[1] Both have similar pelage, with solid reddish brown coloration on their backs and darker markings on the head.

They also exhibit colour morphs ranging from various browns to gray to black.

[4][5] The closest living relative of Catopuma is the marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata), from which the common ancestor of Catopuma genetically diverged around 9.4 million years ago.

[6] The Asian golden cat and bay cat diverged from one another approximately 3.16 million years ago, before Borneo separated from the neighboring islands.

[2] The name Catopuma was proposed by Nikolai Severtzov in 1858 with Felis moormensis as type species, which was described by Brian Houghton Hodgson.