wildcat

wildcat, common name of two Old World cats, the European wildcat, Felis sylvestris, of Europe and W Asia, and the African wildcat, or kaffir cat, F. lybica, of Africa and Asia. The European wildcat resembles a large domestic tabby cat with a heavy tail; its fur is brownish to gray, with a pattern of light stripes. It can and does interbreed with domestic cats. The African wildcat was domesticated by the ancient Egyptians and is probably ancestral to the modern domestic cat. The name wildcat is also applied regionally to a variety of small cats. In North America it is a common name for the bobcat (see lynx).

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wildcat

Wild species (Felis silvestris) of cat (family Felidae) native to Eurasian forests. Very similar to the domestic yellowish tabby, it will interbreed with domestic cats (of which it is presumably an ancestor). It is 20–32 in. (50–80 cm) long, excluding the 10–14-in. (25–35-cm) tail. It stands 14–16 in. (35–40 cm) and weighs 6–20 lbs (3–10 kg). Solitary and nocturnal, it preys on birds and small animals. In North America the name is used for the bobcat and lynx; in Africa it refers to the Caffre cat.

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wildcat

1. a wild European cat, Felis silvestris, that resembles the domestic tabby but is larger and has a bushy tail

2. any of various other felines, esp of the genus Lynx, such as the lynx and the caracal

3. US and Canadian another name for bobcat

4. US and Canadian an unsound commercial enterprise

5. US and Canadian a railway locomotive in motion without drawing any carriages or wagons

6. US and Canadian

a. of or relating to an unsound business enterprise

b. financially or commercially unsound

7. US and Canadian (of a train) running without permission or outside the timetable