The fishing cat has two-layered fur: an inner water-proof layer of dense short fur (which acts like thermal underwear and keeps the cat warm when wet) and a longer coat of guard hairs (which gives the cat its pattern and glossy sheen).

The pelt is olive grey and is patterned with two rows of parallel solid black spots that often form stripes along its spine.

On the face are white stripes running from the eyes to the crown of the head, and there are six to eight dark lines running from the forehead over the crown and along the neck.

Contrasting white spots mark the backs of the short, rounded black ears.

The head is thick and broad and the muzzle is somewhat elongated which may help to grip slippery fish.

Its claws protrude slightly even when fully retracted and its tail is usually short. The cutaneous sheaths do not fully cover the claws, particularly in the hind feet. They use their claws as hooks when catching fish.

Webbed feet are not unique to fishing cats.

They can also be found in both evergreen and tropical forests. They frequent dense vegetation near rivers and streams.

They can be found from India through Indochina and Indonesia.

The home range size for females is 4-8 sq km and a single male 22 sq km. The fishing cat is largely nocturnal and is more aquatic than arboreal.

Fishing cats are solitary creatures but in zoos they are more tolerant of each other. In captivity, males help in the rearing of young.

Aside from fish, the fishing cat also hunts other prey found in or near the water like small mammals, rodents, frogs, crustaceans, water birds, snails and snakes. And also larger prey like civets, deer fawn, wild pig, calves of domestic livestock, dogs and poultry. They have also been known to scavenge off tiger kills.

After a gestation of 63 days, females produce a litter of 1-4 kittens with the average being 2. The kittens weigh 100-170 gm at birth and gains weight of 11gm per day.

Their eyes open by the 16th day and meat is usually taken around the 53rd day. The kittens are weaned at between 4-6 months, reach adult size around 8-9 months old and are independent around 10 months. They are sexually mature at 18 months.

In most parts of India, fishing cats are protected. Hunting is regulated in Laos but the cats have no legal production in Bhutan, Malaysia, Vietnam and are on verge of extinction in Pakistan.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) lists the fishing cat on Appendix II which strictly regulates international commerce.

The IUCN Red List has the fishing cat as Near Threatened. The 1996 ISIS (International Species Information Centre) report lists 37 institutions worldwide housing Fishing Cats with 61.67 or 128 fishing cats in captivity.

The Studbook Keeper for the Fishing Cat is the Riverbanks Zoological Parks in South Carolina, USA The Fishing cat can be found in the San Francisco Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Sao Paulo Zoo (Brazil), Taronga Zoo (Australia), Exotic Feline Compound (Rosemont, California), DisneyÕs Discovery Island (Orlando, Florida), and Louisiana Zoo.

Threats
Their habitat is threatened by human encroachment or agriculture and aquaculture, and pollution by pesticides. Wetland destruction is the primary threat facing the fishing cat.

A survey of the status of Asian wetlands found that 50% of over 700 sites were faced with moderate to high degrees of threat, including settlement, draining for agriculture, pollution and excessive hunting, wood-cutting and fishing. In addition, clearance of coastal mangroves over the past decade has been rapid in Tropical Asia.

The fishing cat is hunted for their skin and meat. Even though their fur is coarse, fur coats are still made and sold.

Are whiskers hairs?
Yes. All cats have specialized hairs called whiskers. There are several types of whiskers present on the heads of most cats. All the whiskers are sensitive to touch and to disturbances (slight movement) of the air. On each side of the face are long, stiff whisker that are kept extended sideways while the cat is resting, but point more forward when the cat moves forward. These whiskers help the cat find its way in the dark. Another set of whiskers above the eyes and a set further back on the cheek area, are all sensitive and have protective functions.

Is all cat fur the same?
No. Cat fur varies in colour and texture. Primary or guard hairs are the longest and each grows from its own single follicle in the skin. Like most mammals, cats have another undercoat of secondary or awn hairs (bristly tipped and medium in length) and down hairs (fine, crinkled and short). These grow in tufts from single follicles.

Do cats have a good sense of smell or taste?
Smell: Their sense of smell is less well developed than in other predators. This is reflected in the small size of the olfactory area (responsible for the sense of smell) of a cat brain. A cat relies more on sight and hearing than smell for hunting. Taste: Cats can detect acid, salt and bitter flavours quite well but have a poor sensitivity to sugars and tend to avoid sweet foods. The cat tongue has a rough surface being covered with tiny sharp papillae, which point backwards. These papillae help to rasp particles of meat off bones and, as the cat grooms itself, the papillae help to remove loose hairs from the coat. Do cats have good hearing? Yes. Cats have an extraordinary hearing range that is well beyond that of humans. A cat can hear sounds as low as 200Hz (and so can hear a mouse moving around grass) and as high as 100 KHz (and so can easily hear the 20-50 KHz of rodent vocal sounds). Cats have mobile ear flaps or pinnae, which help to collect sound and so, improve hearing.

The cat's blood circulation
The cat's heart beats at about 110-140 times a minute, which is twice as fast as the human heart. A cat has about a half pint of blood which circulates around its body to make a complete circuit every 11 seconds. (A human adult has about seven pints of blood and it takes about seven seconds to make a complete circuit of the body). The normal body temperature of a cat is 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Centigrade) while that of a human is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Centigrade).