The medium sized Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) occurs across a vast range in Asia yet density is poorly known and occurrence is likely patchy. The Asiatic Golden Cat is typically golden reddish (hence the name) but the species varies considerably in size, coat patterns and coloration across its range. As a forest dependent specialist, deforestation within the region is a major threat, and poaching appears to be increasing with reports of this cat being substituted for tiger pelt and bones.

Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) - Bay Cat Lineage — Asian Golden cat By Karen Stout (originally posted to Flickr as Asian Golden cat) [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons

The global conservation status for the Asiatic Golden Cat is Near Threatened (NT) and populations are declining.

Up to five subspecies of the Asiatic Golden Cat have been described in the past:

Catopuma temminckii temminckii
Catopuma temminckii dominicanorum
Catopuma temminckii tristis

Catopuma temminckii bainesi
Catopuma temminckii moormensis

However based on recent genetic studies the current Felidae taxonomic revision proposes only two subspecies, with the other three being color variants of C.t. moormensis:

Catopuma temminckii temminckii - Sumatra and Malay Peninsula - smaller size, reddish coloration.
Catopuma temminckii moormensis - Nepal to north Burma, China, Tibet and south-east Asia - larger size, variable patterns and coloration.