The jungle cat occurs in a variety of open habitats including scrub forest, tall grassland and cultivated areas, often near water bodies. It is mainly terrestrial in habits, and is reportedly both nocturnal and diurnal. It is documented from lowland areas to high elevations of up to 2400 metres in the Himalayas.

Its diet comprises a wide range of small animals such as lizards, frogs, birds, large insects and particularly rodents.

This is a relatively small species of cat, with a small head and a medium-sized tail. Its ears are long, pointed and tufted. Its fur colour is variable, ranging from grey to pale brown and orange-brown. Its body fur lacks spots or stripes, however there may be dark rings on the posterior part of the tail.

The jungle cat ranges from parts of the Middle East (as far west as Egypt) through the Indian subcontinent (India, Nepal, Bangladesh) to southern China. In Southeast Asia, where the species is increasingly rare, it is known to occur in Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Populations in parts of Southeast Asia have declined severely due to hunting and trapping.