[2] Morphological evidence indicates that the split between the African wildcat subspecies in Africa occurred in the area of Tanzania and Mozambique.

[4] The body of the Southern African wildcat is marked with vertical stripes but these can vary from faint to quite distinct.

[5] The Southern African wild cat is widely distributed throughout Africa south of the equator, but does not occur along the Namibian coast.

[4] Southern African wildcats are largely nocturnal, finding cover in which to rest during the day.

[7] The main threat to the survival of the Southern African wildcat is its tendency to crossbreed with domestic cats near human habitations.