The Marbled Cat
Felis (Pardofelis) marmorata Martin

Superficially, the marbled cat looks like a smaller version of the clouded leopard. The ecology of the two species is very similar. Although both are closely related to the large or Panthera cats, the face of the marbled cat is more reminiscent of a small cat than is that of the clouded leopard. The tail of the smaller cat is far more bushy.

Thick and soft, the fur of the marbled cat is brownish-yellow, covered in large blotches which are paler in their centres and margined with black. There are black spots on the limbs and some black lines on the head and neck. Interrupted bands run from the inner corner of each eye over the head. Cheek stripes mark the face. Dull black on the upper side, the tail is spotted and tipped with black. It is long, about three-quarters of the body length, a fact which appears to confirm the arboreal habits of this species. Long tails are used as a counterbalance when climbing. Black with grey median bars, the ears are short and rounded.
The cat in the picture was photographed in the forest of Indonesia in 1991. This is thought to be the first photograph of a wild marbled cat not taken using an automatically triggered camera.
Unusually in the felids, the eye socket is surrounded by a complete bony ring. The pupils are ovoid, typical of the small, Felis cats. The marbled cat’s skull is broad, and like that of the cheetah, it is shorter and more rounded than in most of the other cats. The anterior upper premolar is absent or vestigial.
Slightly larger than a domestic cat, the marbled cat is considered to be the Asian ecological equivalent of the margay.
Quite different in overall appearance from other cats, the marbled cat has been separated into an unique genus by some authors. The validity of this status has been confirmed by studies of karyotype and blood serum albumin. Pending an acceptable taxonomy for the family as a whole, it is here retained in the genus Felis
Two subspecies are described: F. (P.) m. marmorata and F. (P.) m. charltoni

Too little is known of the Marbled Cat for any reliable statements to be made about its habitat requirements. It has been found in tropical forests from Nepal through southeast Asia to Borneo and Sumatra, but its presence in parts of the area is known only from single observations. It is thought to spend a lot of its time in trees where it is difficult to see and it may be more widely distributed than is at present known.
P. m. marmorata is the southern subspecies from Malaysia and Borneo.
The map shows the presently known distribution of Marbled Cats in grey.
The map is based on information in the Wild Cats Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan published by the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group in 1996. See our Books page for more details.

Birds form the greater part of the diet of the marbled cat, supplemented by frogs, lizards and rodents.

Mainly nocturnal, they mostly hunt in trees although it has been stated that in Borneo they may be rather more terrestrial and forage on the ground.

Four kittens were reported to have been born to one captive female (Barnes 1976). Only one was seen by her keepers, so she may have eaten the rest. Most litters seem to be of two kittens, born after gestation periods of 66 to 82 days. In captivity, oestrus is reported to occur in any month.
A kitten’s eyes will be fully opened by about 16 days, and they will be able to walk at 22 days. Less than 100 grams when born, they develop quickly and have a full set of teeth. The coat of the kittens is mottled rather than distinctly patterned.

Marbled cats are extremely vulnerable to the dramatic loss of tropical forest in southeast Asia. Population numbers are almost completely unknown, very few skins are on the market despite heavy hunting pressure. The conclusion of the Cat Specialist Group at a conference in Kanha National Park, India in 1984, was that the marbled cat was very rare.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classify it as Indeterminate, signifying that it is known to be seriously threatened, but not by how much (Conservation and Legal Status of Wild Cats. Cat News, 12, 1990, p. 26).
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has listed the marbled cat in Appendix I, which prohibits all international commerce.
These classifications are being updated; the IUCN Cat Specialist Group are reviewing the status of all the cats.