Marbled cat: status, range, size and diet
A house-cat-sized forest cat of South and Southeast Asia with a cloud-patterned coat and a very long tail, listed as Near Threatened.
Also known as Pardofelis marmorata, marmorated cat
At a glance
| Scientific name | Pardofelis marmorata |
|---|---|
| Group | Medium wild cats |
| Weight | 2-5 kg |
| Length | Head and body about 45-62 cm, tail 36-55 cm |
| Known for | A coat that looks like a small clouded leopard, carried by a cat no bigger than a house cat. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Near Threatened |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2015 |
Where it lives
| Range | Forests from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, Bhutan and northeast India through mainland Southeast Asia to Sumatra and Borneo |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Moist tropical and subtropical forest, usually in lowlands and hills |
| Diet | Birds, squirrels and other rodents, and reptiles |
Main threats
- Forest loss to logging and plantations
- Snaring and hunting for skins and bones
- Disturbance
- Fragmented habitat
About
The marbled cat is about the size of a domestic cat, but its coat and tail give it a very different look. The fur is marked with large, blurred blotches edged in dark, a pattern that resembles the clouded leopard's, and the tail is thick and almost as long as the body. That tail helps with balance in the trees. The paws are broad and partly webbed, and the canine teeth are long for a cat of this size.
Few researchers have studied it in the wild. Camera traps have shown that it is active at least partly in daylight, which surprised many biologists. It is solitary and secretive. Two forms are usually described, one on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo and one on the mainland north of it, and some scientists have suggested the two may deserve species status.
Where it lives and what it eats
The range is a long, broken arc through Asian forests. It runs from Nepal, Bhutan and northeast India through parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia to Sumatra and Borneo. It lives in moist evergreen and mixed forest and spends time both on the ground and in the canopy.
Prey includes birds, squirrels and other rodents, frogs and reptiles. There are also reports of attempts on young monkeys. Because direct observations are few, the diet is known mainly from scattered records.
Threats and conservation
No one has produced a global count, and population trends are unknown. The species is rated Near Threatened because forests across its range are being cleared for logging, farms and plantations of oil palm, rubber and coffee. Snares set for other animals catch marbled cats, and hunters take them for skins, meat and bones used in traditional medicine. Local density estimates in Borneo range from about 7 to 20 cats per 100 square kilometres, and mainland figures are lower.
International trade is banned under CITES Appendix I, and hunting is prohibited in much of its range. Camera-trap surveys inside protected forests are the main way the species is monitored.
Cats and people
The marbled cat rarely meets people and is not known to cause problems for farmers. Zoos have kept it only in small numbers. Its main contact with humans is through snares, the skin trade and the loss of the forests it depends on. Because it is small, shy and easy to confuse with other spotted cats in poor camera images, much of what is known comes from a handful of sites, and every new record adds to a thin picture.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026