Flat-headed cat: status, range, size and diet
A small, fish-eating cat of lowland wetlands in Southeast Asia with a long flattened head and webbed feet, listed as Endangered.
Also known as Prionailurus planiceps, flatheaded cat
At a glance
| Scientific name | Prionailurus planiceps |
|---|---|
| Group | Small wild cats |
| Weight | 1.5-2.5 kg |
| Length | Head and body about 41-52 cm, tail 13-17 cm |
| Known for | A narrow, flattened head, webbed toes and a diet built around fish. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Endangered |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2015 |
Where it lives
| Range | Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, with rare records in southern Thailand |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Lowland freshwater swamp, peat-swamp and riverine forest, mostly below 100 m |
| Diet | Fish and frogs, with some crustaceans and small animals |
Main threats
- Wetland loss to oil palm and farms
- Pollution and runoff
- Overfishing
- Snaring and poisoning
- Pet trade
About
The flat-headed cat is a small, short-legged cat with an unusually long, narrow head that slopes smoothly from nose to crown, close-set eyes that give good depth vision, and small rounded ears. The coat is short and reddish-brown. The toes are partly webbed, which helps on mud and in water. The teeth are sharp and pointed, adapted for gripping slippery prey.
It is thought to be solitary and active at night and dusk. Most of what is known comes from a small number of field studies and from zoo animals, where two individuals reached an age of 14 years. Litters of one or two kittens are born after about eight weeks of gestation.
Where it lives and what it eats
The flat-headed cat lives in the wetlands of Sundaland: Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, with a handful of records in extreme southern Thailand, where it was long feared lost. Surveys show that it is strongly tied to water. It favours peat and freshwater swamp forest and riverbanks in lowland forest, and records outside these areas are unusual.
It eats mainly fish and frogs, which it catches with its head partly submerged, and it also takes crustaceans, small rodents and birds. It often carries prey some distance before eating it.
Threats and conservation
The species has been listed as Endangered since 2008. Its habitat is among the most heavily altered in the region: lowland swamp forest has been drained and cleared for settlements, aquaculture, farms and oil palm, and specialists estimate that a large majority of the historic habitat is no longer suitable. Runoff from plantations adds pollutants to the water, overfishing reduces fish, and animals are caught in snares and poisoned. Individuals have turned up for sale as pets in online groups in Malaysia. No population count exists, and the cat is thought to be rare and patchily distributed. A reassessment is among the tasks of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group.
The species is in CITES Appendix I. Hunting and trade are prohibited in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Cats and people
Few people have seen a flat-headed cat in the wild. Its conservation depends mainly on protecting peat swamp and river forests and keeping water clean, benefits that reach many other species. It is a wild animal and is unsuitable as a pet.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026