The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wetland specialist threatened felid with limited knowledge base on behavior and ecology. We carried out comprehensive analysis of its diet within a human-dominated landscape in southern Nepal, analyzing scat samples through microscopic analysis and DNA metabarcoding. The microscopic analysis revealed that mammals, primarily rodents, constituted the largest proportion of fishing cat diet (61.73% frequency of occurrence (FO)) followed by birds (43.21% FO) fish (24.69% FO) and reptiles (19.75% FO). However, DNA metabarcoding documented fish as the main diet (70% FO), followed by mammals (63.33% FO) and birds (30% FO). Our findings demonstrate that, fish alone is not a major food source of fishing cats indicate their role to regulate rodents and birds that damages the farm crops. The trophic niche breadth (0.68) shows the fishing cats a diet generalist. We recommend launching awareness programs and programs promoting integrated fish cum paddy farming among fish farmers within the fishing cat range, benefiting both farmers and fishing cat populations. Additionally, targeted conservation measures such as controlling physical and chemical pollution in agricultural and wetland sites are essential to mitigate threats to fishing cat populations. Prioritizing wetland health should be a central strategy in conservation efforts, which will benefit not only fishing cat, but also many co-distributed species.

The fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus is a wetland specialist endemic to South and Southeast Asia. Nepal represents the northern limit of its biogeographic range, but comprehensive information on fishing cat distribution in Nepal is lacking. We compiled fishing cat occurrence records (n=154) from Nepal, available in published literature and unpublished data (2009 – 2020), to assess their distribution. Bioclimatic and environmental variables associated with their occurrence were used to predict the potential fishing cat range using MaxEnt modeling. Fishing cat distribution was influenced by elevation, precipitation of the warmest quarter (18_bio), precipitation of the driest month (14_bio) and land cover. Wetlands and forest cover were the important predictors of fishing cat distribution. The model predicted an area of 4.4% (6,679 km2) of Nepal as potential habitat for the fishing cat. About two third of the predicted potentially suitable habitat lies outside protected areas, however a large part of the highly suitable habitat (67%) falls within protected areas. The predicted habitat map serves as a reference for future investigation into fishing cat distribution as well as formulating and implementing effective conservation programs for fishing cats in Nepal. Fishing cat conservation initiatives should include habitats both inside and outside the protected areas to ensure long-term survival. We recommend conservation of wetland sites, surveys of fishing cats in the identified potential habitats, and study of their genetic connectivity and population status.