The European wildcat inhabits forested regions from Scotland through continental Europe to western Asia. It is similar to the domestic cat but has longer legs, a larger, flatter head, and a full, relatively short tail ending in a rounded (not pointed) tip. The coat is yellowish gray with dark stripes and bands in the striped tabby pattern; the tail is black-ringed. The adult wildcat is 50 to 80 cm (20 to 32 inches) long, excluding a 25- to 35-centimetre tail; it stands 35–40 cm (14–16 inches) high at the shoulder and weighs from 3 to 10 kg (6.6 to 22 pounds).

The European wildcat is a solitary, nocturnal animal that preys on birds and small mammals and is reported to raid farms, stealing poultry and lambs. It breeds once yearly (in spring) in continental Europe and twice (sometimes three times) yearly in Scotland. A litter consists of three to six kittens; the gestation period is 68 days. The wildcat interbreeds with the domestic cat. Certain authorities believe that the purity of the Scottish wildcat (one of the several races) is being threatened by interbreeding.

In North America, the lynx and bobcat (q.v.) are sometimes called wildcats. The Caffre cat (Egyptian wildcat) (q.v.) of Africa is often referred to as the African, or Egyptian, wildcat.