The closest living relative to the wildcat is the sand cat (Felis margarita).

The wildcat species is listed as “Least Concern” on the ICUN List. The Chinese Mountain cat, the least widespread of the subspecies, is listed as “Vulnerable,” while the other four subspecies (the silvestris European clade, the lybica Near Eastern And Domestic clade, the cafra Southern African clade, and the ornata Central Asian clade) are listed as “Least Concern.” Of all the clades, the Lybica clade is the most widespread, even if you included just its “native” range and not its “introduced” range from the domestic form as well.