Asian Golden Cat Diet

Muntjac - Photo by Wm Jas

The Asian golden cat diet consists of the following prey items:

• birds
• lizards
• large rodents
• hares
• mammals to the size of small deer
• new born water buffalo calves
• domestic poultry
• sheep
• goats
• muntjac
• snake
• squirrel

This cat can kill large prey. The prey obviously depends on the area. Its range extends from Sumatra in the south to central and northern China in the north of its range.

Sources: (1) Small Wildcats ISBN 0-531-11965-3 and (2) Wild Cats of the World ISBN-13: 978-0-226-77999-7

Asian Golden Cat Conservation

What is being done about Asian golden cat conservation? The first question is, "does this cat require conservation?" Yes. But do the authorities think that it does? As at 2002 it was said that it was difficult to assess the status of this cat species in the wild because not enough was known about it.

In China it is on the Protected Species List. This however will provide little actual protection. During the period 1980-81 234 skins where purchased in Jiangzi. This is one example. The skins of the Asian golden cat were commercially desirable and probably still are.

Camera trap - photo siwild (Flickr)

Another threat will be habitat loss. This cat is a forest dweller and forests are being systematically logged in Asia. Other threats are snaring, loss of prey and being killed by farmers. It is classified as "Near Threatened" by the Red List™. Numbers are declining.

The IUCN Red List™ (and organization set up to help conserve wild species) says that the Asiatic golden cat (P. temminckii) is listed under under Appendix I of CITES. CITES is a international agreement on controlling and preventing trade in animal parts - see CITES in relation to cats. It is not very effective. It is protected in most areas of its distribution under the relevant national legislation. Hunting is prohibited in most places and regulated in Laos. In Bhutan it is not protected outside protected areas. How good is the protection? How well is it enforced?

Associated page: Asiatic golden cat pictures

Asiatic Golden Cat Pictures

Here's a good selection of Asian golden cat pictures from what I consider to be images that are in the public domain or which can be published under license (thank you).

There is a link below the image which leads to a Picasaweb album of all these images and if you click on the image itself it takes you to a larger format version and the name of the author or source of the image. Four of the pictures are camera trap photographs. These are taken by an automated camera that fires off when the cat passes in front of the camera.

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You can read about this small wildcat on this page: Asian golden cat.

Asian golden cat habitat

Myanmar forest - by (flicts)

The Asian golden cat habitat is forest - various kinds of forest from lowlands to 3,000 meters above sea level. Sometimes this species of cat is found in open spaces and rocky areas.

The types of forest, that are the habitat of this cat, are as follows:

• dry deciduous forest
• tropical rainforest
• evergreen forest

Despite being a forest dweller, this cat is mainly a ground hunter but a good climber. This is a courageous cat capable of killing large prey despite weighing a maximum of about 35 lbs.

The forests that this cat inhabits are in Tibet (possibly), Nepal, Mayanmar, Laos, Thailand, peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, China, Vietnam, Cambodia.


View Asian Golden Cat Distribution 2009 in a larger map