Biology
Reproductive season (W):
Mating season in late winter, Jan-Mar; most births in May
(Smit and Van Wijngaarden 1976, Muntyanu et al. 1993)
Estrus (C):
2-8 days, in presence of males (Condé and Schauenberg 1969)
Gestation (C):
63-68 days (in Hemmer 1976)
Litter size (C & W):
Mean 3.4 (W: n=106; C: n=92; Stahl and Leger 1992);
range 1-8 (Green 1991)
Age at independence (W):
4-5 months (Smit and Wijngaarden 1976, Tomkies 1991);
up to 10 months (Muntyanu et al. 1993)
Age at sexual maturity (C):
Females 10-12 months; males 9-10 months
(Condé and Schauenberg 1969, Hemmer 1976, P. Andrews in litt. 1993)
Interbirth interval (C):
probably one year. Condé and Schauenberg (1969, 1974) found that males can be
sexually active from Dec-Jul, but females can only exceptionally breed twice in one year, such as when
the first litter is lost (A. Kitchener, B. Ragni in litt. 1993)
Mortality (W):
Several studies have reported very high human-caused mortality (e.g. snares, road kills), comprising up
to 92% of observed deaths (Corbett 1979, Piechocki 1986, Riols 1988). Human-induced
mortality is probably significant across much of the wildcat’s heavily settled range (Stahl and Artois
1991)
Longevity (C):
up to 15 years (Green 1991)
| 
