The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wildcat species native to Africa, West and Central Asia up to Rajasthan in India and Xinjiang in China. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in 2022.

In Cyprus, an African wildcat was found in a burial site next to a human skeleton in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement Shillourokambos. The graves are estimated to have been established by Neolithic farmers about 9,500 years ago, and are the earliest known evidence for a close association between a cat and a human. Their proximity indicates that the cat may have been tamed or domesticated.[3] Results of genetic research indicate that the African wildcat genetically diverged into three clades about 173,000 years ago, namely the Near Eastern wildcat, Southern African wildcat and Asiatic wildcat. African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East, and are the ancestors of the domestic cat (F. catus). Crossings between domestic cat and African wildcat are still common today.

The African wildcat occurs across Africa, around the periphery of the Arabian Peninsula, and in the Middle East as far eastward as the Caspian Sea. It inhabits a broad variety of habitats, especially in hilly and mountainous landscapes such as the Hoggar Mountains. In deserts such as the Sahara, it occurs at much lower densities. It ranges across the area north of the Sahara from Morocco to Egypt and inhabits the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands south of the Sahara from Mauritania to the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan. Farther south, it is present in all East and Southern African countries.

African wildcats are active mainly by night and search for prey. Their hearing is so fine that they can locate prey precisely. They approach prey by patiently crawling forward and using vegetation to hide. They rarely drink water. They hunt primarily mice, rats, birds, reptiles, and insects.

When confronted, the African wildcat raises its hair to make itself seem larger in order to intimidate its opponent. In the daytime it usually hides in the bushes, although it is sometimes active on dark cloudy days. The territory of a male overlaps with that of up to three females.

The galleries that follow show the African, Amur (hybrid) and Jungle Cat (hybrid):

African Wildcat (Felis lybica) - seen commonly on night drives in Southern Africa, especially Chobe & Kruger

Jungle Cat X Domestic Cat Hybrid (Felis chaus X catus) - seen commonly sadly in Sri Lanka, especially in the outskirts of Srigiriya. At least one pure bred was seen there and I have seen wild ones in Gujarat as well.

Amur Wildcat Hybrid (Felis bengalensis euptilura x catus) - resident cat at the Zedrovayapad Zapovyednik Headquarters in Ussuriland Russia. Known to be a hybrid with Amur Wildcats which are fairly common in the area. Tracks in the mud are of the Wildcat and most likely the Siberian Roe Deer and maybe Eurasian Otter?