Here is a list of small wild cat organizations to support in 2026.
Over the past year I have been donating $50 to each organization and verifying that the funds do indeed reach the intended organization. Other donors can thus be assured that their donations will reach the intended organisation and that they are legitimate entities.
If you are in a position to join me, I hope you will add your $50 contribution to each organization. The donation links are indicated below in green buttons.
If 100 people contribute $50 each month, that's $5000 to each organization, which will make a considerable impact in assisting each organization with their small cat conservation efforts, especially those in third world countries!
To choose which cat to support each month I used the world cat days list as a starting point. For the months where there is no small cat awareness day, I have chosen other small cat organisations that I know of. *Mandy.
If you are in a position to join me in contributing $50 per month, please let me know and also consider joining WildCatFamily so that you are kept up to date with this project.
Quarter 3
Jul - Clouded Leopard - verified
I chose Clouded Leopards and the Clouded Leopard Working Group in support of International Clouded Leopard Day on August 4. There are three wild cat days in August, so I brought the earliest one forward into July.
Clouded Leopards are medium-sized, arboreal felines that inhabit the dense tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. There are two species - the Mainland Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) of continental Asia, and the Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), only found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
Both species face serious threats from habitat loss, fragmentation, and illegal hunting, and are the focus of targeted conservation efforts across their ranges.
Website: Clouded Leopard Working Group
The Clouded Leopard Working Group (CLWG) group engages local communities to reduce conflict, discourage poaching, and strengthen coexistence of both Clouded Leopards and sympatric small cats such as Marbled Cats and Asian Golden Cats.
The group is made up of a number of partners and researchers across the Mainland Clouded Leopard's range - including Nepal, India, Bhutan and Cambodia.
DONATE to Clouded Leopard Working Group
Donation Verification
June 2026: Donated $50 to the Clouded Leopard Working Group.
Funding goes via the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) in the USA.
The Small Cats program is administered by Small Wild Cats Conservation Foundation (SWCCF) that helped found many of the small cat working groups.
Donation currency: USD.
An optional 8% admin fee is asked for - this is to assist with covering WCN's admin and banking fees.
I emailed WCN when I received the donation receipt to please allocate the donation to the Clouded Leopard Working Group.
I received confirmation from WCN, SWCCF and CLWG that my donation will be allocated to CLWG.
I was advised that for small amounts, donations will be accumulated by SWCCF and remitted to the various working groups quarterly, in order to keep banking and forex fees to a minimum.
If you do not specify which working group to allocate the donation to, the donation will go into a general fund and allocated at their next budget meeting. There are nearly fifteen working groups supported by SWCCF.
Status: Verified.
Aug - Scottish Wildcat - verified
I chose Scottish Wildcats and the Saving Wildcats in support of Scottish Wildcat Day on August 8th.
"Once widespread, wildcats are now on the brink of extinction in Scotland (the last remaining population in Britain).
A sad history of habitat loss, persecution and, more recently, interbreeding with domestic cats, has forced the 'Highland tiger' to a point where the population is no longer viable.
Without urgent action, wildcats will be lost forever from Britain. Saving Wildcats has begun releasing wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park to restore the population. You can join the journey of this iconic species as they once again make their home in the Highlands. "
Chek out our post explaining the term 'wildcats' v 'wild cats' which can be very confusing! Here we are talking about the wild felid population of the European Wildcat (Felis silvestris) that is found in Scotland.
Website: Saving Wildcats UK
Donation Verification
November 2025: Donated £60 to sponsor one of the breeding wildcats 'Skye' for a year as a gift to my brother in the UK.
Donation currency: GBP British Pounds
We received the sponsorship pack which included a certificate, a bookmark and a magnet with Skye's picture. We have access to a Facebook group to get regular updates and receive emails throughout the year about the breeding cats.
When you donate as a gift they will send the sponsorship pack to the recipient's address. I am not sure if they may have to charge a fee to cover shipping costs if the recipient is outside of the UK.
Status: Verified.
Sep - African Wildcat - planned
Quarter 2
I donated the equivalent of $50 in quarter two last year to all three of these organisations. I received thanks and confirmation from each of them, so these organisations are all verified.
Apr - Manul (Pallas's Cat) Working Group
I chose Pallas's Cats and the Manul Working Group in support of Pallas Cat Day on April 23. The Pallas's Cat (Otocolobus manul) is an unusual looking wild cat inhabiting a vast range in the arid, cold montane grasslands of central Asia. (Pallas's Cat is often spelt Pallas Cat).
Website: Manul Working Group
The Manul Working Group, also known as the Pallas's Cat Working Group, brings together specialists involved in the study and conservation of manul. It was formed in 2012 and is based in Russia.
Their goals are to:
- Accumulate and generalize available information about manul throughout the geographic distribution;
- Support and promote conservation-oriented research and monitoring studies of manul ecology and behavior;
- Promote the development of a network of protected areas and other forms of territorial nature protection to conserve manul, its prey, and habitats;
- Disseminate information about manul to decision-makers, government and non-governmental environmental organizations;
- Promote environmental education of the public to promote the study and protection of manul;
- Support individuals conducting research and conservation projects on manul especially in their native countries.
Donation Verification
April 2025: Donated $50 to the Manul Working Group (MWG).
Funding goes via Eurasian Wildlife and Peoples in the USA which is a registered charity.
In the comment I put: The donation is for the Manul (Pallas’s Cat) working group savemanul.org.
The donation currency is in USD - via credit card or Paypal.
I received confirmation from MWG that they received the funds.
Status: Verified.
May - Urban Caracal Project
I chose Caracals and the Urban Caracal Project in May to support Caracal Day on May 23rd.
The African small cat with the long-tufted ears, the Caracal (Caracal caracal), is common in most parts of its African range, but becoming increasingly rare in its Asian range.
Website: Urban Caracal Project
The Urban Caracal Project was started in 2014 by Dr Laurel Serieys and is based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Their goals are to:
Establish baseline information about the caracal population in the Cape Peninsula: population size, health of individuals, and the distribution of caracals across the Peninsula.
Evaluate the effects of urbanization on the behavior, movement patterns, diet, and genetic health of caracals in the Peninsula.
Assess threats to survival for caracals in the Peninsula and potentially beyond to other parts of South Africa.
DONATE to Urban Caracal Project
Donation Verification
May 2025: Donated ZAR 1000 (about $55) to the Urban Caracal Group.
They have a South African bank account listed on their Support page which will incur a small forex fee by your bank, or you can email them for a USD bank account.
The donation currency is in ZAR - South African Rands (currently about ZAR 18 to 1 USD).
I received confirmation and thanks from Dr Serieys that they received the funds.
Status: Verified.
Jun - Lynx in Europe
I chose the Eurasian Lynx and the Lynx in Europe project in June to support Lynx Day on June 11.
Although widespread across Europe and Asia, the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) occurs in isolated populations in many parts. There are now a number of long-term projects to expand and re-connect populations to maintain genetic diversity and sustainable growth.
Website: EuroNatur - Lynx in Europe
EuroNatur's Lynx in Europe project includes:
- Creating valuable databases: Together with our partners, we have gathered scientific data on lynx populations in many regions of Europe. This is providing the basis for developing successful conservation strategies.
- Building bridges: Motorways and roads are dissecting the migration routes of lynx and other wild animals. We are developing solutions to minimise the negative impacts of our infrastructure on wildlife.
- Establishing protected areas: We are working with our partners to preserve the lynx’s areas of refuge and ensure that these are protected. In the mountainous border regions of the Balkan Green Belt in particular, we are driving forward the designation of transboundary conservation areas, such as the Shar National Park. In doing so, we are not only preserving habitats for the Balkan lynx and its prey but also protecting areas of high biodiversity.
Here are some of their project reports on the Balkan Lynx subspecies: Project report Lynx - EuroNatur.
Donation Verification
June 2025: Donated EUR 50 to the Lynxes in Europe project by EuroNatur - choose 'Lynxes in Europe' under Projects.
The donation currency is in Euro. I paid using my PayPal account and they added a small forex fee.
I received a donation certificate from EuroNatur to confirm they received the funds (in German).
Status: Verified.
Quarter 1
Jan - Geoffroy’s Cat Working Group (GCWG)
I chose Geoffroy's Cats in January to support World Geoffroy's Cat Day. These beautiful cats are facing habitat destruction, retaliatory killing, poaching, fires, poisoning and disease.
Website: www.geoffroyscatwg.org
The Geoffroys' Cat Working Group was founded in 2020 and is based in Brazil.
Aims:
Promote research on Geoffroy’s Cat ecology, genetics, and conservation needs
Facilitate collaboration among scientists, conservationists, and institutions
Share knowledge to support evidence-based conservation strategies
Raise awareness of threats facing the species
The GCWG brings together experts across South America and beyond, creating a network dedicated to understanding and protecting the Geoffroy's Cat.
DONATE to Geoffroy's Cat Working Group
Donation Verification
January 2026: Donated $50 (+$2.50 to cover banking fees) to the GCWG.
Funding goes via re:wild in the USA which is a registered charity.
The donation currency is in USD.
I received confirmation from GCWG that they received the funds.
Status: Verified.
Feb - Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance
I chose Fishing Cats in February to support Fishing Cat February.
Website: https://fishingcat.org/
The Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance (FCCA) was established around 2010 as a collaborative network of scientists, conservationists, and organisations working across the species’ range in Asia.
FCCA acts as an umbrella organisation, coordinating efforts at a regional and global scale. Its priorities include supporting field research and population surveys, facilitating collaboration between country-level projects, mapping distribution and identifying key conservation landscapes and advocating for wetland protection and policy integration.
By linking local initiatives, FCCA helps ensure that conservation actions are informed by science and aligned across borders.
DONATE to Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance
Donation Verification
February 2026: Donated $50 to the FCCA.
Funding goes via a registered PayPal charity account in the USA (EIN: 85-1200792); PayPal says it covers any fees and it takes about a month to reach the charity.
Donation currency: USD
You can donate directly to the FCCA PayPal charity account at https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/4027671 and share that link on social media to encourage others to donate.
March 2026: FCCA confirmed they received the funds, so it does take about a month, and they confirmed PayPal did not deduct any fees.
Status: Verified.
Mar - Ocelot Working Group
I chose Ocelots in March as I saw there was an Ocelot Conservation Day promoting awareness of the Texas Ocelot.
Website: https://ocelotworkinggroup.wixsite.com/website
The Ocelot Working Group (OWG) is a group of conservationists, specialists and wildlife enthusiasts from different parts of South America and Mexico working together to promote actions and alliances for the conservation of the Ocelot, the Margay, and the Jaguarundi.
Their projects currently range across 7 countries in the region.
DONATE to Ocelot Working Group
Donation Verification
March 2026: Donated $50 to the Ocelot Working Group.
Funding goes via the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) in the USA - Choose Program Small Cats.
The Small Cats program is administered by Small Wild Cats Conservation Foundation (SWCCF) that helped found many of the small cat working groups.
Donation currency: USD.
An optional 8% admin fee is asked for - this is to assist covering WCN costs as far as I understand.
I emailed WCN when I received the donation receipt to please allocate the donation to the Ocelot Working Group.
I received confirmation from WCN, SWCCF and OWG that my donation will be allocated to OCW.
I was advised that for small amounts, donations will be accumulated by SWCCF and remitted to the various working groups quarterly, in order to keep banking and forex fees to a minimum.
OWG advised it is possible to donate directly to them - email them via their Contact page.
Status: Verified.
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