Fishing cats are vulnerable to extinction across South and Southeast Asia as mangroves, freshwater marshes, and riverine habitats are converted for agriculture and aquaculture. They are among the least-studied wild cats.
Fishing cats that lose wetland habitat cannot shift to alternative hunting habitats, unlike more generalist felids. Persecution by aquaculture farmers causes mortality through trapping and shooting. Cats caught in fishing nets in aquaculture ponds drown without the possibility of escape. The combination of habitat loss and direct persecution creates compound welfare pressure on a species with very limited range alternatives.