India is a global hotspot for feline biodiversity, with an incredible array of wild cats of India species across the country. From the menacing roar of the mighty cat echoing through the dense jungles, to the almost unseen movements of the world’s smallest cat, in deciduous forests.
India gives habitat to 15 different wild cat species. This accounts for about 40 percent of all wild cat species around the world. India is the only country to have all three big cats tiger, lion and leopard. As of 2024, there are 45 wild cat species in the Felidae family according to newer taxonomic classifications.
The previously accepted number was 41 species (including the domestic cat, Felis catus) according to the widely accepted IUCN Cat Specialist Group 2017 revision, which recognized 40 wild cat species. The jump from 40 to 45 species was due mainly to advances in genetic research that promoted a handful of subspecies to full species status, rather than the identification of entirely new kinds of cats.
These cats are further categorized based on their size as – Big cats of India, Medium-sized cats of India, and Small cats of India.
Here are 15 wild cat species that we hope to introduce you to along with some fun facts about their elusive lifestyles.
Table of contents
BIG CATS OF INDIA
Indian Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
The National Animal of India, with India hosting more than 70% of the global wild population. Listed as Endangered by IUCN, it occupies many habitats around the country. Located mainly in India but also in Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, these tigers live in a variety of different environments. Tigers are generally solitary and most active at twilight and dawn.
They hold territories that they mark with scent, and males rule over fertile grounds containing females’ home ranges. As ambush predators, they use stealth and the cover of their stripes to stalk prey before lunging in for a fatal bite to the throat. Like all cats, Bengal tigers are adept swimmers and will frequently bathe to stay cool. Though solitary, their booming roars convey presence over great distances.
Best places for a tiger safari in India
Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Tadoba, Pench, Ranthambore, and Satpura National Park.
Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo leo)
The Asiatic lion once roamed from the Middle East to Bengal, India, but is now limited to the Gir Forest National Park and surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat. Listed as endangered, the population is increasing thanks to conservation activities; the lion census of 2020 registered 674 lions and estimates for the upcoming 2025 census can reach numbers approaching 900 or above based on growth trends and unofficial counts.
The unique modification of Asiatic lions is a longitudinal fold of skin found on their bellies which is not found in African lions. Their social structure is different too: males are either solitary or in coalitions of up to three, while females form larger prides of up to twelve with their cubs. During the mating and reproductive period, males and females only associate for a brief time.
Best place to see lions in India
Gir National Park in Gujarat.
Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca)
The Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) stands out as a symbol of agility and remarkable adaptability, making it one of the world’s most successful wild cat species. This resilience allows it to inhabit a vast range of environments across India, showcasing its incredible capacity to survive and thrive.
Present across the length and breadth of the country, ranging from the dense tropical rainforests, dry deciduous forests to the foothills of Himalayas, leopards have even adapted populations at the peripheries of metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Gurugram, Bangalore and Mysore. Leopards are well known for their breathtaking coats decorated with black rosettes – the unique patterns that identify individuals, like fingerprints.
Designed more for strength than raw speed, they are superb climbers. This helps them drag heavy kills, sometimes even bigger than themselves up trees, to protect their lunches from scavengers and top-of-the-food-chain predators like tigers. Leopards have a largely solitary and nocturnal lifestyle and are experts in stealth. They use camouflage and patience to ambush prey. Although they are powerful hunters, they tend to keep a low profile in areas shared with tigers, successfully raising cubs and holding territories through caution and cunning. India is also home to the famed “black panther,” which is not a separate species but a melanistic (black-coloured) variant of the Indian leopard.
Best places to see leopards in India
Satpura, Nagarhole, Pench, Tadoba, Jhalana, Bera, Panna, and Bandipur National Parks
Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
True to its name, the Snow leopards inhabit the high altitudes of Himalayas. It holds three records:
- A predator that climbs the highest altitude
- Proportionally long-tailed for its body size
- It is the only big cat that is incapable of roaring due to the structure of its hyoid bone.
The males weigh at forty-five to fifty-five kg while the females weigh at thirty-five to forty kg.
This muscular big cat is indigenous to the treacherous mountains of Central and South Asia, including the Himalayas of India, Nepal and Bhutan. Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh are their strongholds in India, where a recent national estimate lists the number at 718.
These cats are perfectly adapted to their cold, arid surroundings, with thick fur, wide paws for traversing snow, and long tails that help them balance and keep warm. Despite their massive range, extending across 12 countries and over 2 million square kilometers, the global population is estimated to at least only 3,920 to 6,390 individuals and the species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
Best places to see snow leopards in India
Hemis National Park, Ulley in Ladakh and Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a wild cat living in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. In India found in the some states including Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland Tripura and parts of north west Bengal.
Clouded leopards look like their namesakes they are named for the cloud-like markings found on their coat and they have almost perfect camouflage in the forests in which they dwell. Adults weigh between 11 and 23 kg and get a body length of between 65–100 cm (25 1⁄2 –39 1⁄2 in), plus a tail of nearly the same length, used to help with balance when climbing through trees. They are adept climbers, able to descend trees headfirst, and can hang upside down from branches, behaviours not found in other wild cats. Their canine teeth are the longest relative to their size of any living feline, enabling them to hunt on a variety of animals, including birds, monkeys, and deer.
Best place to see a Clouded Leopard in India
Himalayan foothills of North-East India, Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, and Greater Manas in Assam.
MEDIUM CATS OF INDIA
Jungle Cat (Felis chaus)
The jungle cat (Felis chaus) or swamp cat or reed cat is a medium-sized species of wild cat native to Asia (except the northern and southeastern regions), the Middle East, and northeastern Africa. In India, the flat-headed cat is the most prevalent small wild cat found in diverse habitats including wetlands, swamps, grasslands, scrublands, agricultural fields and peripheries of human habitation.
Jungle cats have a plain unspotted coat from red brown to grey and a short tail; they are larger and leaner than the domestic cat. Unlike most wild cats, jungle cats are not purely nocturnal. They are chiefly diurnal and crepuscular, hunting primarily in the early morning and late afternoon hours and resting in dense cover or burrows during the hottest part of the day. They are solitary except during the breeding season or when females are raising kittens.
Best place to spot Jungle Cat in India
Satpura, Panna, Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh and Pench. It is also sighted in scrublands and rural areas while driving late in the evening.
Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)
Fishing cat, the state animal of West Bengal, occurs in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, foothills and the Terai region of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats. Fishing cats are characterized by their muscular physique, short legs, olive-grey fur and dark spots and stripes, partially webbed feet, which is a swimming adaptation.
Mostly nocturnal and solitary, they spend much of the day in dense vegetation away from water, where they mark their territories with a scent and vocalize in a distinctive “chuckling” call. As their name indicates, fish are the main component of their diet, constituting more than 60% of their prey; crabs and rodents are also eaten, along with birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects.
Best place to spot the Fishing cat in India
Sundarbans, Bharatpur and Western Ghats.
Pallas’s Cat (Otocolobus manul)
The Pallas’s cat, or manul, is a wild cat with special adaptations that enable it to thrive in the cold, and often harsh, conditions of Central Asia. It has recently been photographed in India’s high-altitude regions such as Ladakh, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh.
The Pallas’s cat is immediately recognizable by its thick, silvery-grey fur, the densest of any wild cat which allows it to cope with temperatures as low as –50°C. It has a flat face, widely spaced rounded ears, and circular pupils, which makes it easy to distinguish from other medium wild cats. They are 50–65 cm long with a bushy, ringed tail, and weigh between 2.5 and 4.5 kg as adults. Their primary diet consists of small mammals, including pikas, voles and gerbils, as well as birds and insects. Suitable den sites are critical for shelter, thermoregulation, and rearing young; they often use multiple dens throughout the year.
Best place to spot Pallas’s cat in India
Rarely sighted in Ladakh and trans-Himalayan region of Sikkim.
Desert Cat (Felis lybica ornata)
Desert cat, also referred to as Asiatic wildcat, is a wild member of the Felidae family that has adapted to the arid and semi-arid regions of southwestern and central Asia. In India, its main range is in the Thar Desert and neighbouring areas in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra, with the Desert National Park in Rajathan being a prominent stronghold. Named for its sandy-grey fur covered in dark spots and bands (including on the legs), this feline species is similar in size to the larger domestic cats, yet its tail is long, slender, and rings present along with a black tip.
The Indian desert cat primarily preys on small mammals (including the Indian desert jird), rodents (including desert hedgehogs), hares, birds, reptiles, and insects. They’re adept hunters that use their stealth and sensitive hearing to find prey among sparse desert plants. Its toes, which are cushioned with hair, are adapted for life in the desert, enabling it to withstand sweltering temperature changes and to walk on heated sand.
Best place to spot the Desert cat in India
Desert national park, Rajasthan and arid regions of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx)
The Eurasian lynx is one of the largest and most widely distributed varieties of wild cat, spreading from Western Europe and Scandinavia in Russia, Central Asia, the Himalayas. In India, the lynx inhabits the high-altitude, rocky plateaus and meadows of Ladakh and other Himalayan states but sightings are rare and populations are said to be very sparse.
They populate diverse habitats, such as thick woodlands, open forests, rocky steppes, and mountainous terrain. The Himalayan and Ladakh species are all found in arid, meadow-dominated habitats. Eurasian lynx are obligate carnivores that mostly hunt small to medium-sized mammals, including hares, marmots, pikas, and roe deer. They can take down prey many times their size including young ungulates. Their differences from other medium-sized (wild) cats consist of long black ear tufts, a short tail (doesn’t even reach hough) and unique sandy pale grey body coat. Its activity peaks during dusk and dawn hours. They bury any prey they do not eat, returning the next day to finish.
Best place to spot Eurasian Lynx in India
Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim
Asian Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)
The Asian golden cat is a medium-sized, stocky cat with a body length of 66-105 cm and a tail measuring 40-57 cm long that weighs between 9 and 16 kg (20-35 lb), from two to three times the size of a domestic cat.
Its most remarkable trait is its highly variable coat, which ranges from golden to reddish-brown to buff, grey, cinnamon, and even black (melanistic). They come in spots or stripes or rosettes, and field work in Arunachal Pradesh, has recently shown six color morphs, including a rare ocelot-like spotted pattern. This polymorphism is believed to enable the species to adapt to a range of habitats and avoid competing with other predators.
The cat is a proficient hunter, targeting birds, rodents, reptiles, small deer, and even livestock when other prey is scarce. Its climbing ability is strong, but it hunts on the ground. The Asian golden cat is distinguished from other similar-sized wild cats, including the clouded leopard and marbled cat, in its larger size, stockier build and extraordinary variation in coat colour. This species is mostly terrestrial, unlike the more arboreal clouded leopard. No other Asian wild cat displays multiple colour morphs within a single population.
Best place to spot Asian Golden cat in India
Manas national park, Assam
Caracal (Caracal caracal)
The caracal， a specific feline family, is a majestic, medium-sized wild cat located in the dry areas of northwestern India. In India, it is now most unlikely less than 50 individuals are estimated to be alive, mostly in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Caracals are easily recognizable by their reddish-gold, sleek coats, which are entirely devoid of spots or stripes, a trait that distinguishes them from many of the other wild cats. Their most unusual feature is the long, black tufts of fur that grow on the tops of their erect ears, and that possibly help pierce through hearing and promote communication. Their hind legs are particularly powerful, allowing them to jump as high as 4 meters to catch birds midair. Caracals are incredibly adaptable, found in a variety of habitats from deserts and savannas to scrublands and forests.
They are loners, territorial and predominantly nocturnal and difficult to watch. Savvy hunters, Caracals will eat birds, rodents, rabbits, and small antelopes and have a reputation for catching birds on the wing. The IUCN Red List globally lists the caracal as Least Concern owing to its large range. But its population in India is critically endangered due to threats like habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching.
Best place to spot Caracal in India
Central India and Ranthambore National Park
Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)
The leopard cat is a small, agile wild cat found across South, Southeast and East Asia, and is one of Asia’s most widely distributed small felids. About the size of a large, domesticated cat, it has a slender frame, long legs and a small head with a short, narrow muzzle. Its coat is tawny to pale silvery-grey and is marked with black spots and rosettes, with a white underside. It has four separate stripes stretching from the forehead down the neck, ending with a tail that features a black-tipped ring. Acting mainly at night and being solitary, leopard cats are good climbers and swimmers, resting in trees during the day and hunting at night.
Mostly carnivorous, including small mammals (rodents), birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and even some fish and crabs. They use their acute senses of sight, smell and hearing to find prey and mark their territory with scent or scratches on trees. Leopard cats exhibit a polygynous mating system, where the territories of male leopard cats overlap those of multiple female leopard cats. The breeding season varies with geography and females generally litter 1–4 kittens after a gestation of about 65–70 days.
Best place to spot the Leopard cat in India
Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve, Bhadra Tiger Reserve, and North-East India
SMALL CATS OF INDIA
Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus)
The rusty-spotted cat is recognized as the world’s smallest wild cat, weighing less than 1.5 kilograms, roughly half the size of a domestic cat. Males and females alike are 35-48 centimetres long, with a tail measuring 15-30 centimetres; they’re distinguished by their short fawn-grey pelage decorated with rusty-red spots on the dorsal region and on the flanks. They have rounded heads with large, expressive eyes, adapted to a mostly nocturnal way of life, two white stripes on the inner sides of the eyes, and a series of dark lines across the cheeks and forehead.
Rusty-spotted cats are indigenous to India and Sri Lanka, with the majority, around 80 percent found in India. Nocturnal by design, they kill small mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, and even domestic poultry, employing stealth and agility to ambush their prey. They are skilled climbers and will take to trees to hunt or to escape when threatened, and they also use scent to mark their territory. Notably, despite their petite stature, rusty-spotted cats are fearless hunters and tend to be aggressive when they feel threatened.
Best place to spot Rusty spotted cat in India
Satpura, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Gir and Mundanthurai National parks.
Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)
The marbled cat is a small, secretive wild cat found in the forests of Asia, mainly in the South and Southeast regions. It is mainly found in the dense forests in the northeastern states of India including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
Marbled cats are about the same size as domestic cats, with a body length of 45-62 cm and a thick, bushy tail as long (35-55 cm) as or longer than the body. They can weigh between 2 and 5 kg. Their thick, soft, brownish grey to ochre fur is patterned with beautiful black marbled blotches, stripes and spots, perfect camouflage for forest life.
The head is short and rounded with large eyes and rounded ears, and the legs are relatively short and end in broad, webbed feet, adaptations that allow them to be agile climbers and semi-arboreal in habits. The long tail acts as a counter-balancer while moving through the trees. Marbled cats are solitary and territorial, and they scent-mark to establish the boundaries of their range.
Spending most of their time in the forest canopy but are also adept on the ground. Their activity patterns are also flexible: although initially assumed to be strictly nocturnal, research shows they can be active during the day, at night, or just at dusk and dawn. Their diet primarily consists of birds, squirrels, rodents, reptiles, and sporadically small primates and insects. Being nocturnal, marbled cats have a trichromatic vision, which allows them to hunt in low-light conditions.
Best place to spot Marbled cat in India
Namdhapa National park, Pakke Tiger reserve in Arunachal Pradesh