are crushed or loaded along with the timber. This danger is real, documented, and avoidable with simple measures (checks before loading, rest periods during the birthing season), but binding regulations are lacking.

Wire mesh fences can become death traps for wildcats. The animals get their claws caught in the knotted wire while climbing over them and die a painful death.

Mistaken identity for domestic cats remains a latent risk. The Swiss Animal Protection Association (STS) emphasizes that distinguishing the protected wildcat from a tabby domestic cat in the field is "difficult to impossible." In cantons where recreational hunters are permitted to shoot "feral domestic cats," there is a risk that wildcats or hybrids will be killed in the process. A reliable species identification is only possible through genetic analysis. The STS therefore demands that the shooting of stray cats be permitted exclusively by game wardens and only after prior warning to the owners.

Trapping poses another danger. Wildcats are caught in box traps and concrete pipe traps set for other animals. In Germany, wildcat action plans recommend taking photos and genetic samples if a wildcat has been suspected of being trapped. Comparable protocols are lacking in most Swiss cantons.

More on this topic: Animal cruelty: Swiss hobby hunters do not hunt ethically and Dossier: Hunters: Role, power, training and criticism

Recreational hunting and the wildcat: Systemic threat rather than isolated incident

The European wildcat is not actively hunted in Switzerland. Anyone who concludes from this that recreational hunting poses no problem for it is missing the point. The threat to the wildcat from recreational hunting is systemic, not individual.

First: Recreational hunting is what brought the wildcat to the brink of extinction in the first place. Historical persecution in the 18th and 19th centuries, the systematic classification as a "pest," and uncontrolled hunting nearly wiped out the species in Switzerland. Only the ban saved it. The wildcat is living proof of what happens when a species is subjected to the system of recreational hunting and what happens when conservation measures are implemented.

Secondly, the shooting of feral domestic cats by hobby hunters directly endangers the wildcat. Visual differentiation in the field is practically impossible. As long as hobby hunters are allowed to shoot feral cats in wildcat habitats, there is a risk of mistaken identity shootings. The BUND Hessen (Friends of the Earth Germany, Hesse branch) states it clearly: "Misunderstandings and thus unintentional shootings of the endangered wildcat cannot be ruled out." In Bavaria, hobby hunters are allowed to shoot domestic cats within 300 meters of the nearest inhabited building, even in areas with wildcat populations.

Thirdly: Trapping "predators" (foxes, martens, badgers) endangers wildcats as bycatch. Wildcats are caught in box traps and concrete pipe traps. In most Swiss cantons, there is no protocol in place for trapping wildcats.

Fourth: Recreational hunting indirectly fragments habitats by disrupting wildlife corridors, causing wildlife to flee, and impacting the wildcat's resting areas. Regular disturbance from hunting activities in forests and fields increases the stress levels of all wildlife, including the wildcat.

The alternative model is well-documented: In the canton of Geneva, which has managed without militia hunting since 1974, wild animals are cared for by professional game wardens. Three young wildcats, mistakenly "rescued" near Geneva in 2024, were successfully released back into the wild after professional rearing (minimal human contact, feeding with prey animals, DNA-confirmed species identification). This is wildlife management in the 21st century: professional, humane, and without recreational hunting.

More on this topic: Dossier: Geneva and the hunting ban and Dossier: Arguments for professional game wardens

"Did you know?" 20 facts about the wildcat

The European wildcat is a distinct species and not a feral domestic animal. The domestic cat is descended from the African wildcat, not the European one.
Wildcats have lived in Switzerland since the last Ice Age. They were there before the domestic cat.
The wildcat was widespread in Switzerland until the 18th century. Systematic persecution by amateur hunters brought it to the brink of extinction.
The European wildcat has been fully protected in Switzerland since 1962. Hunting and trapping are strictly prohibited.
Pro Natura named the wildcat "Animal of the Year" in 2020 and made it an ambassador for wild forests.
The population of the wildcat in the Swiss Jura doubled between 2008 and 2020: from 15 to 31 percent of the inhabited area.
The Swiss wildcat population is estimated at over 1,000 individuals. At the time of the initial survey, there were only "a few hundred".
The density in the northern Jura Mountains is around 26 wildcats per 100 square kilometers of suitable habitat.
Wildcats are pure carnivores. Their diet consists of 90 percent small mammals, primarily voles.
Up to 24 prey animals have been found in the stomach of a single dead wildcat.
Wildcats don't just use forests: at Lake Neuchâtel they also hunt in reed beds and agricultural land.
The bushy tail with a blunt, black end and two to three rings is the most reliable external identifying feature.
For the first time, a wildcat mother was documented using a wildlife camera as she defended her young against a wolf.
The valerian trick monitoring works because wildcats rub themselves against valerian-sprayed wooden posts, leaving hairs behind.
Fifteen percent of Swiss wildcats carry domestic cat genes (hybridization). The trend is rising.
In Scotland, hybridization has genetically broken down the wildcat to such an extent that hardly any purebred animals remain.
Paleogenomic studies show that over 8,500 years, domestic and wild cats in Europe have mixed surprisingly little because they occupy different ecological niches.
Log piles in the forest are used by wildcats as birthing grounds. Young animals are regularly killed during mechanical loading.
Wire mesh fences are death traps: wildcats get their claws caught in the wire knots.
In the canton of Geneva, three wildcat kittens that had been mistakenly collected were successfully released into the wild in 2024 thanks to professional wildlife management.

Alternatives: What really helps

The wildcat doesn't need a culling plan, regulation, or "management." It needs peace and quiet, interconnected habitats, and the political will to address the threats that actually harm it.

Mandatory neutering of free-roaming domestic cats: The single most effective measure against hybridization. Pro Natura, KORA, and the Swiss Animal Protection Association (STS) have been calling for it for years. Switzerland lacks a nationwide mandate. Currently, the responsibility lies with the owners, which is insufficient given the scale of the problem (2 million domestic cats). A binding neutering and registration requirement in rural areas and near forests would represent a paradigm shift.

Wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity: The European wildcat needs continuous migration routes between forested areas. The fragmentation caused by roads, settlements, and monoculture agriculture must be compensated for by "green corridors" consisting of hedges, strips of trees, and extensively managed areas. The BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) in Germany has demonstrated how this can work with its "Wildcat Leap" project. Switzerland lacks a comparable national program.

Professional game wardens instead of hobby hunting: The Geneva model shows that professional wildlife management protects wildcats better than any militia hunting system. Game wardens can provide trained species identification, avoid mistaken culls, and implement scientifically sound measures.

Log pile inspection protocols: Mandatory checks before loading log piles during the birthing season (March to June) can significantly reduce the risk to wildcat kittens. Baden-Württemberg already has corresponding recommendations. Switzerland lacks binding regulations.

Dismantling of knotted wire fences: In wildcat areas, knotted wire fences should be replaced by wildcat-friendly alternatives.

Worming and health monitoring: Instead of culling, systematic health monitoring of the wildcat population is needed, as KORA has established with the 2024-2027 project.

More on this topic: Dossier: Arguments for professional game wardens

What needs to change: Political demands

National mandatory neutering of free-roaming domestic cats in rural areas and within a buffer zone of at least 2 kilometers around confirmed wildcat habitats. Mandatory registration with microchip for all free-roaming cats.
Shooting feral domestic cats by amateur hunters is prohibited in all cantons with wildcat populations. Distinguishing between them in the field is impossible. This responsibility lies exclusively with professional game wardens.
National Wildlife Corridor Program , ensuring the connectivity of wildcat habitats from the Jura Mountains across the Swiss Plateau to the Pre-Alps. Funded by the Nature and Heritage Conservation Fund.
Mandatory log pile protocols: Checking all log piles for wildcat presence before loading between March and June.
Dismantling of knotted wire fences in wildcat core areas and migration corridors.
Separation of enforcement and monitoring: Monitoring the wildcat population must not be in the hands of recreational hunters. Independent structures modeled on KORA and professional game warden corps like the one in Geneva are the standard that a protected species of high national priority deserves.

Argumentation: Answers to common claims

"The wildcat is protected, so what's the problem?" Protected status on paper alone doesn't save a species. The wildcat is protected, but its habitats are fragmented, its genes are diluted through hybridization, and the political measures it needs (mandatory neutering, corridors, log pile protocols) don't exist. In Switzerland, "protected" often means "designated, but not managed."

“The wildcat is recovering, so the system is working.” This recovery is a product of its protected status and immigration from France, not a result of the hunting system. Its return demonstrates what is possible when a species is no longer hunted. But this return is fragile: if the hybridization rate continues to rise and habitat fragmentation increases, the positive trend could reverse, as the example of Scotland shows.

"Hybridization is a natural process." Wrong. The mating between domestic and wild cats is a result of human intervention: The domestic cat was brought to Europe by humans, its population density is a product of domestication, and encounters with the wildcat occur because we have destroyed and fragmented their habitats. There is nothing natural about it.

"Hobby hunters protect the wildcat because they shoot feral domestic cats." The opposite is true. Shooting feral cats by hobby hunters endangers the wildcat because visual differentiation in the field is practically impossible. The BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) and the STS (Swiss Animal Protection) therefore demand that hobby hunters refrain from shooting cats. Neutering is the more effective and humane alternative.

“There are so many cats in the forest, something has to be done.” The question isn’t whether to intervene, but how. Hobby hunters who shoot cats without genetic analysis are intervening in an uncontrolled and potentially harmful way. Professional game wardens with expertise in species identification and access to genetic analysis methods intervene in a targeted and well-founded manner. That’s the difference between the hobby hunting system and the Geneva system.

"Wildcats don't need corridors; they are adaptable." Wildcats are more adaptable than previously thought, but they do need cover. Open, cleared agricultural areas without hedges, shrubs, or other structures are impassable for wildcats. Corridors are not a luxury infrastructure, but the minimum requirement for genetic exchange between subpopulations.

Quick links

Articles about wildcats on wildbeimwild.com:

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Our claim

The European wildcat survived in Switzerland because it was placed under protection in 1962. Not because recreational hunters cared for it, not because the militia hunting system worked, but because persecution of it ceased. That is the simplest and at the same time most uncomfortable lesson of wildcat history: protection works. Recreational hunting destroys.

The return of the wildcat from the Jura Mountains to the Swiss Plateau is a rare bright spot in the otherwise bleak state of Swiss biodiversity. But this bright spot is not a given. It requires political will, binding measures, and a willingness to make difficult decisions: mandatory neutering of domestic cats, wildlife corridors, and abandoning the system of recreational hunting as a form of wildlife management. Anyone who wants to protect the wildcat must change the structures that threaten its return. Anyone who fails to do so has misunderstood the issue.

This dossier is continuously updated as new studies, figures or political developments require it.

More on the topic of hobby hunting: In our dossier on hunting, we compile fact checks, analyses and background reports.