A fishing cat standing near water
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Felidae · Asian small cats

Fishing cat

Prionailurus viverrinus

A sturdy wetland cat whose life is closely tied to marshes, mangroves and slow-moving water.

IUCN RED LISTVU

Vulnerable

Population trend · Decreasing
PHOTO · Kelinahandbasket
CC BY 2.0
BODY LENGTH57–78 cm
WEIGHT5–16 kg
POPULATIONDecreasing
REVIEWED02 Aug 2026
01 / OVERVIEW

Meet the
fishing cat.

Fishing cats are strongly associated with wetlands, many of which are rapidly altered or lost. They can persist near people, but conflict, persecution and habitat conversion create risk.

02

Appearance

A stocky, short-legged cat with an olive-grey coat patterned by dark spots and stripes, small rounded ears and a relatively short tail.

03

Behaviour

Mostly active at night and comfortable in water. Observations confirm swimming and hunting along wetland edges.

04

Diet

Fish are important, alongside crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, birds and small mammals.

05

Habitat

Freshwater wetlands, reed beds, mangroves, river margins and seasonally flooded grasslands.

06

Distribution

Patchily distributed across South and Southeast Asia.

RANGE & FIELD STATIONS

Landscapes in
the record.

REGIONSouth Asia
PARKSundarbans National Park
EDITORIAL & SOURCES

Trace the record.

Taxonomy and status can change as evidence improves. This record was last reviewed on 02 Aug 2026.

  1. Classification of living cat speciesIUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group
  2. Cat species of the worldIUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group
  3. The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesInternational Union for Conservation of Nature