Remarkable Flat-Headed Feline Looks Like a Your Neighborhood Chipmunk

Briana Viser • Writer and Editor

Sep 20, 2026 2:15 PM EDT

Looks may be deceiving, but this feline is surely a cat.

A wild cat of auburn fur, the flat-headed cat is more akin to an otter, or chipmunk, or something so not cat. First described in 1827 in Sumatra, it's native to Thailand and Borneo and lives in swamps. What an outstanding creature, and truly surprising that a cat can live in swamps. The animal kingdom has no shortage of unusual cats, but the flat-headed cat surely is unique. They are however, unfortunately endangered. They're incredibly rare and difficult to see in the wild, they're also quite tiny. They weigh much less than an ordinary house cat despite being hunters. They have these enormously big eyes because they're nocturnal. They're not just cute, they're mysterious. Scroll down to see the rare and beautiful flat headed cat!

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via Warmlight / Canva

A flat-headed cat.
It can be more than sad to think about species being endangered. They're considered very high risk of extinction in the wild. Animals can reach this point for many different reasons, but human activity is frequently a major factor. Forests are cleared and ecosystems change due to our interventions and expansions of cities. Climate can also affect animals homelife. There are threats of poaching wildland, disease, or other issues. Sometimes a species struggles because its habitat is disappearing and it may have an especially difficult time recovering. I've never thought so much about endangered species until I discovered the flat headed cat because he just looks so striking. It almost looks rodent like. He certainly doesn't look anything like my cat. My cat is stripped and has huge ears, and a small face. His eyes are normal sizes but he always has a certain expression like he's really shocked or thinking about something very specific. He's also quite fat.
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via Warmlight / Canva

Flat-headed cat.
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via Jim Sanderson

A flat-headed cat.
If the flat headed cat wasn't endangered would you want to take one home? Sometimes it's so fun to think about being a pet owner to a different type of animal that we don't normally have at our fingertips to own. Cats are really just the best, and as long as they're felines I'm into owning them and taking care of them.
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via Doronenko

Wetland swamp, home to flat-headed cats.
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via Wildlife

Flat-headed cat.
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via National Geographic

Wildcat.