Wildcats are obligate or ‘true’ carnivores because they depend on the consumption of meat for all their nutritional requirements 🐾 You can find out more about wildcats eat here ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/guidance/what-wildcats-eat/ 📷 P. Ross

A year goes a long way… 📆 To date, this partnership project has released 46 wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park, all of which have been at least a year old at the time of release.

1/2 A different approach to releasing wildcats 🐾 Last year, three of the 18 wildcats released into the Cairngorms National Park were transferred to their release points in a direct-release box. After a short period, the automatic door on the box opens, and the wildcat can leave in its own time.

Oh, hey 👋 Looking for something to do with the kids this half-term? On 14 and 15 April, join the team at Glenmore Visitor Centre & Cafe for wildcat-themed family activities between 11-1pm 🌄

Welcome back, spring (we hope) 🌼 After a snowy start to April, the weather is warming up again, and the released females may (hopefully) be bringing kittens into the world! The team will continue to monitor the released population for signs that another generation of wildcats has been born 🐾

Patience is a virtue ✅ This winter, seven of the released wildcats living wild in the Cairngorms National Park were safely trapped, health-checked, and six were recollared, before being released again. The GPS-radio collars continue to provide vital data on wildcat behaviour and ecology 🧡

Help save Scotland's wildcats ✨ On 21 April, join The European Nature Trust and Saving Wildcats at the London Premiere of 'Clinging by a Claw' 🎥 Celebrate the progress made so far with TV presenter Megan McCubbin and filmmaker Alistair Fothergill, while generating further support for wildcats 🐾

Sorry, Skye, are we keeping you up? 💤 Saving your species from extinction is clearly quite exhausting! Give this beauty a wee boost - sponsor her and follow her kittens’ journey back to the wild ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor 🧡

Wildcats and Haggis coexisting in the Cairngorms National Park 🙏 The team have been monitoring any impacts that wildcats may be having on haggis - a rare, endemic species found only in Scotland 🏔️ Footage has revealed the two iconic species living alongside one another with minimal interaction 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Privacy, purr-lease! 👀 Did you know that wildcat males have barbed genitalia? The spines stimulate ovulation, meaning the females release eggs upon mating. Although this is not the only trigger for ovulation, it can help the team predict when a female may give birth 🐾

1/2 Wildcats need YOU 🫵 Be part of wildcat recovery in Scotland and volunteer with Saving Wildcats’ animal team. Responsibilities will include food preparation, enrichment preparation, animal observations, and enclosure maintenance at @highlandwpark.bsky.social, in the Cairngorms National Park 🏔️

1/2 Microchipping and collaring pet cats helps protect wildcats 📿 The team recently wrote an article highlighting the importance of mandatory microchipping for pet cats, which appeared in @scotlink.bsky.social's Nature Champions newsletter 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Hamza + wildcats = Top-tier TV 📺 Last year, BBC CountryFile's Hamza Yassin joined the team to release and track three wildcats in the Cairngorms National Park 🌄 Watch the full episode on @bbciplayer.bsky.social ➡️ bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002mfjl/countryfile-hamzas-highlands-scottish-wildcats

Scotland: it’s absolutely spring now - the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the bulbs are flowering – enjoy the great outdoors 🌞 Also Scotland:

When he doesn’t give you the attention you deserve 👑 If your other half has some making up to do, ask them for one of these wildcat goodies ➡️ shop.rzss.org.uk/collections/wildcat 😼

1/2 Nearly 1,000 incredible people like you sponsor Margaret, Oscar or Skye 🎉 To celebrate this amazing milestone and thank sponsors for supporting wildcats in Scotland, you will have the opportunity to win an exclusive prize once the milestone is reached...

It’s #WorldRewildingDay 🌿 On 20 March, join @rewildingeurope.bsky.social for their #ChooseOurFuture event, which invites everyone to envision landscapes, wildlife, and communities thriving. Saving Wildcats chooses a future that has a healthy, sustainable population of wildcats in Scotland 🧡

Go wild this summer ☀ Become an outreach and engagement volunteer for Saving Wildcats. You will: 🤝 Run stalls at Highland Games 📱 Create social media content ✍️ Write stories for the project's newsletter 🐾 Run on-site activities at Highland Wildlife Park For more information ⬇️

Fergus is nosey 😼 Be more like Fergus. Sign up to receive your FREE bi-monthly newsletter and enjoy exclusive, behind-the-scenes updates about Scotland's wildcats ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/join-us 🧡

Baby blues 🩵 Wildcats are born with blue-grey eyes. When they’re approximately four-six weeks old, melanin production increases in the iris and their eye colour starts to change to either the iconic green or striking amber ✨

In the colder months, European wildcats have thick, fur coats and their markings are typically more pronounced. Males also usually gain weight for the breeding season during the winter. In comparison, both sexes may appear more slender and paler in colour during the summer ☀️

Spot the wildcat 🔍 It’s Friday, so you may be looking for ways to procrastinate until the weekend? Well, we’ve got you. Can you find the wildcat in her large pre-release enclosure, which has been built around the natural landscape? Comment when you find her (without mentioning where she is) 😸

Wildcats are typically elusive. Honest 👀 Despite Stovie enjoying a moment to herself in the middle of a path, wildcats are (usually) experts at keeping out of sight. That said, if you're lucky enough to spot a potential wildcat, here's what to do next ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/haveyouseenawildcat 🐾

🪪 European wildcat (Felis silvestris) One of the UK's rarest mammals | Accomplished mesopredator | Cultural icon | UK's last native cat species | Experienced camera trap model | Working parent | Species reintroduction specialist Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

Pawsitive signs 💕 There is lots of excitement at the conservation breeding for release centre, based at @highlandwpark.bsky.social. All six breeding pairs coupled up this year have been recorded mating. Whilst matings don't always mean kittens, it's certainly a paw in the right direction 🐾

It's FriYAY 🎉 Need something to do this weekend? Support wildcat conservation by visiting the members of the UK conservation breeding programme for wildcats 🐾 Without the UK's captive population, Scotland's wildcats would be lost forever. Find out which zoos and wildlife parks are members ⬇️

Don’t FURget your mama 🩷 She puts up with a lot! It's your last chance to give her the gift of wildcat sponsorship in time for Mother's Day ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor 💐

1/2 Dhoon the dog 🐕‍🦺 To date, this partnership project, led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), has released 46 wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park, and at least nine of those females have given birth to kittens in the wild.

All grown up 🏡 At six months old, Bramble's got his big boy boots on and has moved into his own pre-release enclosure 🌳 As he finds his independence, he will be developing the skills he'll need ahead of his potential release later this year.

It’s good to be different 😼 Unlike domestic cats, European wildcats are native to Britain and are part of a healthy, functioning ecosystem. While the two species appear similar, there are key differences, including their skull shape and gut length, and wildcats typically only breed once per year 🐈

Forbidden love 🚫 Last year, 11-year-old Fern's incredible piece of artwork was one of the winning entries of the primate-age wildcat art contest 🎨 It highlights how wildcats are threatened by interbreeding and disease from domestic cats. Neutering and vaccinating your pet can help save them 😻

Cat-Fiadhaich "Wildcat" 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Just like wildcats, Scotland’s native language, Scottish Gaelic, is sadly endangered. To celebrate #WorldGaelicWeek, and the wildcat's long history as part of Scottish culture, the team wanted to highlight @cairngormsconnect.bsky.social's recent blog ⬇️

Near, far, wherever you are 🌍 The Halley VI Research Station team recently hosted a screening of ‘Clinging by a Claw’ in Antarctica 🙀 We're incredibly grateful for their support. Following the recovery of Scotland’s wildcats from outside of the UK? Find out how you can watch the film ⬇️

On the edge 🐾 Wildcats benefit from a mosaic of diverse habitats, including grassland, scrub, and mixed woodland 🌳 GPS-radio collar data from the released wildcats has shown them using habitat edges and following linear features to move around, such as fence lines and rivers 🏞️

Mothers matter 💐 Show your mum how much she means to you this Mother's Day by giving her the gift of wildcat sponsorship. By becoming part of Margaret or Skye's journey through motherhood, she will also be saving their species in Scotland ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor 🧡

Boosting biodiversity 🌿 Wildcats are returning to Scotland as an important part of a healthy ecosystem. On 24 February, follow their journey back to the Highlands at Yes Carnoustie's Angus screening of feature-length documentary 'Clinging by a Claw' 📽️ 🎟️ Book your ticket ⬇️

Catch a screening of Clinging by a Claw, the film we produced for @saveourwildcats.bsky.social 🐾 24 Feb, Càrn Ústaidh Hub, Carnoustie: https://bit.pulse.ly/jczuvusycn 🐾 1 April, The Barn, Banchory: https://bit.pulse.ly/tlfih1w9rs 🐾 21 April, Ladbroke Hall, London: https://bit.pulse.ly/ftcmyffuul

What's on the inside counts 😻 Decades of interbreeding with domestic cats (hybridisation) means that genetic testing is crucial to establish whether an individual is a wildcat 🐈 Yet, to identify potential wildcats, experts must first assess coat markings (pelage scoring) for key characteristics ⬇️

Wildcats need YOU 🫵 Saving Wildcats is looking for an enthusiastic volunteer to assist the field team with: 🔸GPS radio-tracking of released collared wildcats 🔸Camera trap checks 🔸 Handling and analysing camera trap survey data Accommodation and an expense allowance are provided. Apply NOW ⬇️

Canada, if you're looking for a new curling champion... 😼🇨🇦 Wildcat Winter Olympics, anyone? Wishing #TeamGB all the best this week 🇬🇧

A path well travelled 🐾 Research has shown that the average territory size for the released female and male wildcats has been 5.6 and 16 square kilometres respectively. Both sexes patrol their home range, no matter the weather, to scent mark their boundaries 🗺️

Love yourself this Valentine’s Day 😻 Tomorrow shouldn’t be all about couples! If you’re single and fabulous - as the wildcats are most of the year - treat yourself to a wildcat gift 🎁 By doing so, you'll be helping restore this iconic species to Scotland ➡️ shop.rzss.org.uk/collections/wildcat 🧡

Caught on camera 📸 Our field team are carrying out their sixth winter survey to monitor wildcats and other wild-living cats in the project area 🌄 Despite not being the target species, these nosy neighbours were keen to make themselves known...

Where’s Wildcat? 🔍 Could you be Saving Wildcats' next enthusiastic volunteer? You would be assisting the field team with: 🏔️ GPS radio-tracking of released collared wildcats 📸 Camera trap checks 💻 Handling and analysing camera trap survey data Apply by 23 Feb ⬇️

Winter is a time of rest – but not for wildcats 🎉 While nature usually “sleeps” during the colder months, wildcat breeding season is in full swing. The males are yowling, and the females are flirty 😻 Juveniles are also full of energy – particularly when there’s fresh powder to play in ❄️

Designed for wildcats 🐾 Produced by experts specifically for wildcats, lightweight GPS-radio collars are vital for post-release monitoring 📡 When the battery runs out, the team try to remove or replace the collar. Eventually the weak link (pictured) typically wears thin until it falls off.

A strong chin with a square jaw 😼 And no, we're not talking about @samheughan63.bsky.social 🧡 A wildcat’s jawbone is a different shape to that of a domestic cat. The sturdier formation allows them to hold onto powerful prey animals, like rabbits, more reliably.

Working together to protect wildcats 🐈‍⬛ Since 2022, Saving Wildcats and @catsprotection.bsky.social have collaborated to neuter and vaccinate 132 feral domestic cats within the project area, protecting wildcats from hybridisation and disease. Find out more ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/tnvr 🧡

Late winter is mating season for the Scottish #wildcat, also nicknamed the Highland Tiger 🐈 Thanks to the work of @saveourwildcats.bsky.social, wildcats are being released in the Cairngorms National Park to restore populations and help prevent the extinction of this iconic Scottish species.

Con let his love pass him by. Don’t be like Con. Treat your special someone to a WILD gift this Valentine’s Day 😻 Sponsor a wildcat for your loved one and they can be part of the journey to restoring wildcats in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Order before 8 Feb to guarantee delivery ➡️ savingwildcats.org.uk/sponsor