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Small Wild Cats species
African golden cat A rarely seen, powerfully built rainforest cat of West and Central Africa, listed as Vulnerable and now placed in the caracal genus. African wildcat The slim, long-legged wildcat of Africa and western Asia from which the domestic cat descends, listed as Least Concern. Andean mountain cat A rare, pale grey cat of the high Andes that feeds almost entirely on mountain viscachas, listed as Endangered. Asian golden cat A medium-sized forest cat of South and Southeast Asia that comes in many colours, uplisted to Vulnerable in 2025. Asiatic wildcat The spotted wildcat of western and Central Asia, a subspecies of the African wildcat, covered by that species' Least Concern listing. Bay cat A chestnut-red cat found only on Borneo and seldom seen in the wild, listed as Endangered. Black-footed cat One of the smallest wild cats, found only in the dry grasslands of southern Africa and remaining Vulnerable after a 2026 reassessment. Caracal A long-legged, tuft-eared cat of Africa, the Middle East and India, famous for leaping to catch birds, and listed as Least Concern. Chinese mountain cat A sand-coloured wildcat found only on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, listed as Vulnerable and among the least-known cats in the world. European wildcat A stocky, thick-furred forest cat of Europe, the Caucasus and Turkey that is a distinct species from the house cat, listed as Least Concern. Fishing cat A stocky, partly webbed-footed cat of South and Southeast Asian wetlands that hunts fish by diving, listed as Vulnerable. Flat-headed cat A small, fish-eating cat of lowland wetlands in Southeast Asia with a long flattened head and webbed feet, listed as Endangered. Geoffroy's cat A house-cat-sized spotted cat of southern South America, hunted heavily for fur until the 1980s and now listed as Least Concern. Jaguarundi A long-bodied, short-legged, plain-coated cat of the Americas that hunts by day, moved to Near Threatened in 2026. Jungle cat A long-legged, plain-coated cat of reed beds and wetlands from Egypt to Southeast Asia, listed as Least Concern, and the wild ancestor of the Chausie. Kodkod The smallest wild cat in the Americas, living in the temperate rainforests of Chile and Argentina, moved to Least Concern in 2025. Leopard cat A widespread, spotted, house-cat-sized forest cat of mainland Asia and the parent species of the Bengal breed, listed as Least Concern. Marbled cat 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. Margay A slender, long-tailed spotted cat of Neotropical forests that spends much of its life in the trees, listed as Near Threatened. Northern tiger cat (oncilla) A small spotted cat of Central and northern South American forests, listed as Vulnerable and now at the centre of a taxonomic shake-up. Ocelot A strikingly spotted New World cat of forests and thickets from Texas to Argentina, once heavily hunted for its fur and now listed as Least Concern. Pallas's cat (manul) A stocky, long-furred cat of Central Asian steppe and rocky highlands with a flat face and low ears, listed as Least Concern. Pampas cat A grassland and highland cat of South America with a bushy tail and variable coat, listed as Near Threatened and under taxonomic review. Rusty-spotted cat One of the smallest wild cats in the world, a rusty-flecked forest and scrub cat of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, listed as Near Threatened. Sand cat A small, pale desert cat with huge ears and furred paws, able to live in some of the hottest and driest places on Earth, listed as Least Concern. Serval A tall, big-eared African cat of wetlands and grassland that pounces on rodents with exceptional success, listed as Least Concern. Southern tiger cat A small spotted cat of the Atlantic Forest and neighbouring woodland of southern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, listed as Vulnerable. Sunda leopard cat A small spotted cat of Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali and the Philippines, split from the leopard cat in 2017 and not yet assessed separately by the Red List.
Population figures are estimates from the year shown and change as surveys are repeated.