Prionailurus viverrinus is probably the most endangered cat in the world. Wetland destruction is the primary threat facing the fishing cat. Severely threatened sites include the estuaries of the Karnataka coast (south-western India) and the deltas of the Irrawaddy, Indus, Mekong and Red rivers. The fur trade has threatened this cat; large number of furs are required because of intricate matching needed for each garment.
Fishing cats are strongly associated with wetlands. They are typically found in swamps and marshy areas, oxbow lakes, reed beds, tidal creeks and mangrove areas. They are more scarce around smaller, fast-moving watercourses. Fishing cats are widely distributed through a variety of habitat types, their occurrence tends to be highly localized.
The fishing cat is the state animal of West Bengal.
The distribution of the fishing cat is very discontinuous, with many populations isolated. Most isolated are those on Java, where the only recognized subspecies of fishing cat occurs. It has an IUCN designation of "critically endangered", the most urgent conservation status there is.
Along India's thickly-populated south-western coast and in the Indus river basin in Pakistan, fishing cats are probably on the verge of extinction. Severely threatened habitat sites include the estuaries of the Karnataka coast (south-western India) and the deltas of the Irrawaddy, Indus, Mekong and Red rivers. Prionailurus viverrinus is considered as "Lower Risk" sub-category "Near Threatened" by the IUCN. CITES lists the species as "Appendix 2".