Asian golden cat: status, range, size and diet
A medium-sized forest cat of South and Southeast Asia that comes in many colours, uplisted to Vulnerable in 2025.
Also known as Catopuma temminckii, Temminck's golden cat, Asiatic golden cat
At a glance
| Scientific name | Catopuma temminckii |
|---|---|
| Group | Medium wild cats |
| Weight | About 9-16 kg |
| Length | Head and body about 66-105 cm, tail 40-57 cm |
| Known for | Coat colours ranging from golden and red to grey and black, and even spotted forms. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Vulnerable |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2025 |
| Population estimate | Roughly 7,000 mature individuals, with very wide uncertainty |
| Estimate from | 2025 |
Where it lives
| Range | From Nepal and northeastern India through Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and southern China to Malaysia and Sumatra |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Evergreen and deciduous forest, with some use of grassland and shrubland, from near sea level to above 4,000 m |
| Diet | Muntjacs, chevrotains, rodents, hares, reptiles, birds and, near settlements, poultry |
Main threats
- Deforestation and forest fragmentation
- Snaring
- Hunting for skins and bones
- Retaliatory killing
About
The Asian golden cat is roughly twice the weight of a large domestic cat, with a long tail, a strong build and a plain coat that is usually golden brown to reddish. It is unusually variable. Cinnamon, brown, grey and black animals occur, and some animals carry spots or rosettes, a form called the ocelot morph. Many have bold white and dark lines on the face.
It is closely related to the bay cat of Borneo. Together they make up a small branch of the cat family that is separate from the African golden cat, despite the shared name and similar look.
Where it lives and what it eats
The species lives in a broad arc of forest from the eastern Himalaya to Sumatra, and it has been recorded from lowland jungle to alpine zones above 4,000 metres. It is mainly an animal of forest, but it will use grassland and shrubland when cover is available. It is secretive and hard to observe.
It eats a variety of prey, including small deer such as muntjacs, rodents, hares, snakes, lizards and birds. Where it lives alongside people it sometimes takes sheep, goats and poultry. There are two recognised subspecies, one on Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula and another from Nepal across mainland Southeast Asia.
Threats and conservation
In 2025 the Red List moved the Asian golden cat from Near Threatened to Vulnerable, with an estimate of about 7,000 mature individuals and a very broad possible range. Researchers who took part describe the listing as a borderline call, because the data are thin. Forest is cleared and fragmented across the range, and the cat is rarely found in remnants smaller than about 100 square kilometres.
Snares set for wild pigs and deer catch cats by accident throughout Southeast Asia, and the cat is hunted for its pelt, bones, which are sold as a substitute for tiger bones, and meat. In some places people poison carcasses to kill predators that raid livestock. It is protected by law in most range countries, and international trade is banned under CITES Appendix I. Camera-trap surveys are expanding what is known about where it still lives, including a record in western Nepal that extended its known range.
Cats and people
Very few people see an Asian golden cat in the wild, and most records come from camera traps. It seldom causes harm to people, though it may take poultry and small livestock near forest edges, which can lead to retaliation. International rules forbid commercial trade in the animals, and their skins and bones are still sold illegally in some markets.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026