The Andean cat is one of the least-known and rarest felids in the Americas, a small spotted cat adapted to the cold, rocky, oxygen-thin landscapes of the high Andes and Patagonian steppe [IUCN 2024][CatSG]. First described by Cornalia in 1865, it remained so seldom-seen that for much of the twentieth century almost nothing was documented about its biology in the wild, and reliable photographs of living animals were not obtained until the late 1990s [CatSG][Reppucci et al. 2011].
Today it is among the most imperiled small cats on Earth. Fewer than 2,500 mature individuals are thought to survive, scattered in fragmented groups across four countries, and the population is inferred to be declining [IUCN 2024]. Its dependence on a narrow band of high-elevation habitat and on a small number of prey species leaves it acutely sensitive to disturbance [IUCN 2024][Villalba et al. 2004].
Biology and Identification
The Andean cat is roughly the size of a large domestic cat but appears bulkier because of its dense, ash-grey coat marked with rusty-brown blotches and dark bands; head-and-body length is about 57-75 cm with a notably long, thick, ringed tail of roughly 41-48 cm, and adults weigh around 4-6 kg [CatSG]. The long fur and bushy tail are interpreted as adaptations to a cold, exposed environment [CatSG].
It is readily confused with the more widespread Pampas cat (Leopardus colocola), which shares parts of its range; field identification relies on the Andean cat's thicker tail with broad dark rings and its overall coat pattern [CatSG][Reppucci et al. 2011]. The species is a dietary specialist: mountain vizcachas, rabbit-sized rodents of rocky slopes, make up the large majority of its diet, a reliance that ties the cat's fate closely to the abundance of a single prey group [Walker et al. 2007][CatSG]. Density estimates from camera-trap studies in northwestern Argentina are low, on the order of 0.07-0.12 individuals per square kilometre [Reppucci et al. 2011].
Habitat and Range
The Andean cat occurs in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru [IUCN 2024]. Across most of its range it is associated with arid, rocky terrain above the treeline, typically from around 3,000 m to over 5,000 m in elevation [CatSG]. A separate population in the Patagonian steppe of Argentina extends the range to much lower elevations, where the cat occupies rocky outcrops in cold shrub-steppe [IUCN 2024][CatSG].
This is a sparse, patchy distribution rather than a continuous one, reflecting the low productivity of high-altitude environments and the dispersed nature of its prey [Reppucci et al. 2011][CatSG]. To protect this rare species, NRWL describes its distribution only at the level of countries and broad biomes and does not publish specific localities, dens, or movement data.
Conservation Status
The Andean cat is assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, under criterion C2a(i), in the most recent assessment published in 2024 [IUCN 2024]. This classification reflects an estimated total of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals, an inferred continuing decline, and the finding that no single subpopulation is estimated to contain more than 250 mature individuals [IUCN 2024].
The species is listed on CITES Appendix I, which prohibits international commercial trade, and is legally protected in all four range states [CatSG]. Genetic work has found that Andean cats carry extremely low mitochondrial and nuclear genetic diversity compared with related felids, with the population structured into distinct evolutionarily significant units — a further conservation concern for a small, fragmented population [Cossíos et al. 2012].
Threats
The principal pressures identified by assessors are habitat loss and degradation, declines in prey, and direct killing [IUCN 2024]. Traditional hunting and use of the cat in cultural ceremonies, together with reduction of prey populations and habitat fragmentation, have long been recognized as leading threats [Villalba et al. 2004]. Mining is a growing concern: parts of the species' range overlap the "lithium triangle" of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, where extraction and its associated roads, traffic and settlements degrade prey habitat and bring domestic dogs into alpine zones [Mongabay 2025][IUCN 2024]. Additional mortality comes from dog attacks and vehicle collisions [IUCN 2024][CatSG].
Climate change compounds these pressures. Habitat-suitability modelling projects that climatically suitable area for the Andean cat could contract by up to roughly 30% by 2080 under high-emission scenarios, shifting upslope and poleward and further fragmenting an already patchy distribution, with the core range in Bolivia and Peru most affected [Bennett et al. 2019][Mongabay 2025].
What Is Being Done
The Andean Cat Alliance (Alianza Gato Andino), a multinational network active since the late 1990s, coordinates research and conservation across the four range countries, combining field monitoring, genetic studies and work with local communities [CatSG][Villalba et al. 2004]. A regional conservation action plan was developed in 2004 and subsequently updated, organizing existing knowledge, identifying threats, and establishing shared lines of action [Villalba et al. 2004]. Camera-trap and field programs have steadily improved knowledge of the cat's distribution, density and ecology, while community-focused initiatives aim to reduce killing and build local support for conservation [Reppucci et al. 2011][Mongabay 2025]. The species' listing on CITES Appendix I and national legal protections provide a legal framework against trade and hunting [CatSG].
How You Can Help
Because the Andean cat is so poorly known, supporting credible field research and the organizations that conduct long-term monitoring helps fill the knowledge gaps that conservation planning depends on. Sharing accurate, well-sourced information — rather than sensational claims — supports informed public understanding of high-altitude ecosystems and the pressures they face. NRWL does not solicit donations on this page; readers interested in contributing can seek out established conservation organizations working in the Andes and review how those groups report their use of funds.
References
[IUCN 2024] Reppucci, J., Lagos, N., Palacios, R., Lucherini, M., Tellaeche, C., Villalba, L., Napolitano, C. & Pino-Charaja, A. (2024). Leopardus jacobita (Andean Cat). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T15452A261786289. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T15452A261786289.en
[CatSG] IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group. Andean Cat (Leopardus jacobita) — species account. https://www.catsg.org/living-species-andeanmountaincat
[Reppucci et al. 2011] Reppucci, J., Gardner, B. & Lucherini, M. (2011). Estimating detection and density of the Andean cat in the high Andes. Journal of Mammalogy, 92(1), 140-147. https://doi.org/10.1644/10-MAMM-A-053.1
[Walker et al. 2007] Walker, R.S., Novaro, A.J., Perovic, P., Palacios, R., Donadio, E., Lucherini, M., Pia, M. & López, M.S. (2007). Diets of three species of Andean carnivores in high-altitude deserts of Argentina. Journal of Mammalogy, 88(2), 519-525. https://doi.org/10.1644/06-MAMM-A-172R.1
[Cossíos et al. 2012] Cossíos, D., Lucherini, M., Ruiz-García, M. & Angers, B. (2012). Population structure and conservation of a high-altitude specialist, the Andean cat Leopardus jacobita. Endangered Species Research, 16, 283-294. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00402
[Bennett et al. 2019] Bennett, M., Marquet, P.A., Sillero-Zubiri, C. & Marino, J. (2019). Shifts in habitat suitability and the conservation status of the Endangered Andean cat Leopardus jacobita under climate change scenarios. Oryx, 53(2), 356-367. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605317000503
[Villalba et al. 2004] Villalba, L., Lucherini, M., Walker, S., Cossíos, D., Iriarte, A., Sanderson, J., Gallardo, G., Alfaro, F., Napolitano, C. & Sillero-Zubiri, C. (2004). The Andean Cat: A Conservation Action Plan. Andean Cat Alliance (Alianza Gato Andino), La Paz, Bolivia. https://gatoandino.org/en/library/
[Mongabay 2025] Mongabay. (2025, July). Endangered Andean cat is imperiled by climate change and its solutions. https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/endangered-andean-cat-is-imperiled-by-climate-change-and-its-solutions/