Picture of Fishing Cat

-- A robust, powerful animal, the fishing cat has short rather coarse fur. Two layers make up the pelt, a short dense impermeable layer and a longer coat of guard hairs. It is a grizzled grey, often tinged with olive brown. The fur is marked with dark round spots which run in longitudinal rows. On the face are white stripes running from the eyes to the crown of the head, and there are six to eight dark lines running from the forehead over the crown and along the neck. Contrasting white spots mark the backs of the short, rounded black ears. The head is thick and broad and the muzzle is somewhat elongate. Vestigial anterior upper premolars are present. About the size of a basset hound, the body of the fishing cat is notably deep chested, and the relatively short tail is unusually thick and muscular near the base. It has often been thought that fishing cats have webbed feet.