Fishing cats are specialist semi-aquatic felids from South and Southeast Asian wetlands whose welfare in zoo settings requires genuine water access and enrichment that reflects their unique hunting ecology.
Fishing cats deprived of water access in captivity cannot express their most fundamental foraging and hunting behaviours. Their anatomy is adapted for aquatic movement — they are motivated to enter water in a way that dry-land felids are not. Enclosures without pools or water features prevent core species-typical behaviours and likely cause frustration and boredom. High-welfare facilities provide deep pools large enough for swimming, live fish feeding to engage hunting instincts, and complexity of terrain that mimics wetland habitat structure. The nocturnal activity pattern of fishing cats also means that visitor-facing hours may not coincide with peak activity, requiring thoughtful design that allows natural behaviour expression regardless of public observation schedules.