FISHING CAT

The fishing cat is a stocky and powerfully built animal. Its short, coarse fur coat is a beautiful olive grey, tinged with brown and patterned with rows of parallel solid black, oblong spots along its flank. The cat can also be recognised by the four dark lines running along the length of its forehead and along its back, which eventually taper into spots.

The cat’s head is large, with a broad forehead, an elongated muzzle and two stripes that run from its yellowish green eyes, down along the side of its face. Its ears are small and round, and the backs of each ear is black with a prominent white spot in the middle – very much like a tiger’s. Their deep-chested body supports short muscular legs, with the forelegs having two distinct elbow bars, and a white underbelly with black spots and stripes. Unlike most other species, a fishing cat’s tail is less than half its body length, and is thick, with a series of incomplete rings and a solid black tip.

Ever heard of the saying cats hate water? Well, unlike most feline species, a fishing cat is well adapted for a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

One incredible feature they have is the layered structure of their fur, which is an important adaptation to a life in and around water. Right next to its skin lies a thick, dense layer of short hair that prevents water from penetrating through to its skin. Like polar bears, this layer of hair acts as snug-fitting thermal underwear, and keeps the animal both warm and dry even during the coldest of fishing expeditions. Sprouting through this dense coat is yet another layer of long guard hairs which gives the cat its gorgeous glossy pattern, and sheen.

Despite this cat’s well deserved reputation of being a master angler, it shows very little morphological adaptations for capturing or eating fish. Firstly, similar to the flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps) the fishing cat’s claw sheaths are short, making its claws semi-retractable. Secondly, unlike the long and sharp second upper pre-molar of a flat-headed cat, which allows it to grab and hold onto slippery prey, the fishing cat’s tooth is much smaller and less developed. Finally, in the past, one of the most noted characteristics associated with a fishing cat was its webbed feet. However, it has been found that this webbing is not much more developed than that of a Bobcat.

Throughout their range, fishing cats are strongly associated with wetlands, marshlands and other habitats that have a good source of flowing water. Most known records of the species within its range are from lowlands. However, in Sri Lanka, fishing cats occur in wetlands in hilly areas as well.

The species is primarily nocturnal, and is a dietary generalist, consuming anything from rodents, to birds and fish. In India’s Howrah district of West Bengal, two species of rodents seem to be a favourite for fishing cats – Rattus rattus and Bandicota bengalensis – both of which are found in abundance in the rapidly urbanised zone. A dietary study conducted in the area suggests that an individual fishing cat eats between 365 and 730 rodents per year.

A radio-telemetry study of four fishing cats in Chitwan National Park in Nepal in 2002, showed that the estimated home ranges of three females was 4-6 km², while a single male had an estimated home range of 16-22 km².

Fishing cats are often killed for consumption in India, and recent reports from the Howrah district also indicate that there is rampant killing of the species outside protected areas, particularly in human-dominated landscapes. Many of these killings are as a part of cultural practice, and most of these cases go unnoticed, or are ignored unless reported by non-governmental organisations or interested people.

In Cambodia and Thailand, the species is killed by local people for consumption and/or retaliation, such as when the cats damage fishing nets or kill livestock. Poaching is also a serious threat.

There is also an opportunistic trade of fishing cat skins and body parts in Southeast Asia. Some individuals are also seen being sold at Javan live animal markets for the exotic pet trade.

Fishing cats are at a high risk of extinction throughout their global range, and therefore has been thought to be one of the most vulnerable small wild cat species in South and? Southeast Asia. The biggest threat faced by the species in South Asia is habitat loss and fragmentation caused by development (i.e. urbanization, agriculture and aquaculture), whereas in Southeast Asia, the species is threatened mainly by persecution. Conflict with humans is also a common occurrence when the species preys on livestock and poultry, and as a result, fishing cats are often poisoned, trapped and clubbed to death, across their range.

Though not a common practice, fishing cats are also killed and consumed by locals in some areas of  Southeast Asia.

The species is listed under CITES Appendix II, and protected by national legislation throughout most of its range. Hunting fishing cats is prohibited in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

In Sri Lanka, the fishing cat is protected in the Fauna and Flora Protection (Amendment) Act, No. 22 of 2009, under Schedule ll, listing the species as a strictly protected mammal.

The species’ survival depends on the protection of the remaining wetland habitats in Asia, and the prevention of trapping, snaring and poisoning. Educating the public about the fishing cat is also of paramount importance, as this species will not survive without the support of the people it interacts with.