Research overview: hybridization between wildcats and domestic cats

The European wildcat faces a genetic threat from interbreeding with free-ranging domestic cats, which can erode the wild population's distinct genome through introgression. This overview surveys genetic studies, particularly in Scotland and continental Europe, that use molecular markers to distinguish wildcats from hybrids and domestic cats, quantify the extent of admixture, and identify relatively pure populations worth prioritizing. It discusses the conservation dilemma of hybridization swamping a threatened taxon, the difficulty of defining a pure wildcat genetically when gene flow is ongoing, and management responses such as neutering feral cats and conservation breeding of genetically vetted wildcats.