The Scottish wildcat is functionally extinct in the wild due to hybridisation with domestic cats and habitat loss. A captive breeding and reintroduction programme is attempting to restore pure wildcats to Scottish landscapes.
Scottish wildcat welfare in captivity requires conditions that maintain natural behaviours and avoid excessive taming -- wildcats that become too habituated to humans cannot survive after release. Reintroduction welfare concerns include the stress of release into an unfamiliar environment, competition with existing predators, and the risk of hybridisation undoing conservation work. Monitoring released animals intensively allows rapid intervention if welfare problems emerge. The welfare of captive populations is also important -- wildcats in barren enclosures develop stress-related problems that compromise their suitability for reintroduction.