• The wild cat lives in areas where snow depth does not exceed 20 cm, as it finds it very difficult to move through deep snow, and also cannot reach rodents hiding there. Its inability to move through deep snow and catch rodents limits its habitat to regions with shallow snow cover.
• The territory of the wild cat can reach several square kilometers. In the semi-deserts and deserts of Africa, the territory of the sand cat is even larger.

The European wildcat inhabits highlands and tundra, as well as terrestrial forests, grasslands and steppes, and shrublands, at elevations up to 2 kilometers; the species occupies biomes including very dry areas with infrequent rainfall, temperate steppes with abundant grass and few trees, very hot and dry areas with daytime heat and nighttime cold, temperate mixed forests with many oak, birch, and maple trees, and flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground; the climate varies considerably, ranging from very hot and nearly dry conditions to hot steppes with a very hot summer and little rainfall, very dry environments with rare rainfall, very hot and dry areas with daytime heat and nighttime cold, and consistently very wet conditions with almost constant rain; the species is found in landscapes that include terrestrial forests, grasslands and steppes, and shrublands.