The interesting Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is found in patches across south and south east Asia.
This cat readily takes to water and dives and swims to catch fish, its principal prey. Although the Fishing Cat has partly webbed feet, this is not unique to this species and it does not appear to have any special adaptations for hunting in water.
Unfortunately its dependence on wetland habitats means its populations are fast diminishing as wetlands across Asia are being drained for agriculture and human settlement.
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Key Facts about Fishing Cats
~ Primarily feeds on fish and aquatic prey ~
~ Readily swims and dives into water ~
~ Dependent on wetland habitat ~
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Classification
The Fishing Cat belongs to the genus Prionailurus and the full taxonomy or scientific classification of the Fishing Cat species is:
Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Chordata (vertebrates)
Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Carnivora (carnivores)
Suborder: Feliformia (cat-like)
Family: Felidae (cats)
Subfamily: Felinae (small cats)
Genus: Prionailurus
Species: Prionailurus viverrinus (Fishing Cat)
Subspecies:
P.v. viverrinus
P.v. rhizophoreus
The scientific name for the Fishing Cat is Prionailurus viverrinus which is also known as the binomial name, species name, latin name, biological name or zoological name. Some use the term 'botanical name' however that term is only applicable to the plant kingdom (botany) and not the animal kingdom (zoology).
Classification Chart
This Fishing Cat classification chart shows where this cat fits into the Felidae family and in particular the Prionailurus genus.
Permission to use for personal or educational use.
Credit: www.WildCatFamily.com.
Subspecies
Two subspecies or types of Fishing Cats have been described in the past:
- Mainland Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus viverrinus) - India, Sri-Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indochina, Nepal and maybe Bhutan.
- Sunda Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus rhizophoreus) - Java
These two subspecies are still recognized in the last Felidae taxonomic revision in 2017.
Research
Here is a list of papers published on Fishing Cats. Click on the title bar to view the abstract and the link to the article.
The fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus is a medium‐sized wetland specialist felid threatened primarily by habitat loss, human–wildlife conflict, and road mortality. Limited information is available on their life history in human‐modified environments. We investigated the dietary habits of fishing cats within a human‐dominated landscape in southern Nepal to inform conservation strategies that promote co‐existence with local communities.
We carried out a comprehensive analysis of fishing cat scats through microscopic analysis and DNA metabarcoding. We found fishing cats to have a diverse diet including fishes, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, and insects. The trophic niche breadth of 0.68 suggests a generalist feeding behavior (> 0.5). Remains of domestic or commercially farmed animals (including fish) were present in approximately one‐half of the scat samples. A large contribution of small mammals and birds to the fishing cat diet further indicates their role in regulating rodents and other pests in agricultural areas.
We suggest that highlighting these findings through community education and awareness can change farmers' negative perceptions, reducing threats of retaliatory killing and increasing support for conservation efforts.
Mishra, Rama & Bertola, Laura & Leirs, Herwig & Adhikari, Sabin & Lamichhane, Babu & Subedi, Naresh & Neupane, Utsav & Kolipaka, Shekhar & Manandhar, Prajwol & Pradhan, Saman & Iongh, Hans. (2025). More than fish: diet composition of fishing cats Prionailurus viverrinus in human‐dominated landscape. Wildlife Biology. 10.1002/wlb3.01400.
Based on camera trap images, we document active foraging attempts on nests of colonial waterbirds by a fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus. The nests were built in the canopy of an 8-m-tall Indian Oak tree Barringtonia acutangula in the Haor Basin region, northeast Bangladesh.
In 2022, two events of fishing cats reaching nests with fledglings were documented. In one event, the cat killed four fledglings. The species primarily follows a piscivorous diet and is evolutionarily adapted for semi-aquatic hunting niches. These records provide the first known evidence of the arboreal hunting behaviour observed in the fishing cat.
Sadik, A.S.; Akash, M.
A treetop diner: camera trapping reveals novel arboreal foraging by fishing cats on colonial nesting birds in Bangladesh
2024 Mammalia (88): 100-105
View more articles on Prionailurus viverrinus on ResearchGate.
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Conservation
The global conservation status for the Fishing Cat is Vulnerable (VU) and populations are declining.
The following organizations are dedicated to research and conservation of Fishing Cats:
Urban Fishing Cat Conservation - Sri Lanka
Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance - Asia
Fishing Cat Conservancy - USA based
Please support these organizations with their important work if you can. No matter the size of your donation, every bit helps!
International Wild Cat Days: Get your family or class involved with Fishing Cat February each year!
Facts and Information
The following organizations have well researched and authoritative information on Fishing Cats:
- IUCN Cat Specialist Group - Detailed Information
- IUCN Red List - Status and Distribution Map
- International Soc. for Endangered Cats (ISEC) - Species Overview
