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Fishing cat

10 Aug 2025 GS 3 Environment
Fishing cat Click to view full image

In the wild, India has 15 species belonging to the cat family . Wetlands in India are home to the fishing cat , In its territory, this cat is often the apex predator

Scientific name: Prionailurus viverrinus

IUCN Status: Vulnerable (globally)

Habitat: Wetlands – river floodplains, mangroves, swamps.

Distribution in India:

  • Terai region of Himalayas

  • Marshes of Western India

  • Sundarbans

  • East coast (including Godavari estuaries)

  • Chilika lagoon and surrounding wetlands in Odisha

  • Coringa and Krishna mangroves in Andhra Pradesh

  • Sri Lanka

  • Recently rediscovered in Rajasthan’s Keoladeo National Park

Fishing cats have a patchy distribution along the Eastern Ghats.

Physical & Behavioural Adaptations

  • Size: Twice domestic cat; 7–12 kg.

  • Appearance: Greyish-brown fur, black spots.

  • Adaptations to wet surroundings:

    • Partially webbed paws (for swimming & gripping mud/fish)

    • Dense, water-resistant coat

    • Protruding claws (cannot fully retract)

    • Ability to swim fully submerged

  • Diet: Primarily fish; also rodents, chickens, small animals.

  • The fishing cat is nocturnal (active at night).

  •  Fishing cats breed once a year, typically between January and February, though mating can occur as late as June. 

  • Gestation lasts 63-70 days, after which females give birth to a litter of 1 to 4 kittens, usually 2 or 3. 

  • Fishing cats are generally solitary animals, but males may help females care for the young in captivity. 

Hunting behaviour:

    • Spends ~50% of hunting time near water’s edge (standing/sitting/crouching)

    • ~5% hunting time submerged

    • In shallow water, flushes fish with paws and grabs with mouth

    • In Cambodia, where images of fishing cats are found carved in the walls of ancient structures, they are known as Kla Trey, ‘Tiger fish’.

Population Status

  • Chilika Lake, Odisha: Estimated ~750 individuals in 1,100 sq. km (2024 study – Fishing Cat Project).

  • Sundarbans: Rapid decline.

  • Rajasthan: Once thought extinct, now sighted again (Keoladeo NP).

  • Populations exist in scattered pockets, making conservation challenging.

Threats

  1. Habitat Loss & Wetland Degradation:

    • 30–40% wetlands lost/severely degraded in last 4 decades.

  2. Human Encroachment:

    • Seen as threats to fish ponds & poultry → revenge killings.

  3. Fragmented Populations:

  4. Limits genetic diversity & survival chances.
Conservation Efforts

  • Community-based conservation programmes – reduce conflict with locals.

  • Wildlife Institute of India (2025 Project):

    • Tracking fishing cats in Godavari estuaries (Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, AP).

    • GPS collars + GIS integration for habitat use, movement, human interaction data.

    • Data to guide population-boosting strategies.

  • In 2012, the West Bengal government officially declared the Fishing Cat as the State Animal.
  • Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance: It is a team of conservationists, researchers, working to achieve a world with functioning floodplains and coastal ecosystems. It will ensure the survival of the fishing cat and all species with which it shares a home.

  • Citizen Science & NGO Efforts:

    • Fishing Cat Project (Tiasa Adhya) – camera traps, population mapping.



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