Asian leopard cat – Photo copyright F. Spangenberg
This article is split into several sections for technical reasons with links at the base of each section to the next.
Overview
The “leopard cat” as it is more commonly called is one of the most commonly found wild cat species. It is an Asian wild cat that lives across a wide range of Southeast Asia. It lives habitat from scrublands to semi-deserts. Its range extends from the far east of Russian and North Korea in the north to Java in the south. It weighs about 6 to 8 pounds (2.7-3.6 kgs) and feeds on small mammals, reptiles, insects, birds, fish, deer fawns and grass. It is itself prey to the much larger common leopard. The Chinese call this wild cat species the “money cat” because the spots look like coins.
The leopard cat is possibly the best known small wild cat because it is the wild cat half of the domestic cat hybrid, the very popular Bengal cat. This puts this cat in a rare position in respect of peoples’ attitude towards wild cats. This though is not the only wild cat to parent a domestic cat. You can see the other wild cat hybrids on this page: Wild Cat Hybrids.
In general the Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is not that dissimilar to the domestic Bengal which is to be expected of course and it is certainly what the breeders aim for! However, the Asian leopard cat is somewhat longer in body and leg length. This makes it an excellent and natural climber and very athletic. Length is 25″ to 32″ and weight 5.5 to 22 lbs max. (see below). The head is quite small in comparison to the rest of the body, with large eyes and a longish muzzle it seems to me.
See more at leopard cat description and leopard cat picture
The size of the Asian leopard cat, though, depends on its location:
| Location | Size |
| Southeast Asia | 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) |
| Russia (two record heavy weight cats, however) | 8.2 and 9.9 kg – this is good Maine Coon cat size – see Largest Domestic Cat Breed |
Cats that live in the north, although larger put on weight before the onset of winter and then lose it over the course of the winter. Leopard cats can overeat and become fat.
The coat texture is soft and coat colour also depends on the location:
| Location | Coat Colour |
| North | Pale silvery grey, long full coats |
| South | Ochre-yellow, brownish and darker |
The coat markings vary considerably (the same can be said for the domestic Bengal cat). Usually, the ground colour or background colour is tawny and the underside of the cat is white. Essentially the cat is a spotted tabby
cat with very impressive, high contrast, facial markings. These are the kind of markings that cat breeders aim for in the domestic Bengal cat.
| Part of the body | Pattern |
| Back | Sometimes 2-4 rows of long spots |
| Tail | Spotted and rings near the tip |
| Head | See kitten below: 2 distinct dark lines that extend from the inner corner of each eye backwards, with less distinct markings in between. Striking white areas add contrast. |
| Ears | Backs of ears are black with a white ocelli spot. |
The above photograph published under an Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. The original has been cropped. Photo by Viper76
The Asian leopard cat likes water and swims well and accordingly has webbed feet. They have a liking for water that has been passed down to the domestic Bengal cat. Many Bengal cat owners speak of their cat jumping into the bath or shower and there are many videos of Bengal cats in water! The book The Wild Cats of the World recites the story of an Asian leopard cat that swam out to a boat in the Bay of Bengal, where it was captured!
That’s phx761@yahoo.com, in case it was blocked out above.
Thanks John, I think you will struggle to find an Asian leopard cat (ASL) that is somewhat domesticated even in America.
All that I want, is a purebred Asian Leopard Cat ,….in the 9 1/2, 10 to pound range, for a ((pet))! I already have a Bangel and he has been a pet for about (14) years, so I know a ‘Bangle’, being called an Asian Leopard Cat, in my sleep, lol, lol. Both of my Cousins have Female Mountain Lions, as pets and one frequently lets his kids play around them, etc. No, I don’t want the ‘lecture’ about it,my mom also has a Tabby/Bobcat, from Tucson and I’m not going to tell you where the ornery brat’s at! All that I want is a ((purebred Asian Leopard Cat Cub or young Male)). any volunteers???????????????????????
I like your honesty. You might know that I don’t like the idea of people keeping wild cats as pets. I am not alone in that thought. However, you are honest about it and you asked not to be lectured about it so I won’t do it. However, you might like to read the articles which are linked to below before trying to go ahead. I can remember reading an article in the Feline Conservation Federation magazine written by a person who kept, as I recall, more than one Asian leopard cat in an outside enclosure. He knew this wild cat species pretty well and he knew the temperament of this cat. He described the cat is highly independent and essentially unsuited to domestication. You can make of that what you will but I do remember that article and this particular species of wild cat is one that is probably the most unsuited to domestication. Others such as the margay and serval are known to be more suited.
https://pictures-of-cats.org/wildcat-parents-of-domestic-cats.html
http://cat-chitchat.pictures-of-cats.org/2014/05/serval-lynx-bobcat-and-asian-leopard.html
https://pictures-of-cats.org/f1-bengal-cat-callista-strike-force.html (this is a F1 Bengal cat – half ASL and half domestic cat)