THE AFRICAN WILD CAT 



or stock, the farmer must at once exert himself to 

 destroy the marauder, as he will have no peace 

 while it remains alive, for it will haunt the place 

 so long as a meal is obtainable. Fortunately, 

 unlike the jackal, it is easily trapped or poisoned. 

 If it should kill a kid or lamb, it satisfies its appetite 

 on the carcase and returns to its lair, but comes 

 back the following night to feast on the remains 

 of its victim. Sometimes a single Wijd Cat will- 

 slay a dozen fowls in a night. It eats a little of 

 the tenderest flesh from several, or else carries 

 one of the victims off and leaves the rest 

 untouched. 



So closely is the African Wild Cat related to the 

 common domestic cat that it breeds freely with it. 

 Large numbers of domestic cats in South Africa 

 are the offspring of wild tom cats and domestic 

 female cats. In fact when Wild Cats are in the 

 neighbourhood it is usually impossible to keep 

 domestic tom cats, for their wild cousins, being 

 stronger and superior in fighting powers, soon 

 succeed in killing them off. These quarrels occur 

 during the breeding season. 



I frequently stayed at the farm of a Dutch 

 friend in Natal, and his cats often gave birth to 

 kittens which were almost pure-bred Wild Cats. 

 His cats for a period of ten years or more had inter- 

 bred with the wild species, which are common in 

 the vicinity of the homestead, and the domestic 

 strain was practically bred out. 



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