The flat-headed cat is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The flat-headed cat is endemic to the Sunda region. It is found on Sumatra, Borneo and on the Malayan Peninsula extending into southern Thailand. However, it is possibly extinct in Thailand. Very little is known about the flat-headed cat and the understanding of its current distribution is based on a comparably low number of occurrence records. It is generally seldomly seen and is believed to be rare. Its distribution is thought to be very patchy and to be highly localized around water bodies. No density estimates exist so far. Fishermen along the Merang River in south Sumatra describe the flat-headed cat as common but they often use the same term for the flat-headed cat and the leopard cat which is more abundant. The flat-headed cat has been recorded most often in Sabah, Malaysia, in northeastern Borneo along the Kinabatangan River and photographed by camera traps in the Deramakot and Tangkulap Forest Reserve in 2008 and 2009. In 1995, the flat-headed cat was recorded close to the Merang River and in 1996 in primary freshwater swamp forest in the Berbak National Park. In 2004, three flat-headed cats were observed in the Maludam National Park in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, and again one in 2013. In 2005, one individual was recorded in the East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, while in 2006 two flat-headed cats were sighted in the Loagan Bunut National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. In 2010, camera trapping efforts in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, generated one image of a flat-headed cat. In 2011, a flat-headed cat was accidentally trapped in the mangrove area of Kampung Buntal in Sarawak, Malaysia. More recently, the flat-headed cat has been camera trapped in Roda Mas, East Kalimantan. In 2013, it was recorded in a camera trapping study in the Pasoh Forest Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia, but specific attempts to re-record it in 2014 failed to detect it. In 2014, flat-headed cats were recorded by camera trap for the first time in Tasek Bera Ramsar site, Malaysia. Long-term camera trapping for Sunda clouded leopard in Borneo’s Sebangau catchment, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, produced a total of 33 captures of flat-headed cats from 2008–2018. A second long-term study site in Central Kalimantan, the Rungan Forest, was established in 2016. Flat-headed cat was confirmed in summer 2017. Sunda leopard cat and marbled cat had higher capture rates than flat-headed cat. The flat-headed cat was recorded six times with camera traps set in Ulu Sebuvau National Park in 2014/2015 and once sighted during a boat survey along the Sarawak River in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Another camera trapping study in eight forest areas and two oil palm plantations in Borneo’s Sabah, Malaysia, between 2007 and 2014 resulted only in 4 captures at two sites. It was also camera trapped only twice in INIKEA Forest Rehabilitation Project in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, between 1998 and 2013. A habitat suitability for Borneo predicted areas of particular importance in forests in the Kingdom of Brunei, the central forest block in Sabah, Malaysia, the Sabangau forest complex in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, as well as forests in North Kalimantan, Indonesia. However, some large lowland areas appear to be unsuitable, probably due to conversion to oil palm plantations.

Very little information is available on the flat-headed cat’s ecology and behaviour. It is believed to be a solitary, nocturnal and crepuscular animal. All observations of individuals were made at night or in the early morning. A long-term camera-trapping study in Borneo’s Sebangau catchment, Central Kalimantan, resulted in 33 captures between 2008 and 2018. Captures occurred throughout the day, but most captures were after midnight, i.e. flat-headed cats were predominantly nocturnal. Behavioural observations come exclusively from the few individuals kept in captivity, as the flat-headed cat is extremely difficult to observe in the wild. In captivity, flat-headed cats enjoy a basin of water, playing or simply sitting in it for hours. They also have been observed to wash objects as raccoons do. Most sightings of flat-headed cats have been of them walking on riverbanks. The flat-headed cat has also been observed swimming across rivers. Similar to other cats it sprays urine marks, but does so unlike any other cat: it walks forward in a crouching position leaving a trail on the ground.

Very little is known about its reproduction. One young was born in January, and the gestation period lasts for approximately 56 days. 

The flat-headed cat is included in Appendix I of CITES and is fully protected over most of its range. Hunting and trade are prohibited in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Hunting is regulated in Singapore and there is no legal protection in Brunei Darussalam.

In 2011, the 1^st Borneo Carnivore Symposium was held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. It brought together about 200 people to discuss and determine the most urgent needs for the conservation of Bornean carnivores. The Symposium:

• Enhanced communication between scientists, conservationists and governmental authoritites;
• Collated occurrence records of all Bornean carnivores and modelled their potential current distribution per species;
• Identified conservation priorities and key areas for protection or sustainable management per species;
• Combined the findings per species to identify the most urgent conservation and research needs for the Bornean carnivore community.

More research is needed to evaluate if flat-headed cats use oil palm plantations or if they are only forced to pass through the plantations due to the fragmentations of their habitats. There is also generally an urgent need for further research on the status, ecology, distribution, threats and conservation needs of the flat-headed cat across its range.