Fishing cat

Fishing cats are known to spend long periods of time stalking fish by the water’s edge. To hasten the process, they may lightly paw the water surface to imitate insect movements. Fish hoping to make a meal of an insect end up as a meal for the cats when they swim too close.

Plunging into the water with lightning speed, the cats expertly grab their slippery prey with their partially-webbed paws. They have also been observed to seize ducks by swimming underwater.

The fishing cat’s olive-grey coat is marked by distinct patterns. Six to eight black lines run from the forehead to the neck, breaking up into shorter lines and spots on the shoulders.

Markings above the eyes are vertical while those emerging from the edges of the eyes are horizontal. Our pair of fishing cat sisters look very similar but you can tell them apart by zooming in on the whiskered parts of their cheeks. Latika has a striped pattern while Lalita has spots.