EASIN - European Alien Species Information Network

Riccardo SCALERA
7/28/2022 9:11 AM

A genetic assessment made in 2007 (The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication. Science 317, (5837): 519-523) has clarified that Felis silvestris, from which domestic cats derived, is classified as a polytypic wild species composed of more distinct interfertile subspecies, with the domestic cat carrying the clade of F. s. lybica. I therefore would suggest that the species name Felis catus is replaced by what was formerly indicated in EASIN as a synonym, i.e. Felis silvestris catus, that no synonyms are associated to this taxon, and that none of the European countries are indicated as part of the native range for the species. Also the species range (e.g. the one derived from EASIN-lits) should be removed because is likely to be not accurate (and also this may be misleading: I am not sure whether any study showing the distribution of domestic cats in the wild exists at all, unless at a local scale, but I would expect a patchy range throughout Europe). However, as a further remark, I would like to point out that the taxonomy of Old World wildcats is still uncertain, and different sources use different approaches, with some considering the domestic cat as a separate species from wildcats. Nevertheless I could not find any scientific evidence to support this (and some key sources, like ITIS, seem based on old references). Therefore, given the substantial risk of this information being confusing or misleading, especially for the laypeople - after all domestic cats, like any domestic animal gone feral, ARE alien in Europe, despite of their taxonomic position - I would suggest the record of domestic cats being temporarily removed from EASIN until an expert review of the relevant information is carried out (this should cover both the scientific and policy implications, in order to offer some interpretation as done for the domestic dog, see below). Additionally, given the general problem of domestic species gone feral being a very sensitive topic, this would require being addressed consistently throughout the EASIN catalogue, for all taxonomic groups interested, and in line with current policy indications (see for example the recent communication of the EC on wolves, dogs and hybrids, that contains some principles on dogs/wolves that could be relevant also for cats, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=PI_COM%3AC%282021%297301 )

Thread Discussion: Felis catus - native range?