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Felines

It is very hard to draw the line when defining what makes up a domestic cat. Please see this definition as it helps to clarify the inherent ability of a domestic cat to hunt and revert to nature. One must remember this when looking at any domestic cat:

"The domestic cat evidently is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia, F. silvestris libyca. The latter may have been present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7,000 years, and actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4,000 years ago. Introduction to Europe began around 2,000 years ago, and some interbreeding occurred there with the wild subspecies F. silvestris silvestris

There have been relatively few detailed field studies of F. catus, but there is no reason to think that its behavior and ecology under noncaptive conditions differ greatly from what has been found for F. silvestris. On Macquarie Island, where the cat population has been feral since 1820, E. Jones (1977) obtained specimens in a variety of habitats by both day and night. The cats sheltered in rabbit burrows, thick vegetation, or piles of rocks. The diet consisted largely of rabbits (also introduced on the island) and also included rats, mice, birds, and carrion. Population density was estimated at two to seven cats per sq km F. silvestris (wild cat), France and Spain to north-central China and central India, Great Britain, Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, woodland and savannah zones throughout Africa."

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9, Chapter 1, Part 1: "Hybrid Cross" means an animal resulting from the crossbreeding between two different species or types of animals. Crosses between wild animal species such as lion and tiger, are to be considered wild animals. Crosses between wild animal species and domestic animals, such as dogs and wolves or buffalo and domestic cattle, are considered to be domestic animals.
United States Department of Agriculture letter, dated February 21, 1985; RE: Clarification of hybrid animal crosses. Paragraph 2: All hybrid crosses between wild and domestic animals, such as wolf x dog, cat x jungle cat, buffalo x domestic cattle, etc., are considered to be domestic animals.

United States Animal and
Department of Plant Health
Agriculture Inspection Service

Clarification of Hybrid Animal Crosses

Animal Welfare
Date: FEB 21 1985
Area Veterinarians in Charge, VS
Directors, VS Regions
Animal Care Specialists, VS

Several years ago a memorandum clarifying the status of hybrid crosses between
wild and domestic animals under the Animal Welfare Act was issued. The
memorandum is apparently no longer available and did not receive wide
distribution. This memorandum is therefore being issued in order to clarify
the status of hybrid crosses.

All hybrid crosses between wild and domestic animals, such as wolf x dog, cat
x Jungle cat, buffalo x domestic cattle, etc., are considered to be domestic
animals. Thus, a wolf x dog cross is considered to be a dog and must be
maintained under the dog standards if it is a regulated animal. Any cross
between two wild animals is still considered to be a wild animal (i.e., wolf x
coyote, tiger x lion, etc.). This distinction should be kept in mind when
applying the standards during inspection or determining if licensing is
required or not.

/s/ R Rissler
R. L. Rissler
Assistant Director
Animal Health Programs
Veterinary Services
APHIS - Protecting American Agriculture

Animal Welfare Regulations, Department of Agriculture:

"Hybrid cross means an animal resulting from the crossbreeding between two different species or types of animals. Crosses between wild animal species, such as lions and tigers, are considered to be wild animals.
Crosses between wild animal species and domestic animals, such as dogs and wolves or buffalo and domestic cattle, are considered to be domestic animals"

Wolf-hybrids

The species of both the wolf and the dog was determined in 1993 to be Canis lupis, per the Code of International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature and the American Society of Mammologists. Therefore, the dog is considered to be a domestic variant or conspecific of the wolf rather than a separate species.