Tracking the Highland Tiger: In Search of Scottish Wildcats

by Marianne Taylor

The mysterious Scottish Wildcat--Britain's rarest mammal, and one of the most endangered carnivores in the world.

These cats are fierce and very wild--completely untameable. Just like domestic cats prowling in the garden, wildcats hunt for a wide range of prey, from mice and voles to grouse, rabbits and red squirrels. Their kittens are born in March, and quickly begin to learn key hunting skills. Wildcats have endured centuries of habitat loss; they have been hunted for fur and been killed as vermin, and are threatened by inbreeding with domestic moggies, along with other issues such as disease and vehicle collisions.

In this book, Marianne Taylor--author of the award-winning Way of the Hare-- seeks out the beautiful and enigmatic Scottish Wildcat in a rich narrative interwoven with what we know about the cat's biology and history in Britain.

The Highland Tiger is a great read for anyone with an interest in Britain's wildlife and wild places, and especially to those who are fond of felines.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Cats, Animals, Scotland, Biology, Science

256 pages, Hardcover

Published August 13, 2019

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d not heard of Taylor although she’s a prolific natural history writer. Such species quest narratives have become very common. The contextual information about the world’s cat species and the difference between Scottish wildcats and domestic cats, including the example of a half-feral cat she adopted, is fairly interesting, but the way she separates it from her trips to Speyside and Ardnamurchan to look for wildcats in 2013–18, which are each given their own chapter, feels odd. A similar book being published today would have blended the travel, research, and autobiographical information better. There’s plenty of habitat in the Scottish mountains for wildcats; the problem they face is hybridization with domestic cats. There’s no such thing as a purebred anymore. Captive breeding and reintroductions are the only way the species is likely to survive. “Timing a trip to look for Scottish wildcats is difficult in a way, but in another way it’s not: no matter what time you go, you’re almost guaranteed not to see one.” (At least she’s self-deprecating about it.) For most of the way through, you’re convinced the author will never find one. But you’ve got to keep hoping…

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[Foggygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read

A fascinating and informative read about this most illusive and rare animal. The hope is that this cat can be saved from extinction but that will only happen if humans get it through our skulls that we need our predators, whether they are wildcats or great white sharks, in order to have healthy environments.

[Alasdair Mckinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. After seeing the Wildcats a number of times at the Highland Wildlife Park I grabbed this when I chanced upon it in Aviemore. It gives an appreciation not just of the Scottish Wildcat, but how it fits in to the wider problems felt by numerous cats around the world. Interesting, informative and an enjoyable read too.

[Elizabeth Judd Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just felt that this book was a mix of things—while the main chapters did deal with wildcat (and domestic cat) information, the bits about the author travelling to the Highlands mainly involved bird sightings and her unfulfilled hopes of seeing a wildcat, which made this feel like something different than a Highland Tiger book. Also, the final chapter just seemed added on, with bits from various organizations filling it up. The while thing just didn’t flow for me.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracking the Highland Tiger is an engagingly written book that goes in search of the enigmatic Scottish wildcat (in more than one way) while offering a passionate plea for its conservation. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2019...

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up during a 2024 visit to the Dundreggan Rewilding Center. The center is part of a world-wide movement to reclaim land and space, in cooperation with landowners, for the reintroduction of native flora and fauna.

The Scottish wildcat is on the brink of extinction due to a variety of factors ... all of them outlined in this book. Author Marianne Taylor not only details the preservation efforts and challenges, but also her own (fruitless) efforts to see the elusive animals in the wild.

The author's voice is strong and still entertaining as she makes her case for why we should all care about a small animal in a country where we might not ourselves reside. I particularly appreciated the list of resources for further information and/or study at the end of the book.

[James Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was profoundly disappointed by this book. I had bought it in the expectation that its content corresponded to its title; how wrong I was. The book really required the attention of a rigorous editor as the author constantly digressed on to descriptions of her journey to north Scotland, general discussions on cats, and observations on the species of birds she sees on her trips. But of the wildcat there is little. The author also has a tendency to present her flights of fantasy about wildcats as statements of face, albeit with nothing to substantiate what she has asserted. It is also clear that she may be a wildcat enthusiast, but she knows precious little hard facts about the animal and how they live.

This is a profoundly disappointing book, which would have been fine if presented as a Highland travelogue, but of wildcats there was next to nothing.

[Artemis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not what the blurb says it is.
It IS technically aligned with the title - this is a book about the authors journey to try to see a Scottish Wildcat.

This includes information on how the bus ride went, and what it was like to walk along paths hoping to see a cat.

It also includes extrapolations of information based off of the domestic cat, and does not include citations on many claims that I found to be extraordinary.

If you're looking for a book that is about somebody exploring the highlands of Scotland and reflecting on life, then this is the book for you. If you want a book that focuses more on the Scottish Wildcat, well, our journey is still ongoing... The "Further Information" section in the back suggests Christopher Clegg's "The Scottish Wildcat" (2017).

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Scottish Wildcats and have visited lots of zoos and parks to see them so I was excited to read about travels to track this elusive creature down.

The majority of this book is about the authors travels around Scotland, with great detail about eg the bus journeys she took. There is also a lot of detail around domestic cats/cats in general which felt like a lot of filler. It's very clear that the author is predominantly a bird photographer as there is so much detail about the different birds she spotted - interesting I guess, but not relevant to this book.

By the end of the book she has in fact not tracked the highland tiger, as at no point does she ever spot one.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give it 4.5 if I could!! I beautifully written book - loads of cat facts expressed in an interesting way. And written on one of my favourite wild animals.

[Michael Kott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read.

[Gideon Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read that covers the history and current conservation efforts of the Scottish Wildcat.