Wildkatze (Felis silvestris) im thüringisch-sächsischen Vogtland? – Mit einer Diskussion der Unterscheidbarkeit von Europäischen Wild- und Hauskatzen
A wildcat (Felis silvestris) in the thuringian-saxonian "Vogtland? with a discussion of the differentiation between wildcat and domestic cat
- From the "Vogtland" an area crossed by border between Thuringia and Saxony a potential wild cat is described. Wild cats still occur in Thuringia and references for the occurrence in the Vogtland exist. Hints on the occurrence of wild cats in Saxony exist from northern parts, but no described specimen of a clear wild cat exists in a scientific collection. The morphological characters generally used to discriminate between wild and domestic cats are critically discussed on the basis of the cat from the Vogtland and this shows the difficulties in assessing the intraspecific variation for most features. Even genetic studies do not give a homogenous picture for Europe concerning the differentiation of wild and domestic cats. For Germany the potential of a good separation of both forms of cats on the basis of genetic markers is assumed.
Based on morphological and genetic data the cat found in the Vogtland in April 2007 is identified as domestic cat.