The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) thrives in water, with a double-layered coat made up of dense underfur for warmth and waterproofing, topped by longer guard hairs with a glossy sheen. Water rolls off its back, keeping it dry and buoyant. Its feet have slight webbing between the toes to aid paddling (though not as fully webbed as an otter’s), and its claws remain partially exposed even when retracted, improving grip on slippery surfaces and muddy banks. Its short tail, about half the length of its body, helps steer while swimming.

Weighing between 5 to 16 kg (11 to 35 lbs), the fishing cat has a short, muscular body, relatively short legs, and a deep chest that gives it a low center of gravity for wading. Its spotted coat blends into the dappled light of riverbanks and reed beds. The ears are small, rounded, and set low on the head, and can fold down to keep water out when diving.

The fishing cat is found patchily across southern Asia, wherever wetlands remain. Its range includes parts of South Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan) and Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and marginally Indonesia). Within these areas, it inhabits marshes, swamps, riverbanks, mangrove forests, and tidal creeks.

It hides in reed beds, tall grasses, and shrub thickets near water, springing ambushes on prey. India’s Sundarbans mangrove delta and Nepal’s Terai marshes are well-known strongholds. Fishing cats also appear in human-modified wetlands like rice paddies, irrigation canals, and urban parks if cover and prey remain.

In some regions, they have become extremely rare or may have disappeared altogether, such as in parts of Indonesia (Java) and Vietnam, where wetlands have been destroyed. Because they are elusive and nocturnal, their exact range is hard to define. New sightings sometimes come from camera traps or local reports outside known areas.

As a piscivore, the fishing cat feeds mainly on fish, which make up around 70-75% of its diet in some studies. It also eats frogs, crabs, shrimp, insects, rodents, and water birds. It often hunts along the water’s edge, scooping fish out with a rapid paw swipe. In shallow water, it may stand motionless until prey comes close, then strike.

It can swim or dive to pursue fish farther out, paddling like an otter and surfacing with its catch. In some cases, it uses a “baiting” tactic, tapping the water’s surface to imitate an insect or small animal and luring fish within reach.

The species spends much of its active time hunting and often favors shallow water where it can see and strike more easily. It is one of only two Asian felines adapted for semi-aquatic hunting, the other being the much smaller and rarer flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps).

Fishing cats are solitary and mostly nocturnal, emerging after dark to patrol wetland edges and resting in dense cover during the day. Males and females meet only briefly to mate, each maintaining a separate home range.

Females occupy smaller territories, while males roam larger areas that may overlap several females’ ranges. They communicate through scent marking, rubbing, urine spraying, and unique calls. Alongside hisses and growls, fishing cats produce a “chuckling” vocalization, similar to a duck’s quack, used in courtship and between mothers and young.

Females raise their young alone. After a gestation of about two months, they give birth to one to four kittens, usually two or three. Kittens nurse for the first couple of months but begin playing in water early, learning to hunt through practice. Mothers may bring live fish or frogs for training.

By six months, the young can hunt on their own, are fully weaned, and reach adult size before their first birthday. They then disperse to establish territories. While lifespans in the wild are not well documented, they are thought to live about 8 to 10 years.