Getting an African Serval,Anybody else got one?

[TheMarineGuy]

I found a breeder in state that breeds these african cats,in my state their are no law on owning these animals,and i figured screw another dog or household cat go bigger hahaha.Just woundering if anybody has one or has had one in the past.Here are a few pics

[bigcatadvocate]

How I would beg you NOT to get a serval. I'm a senior keeper at an accredited big cat rescue facility and we are at capacity because of situations just like this. There are no laws, people are duped into getting these cats that breeders claim are domesticated when, in reality, they never will be. Even if they seem so at first, when they hit maturity you will NEVER be able to keep them from spraying everything (male or female), they will tear your house apart - literally, they are deadly. You can never, ever trust them around children and you set yourself up for HUGE liability if something tragic were to happen. Their size in no way limits their ferocity.

Just go to a few rescue facility's websites and read about what you're about to get yourself into.....not to mention all this does is encourage more to be bred for what kind of life? To be dumped later when they're too much to handle?

Please go find a ferocious true domestic cat at a shelter - goodness knows there are plenty out there that have been dumped at every county animal shelter in the country.

Big Cat Rescue
The Wildcat Sanctuary | Midwest sanctuary - tigers, lions, cougars, bobcats and other exotic wild cats
WildCat Haven - One Rescue at a Time

[TheMarineGuy]

So yesterday i paid my deposit for my african serval,and saw all the crazy animals that get bred at a kansas facility,here is a pic of an already bought serval she still had that was waiting for the owner to come pic up the serval is with a a baby kinka jous

[bigcatadvocate]

So yesterday i paid my deposit for my african serval,and saw all the crazy animals that get bred at a kansas facility,here is a pic of an already bought serval she still had that was waiting for the owner to come pic up the serval is with a a baby kinka jous

I'm really sorry you've decided to go ahead with this purchase. I'm a senior keeper at a rescue facility for wildcats and we are at capacity due to people making purchases like this. No matter what the breeder tells you, servals are NOT domesticated. They will spray all over your house (male or female) and there's NOTHING you'll be able to do to stop it. Though you might think having one of these is "cool" right now, you'll quickly change your mind once your house is destroyed and friends can't visit because of your dangerous cat. That's what happens when they reach maturity. And then we get the call to "PLEEEASE" take this cat for me? The breeders have already collected their $$$, they don't care, you don't want it anymore, we have to pick up the pieces (when we have space), and so it goes. The cycle just continues, more animals are bred, more are dumped, through no fault of their own.

Just because something is legal doesn't always make it right. I wish you would keep the wild in your heart, rather than try to keep it in your home.

For further corroboration, visit Big Cat Rescue, The Wildcat Sanctuary | Midwest sanctuary - tigers, lions, cougars, bobcats and other exotic wild cats, WildCat Haven - One Rescue at a Time - all non profit rescue facilities overflowing with cast-off servals who "just didn't work out" and who have no more $$ left to do so.

[Ninong]

Hi bigcatadvocate,



Thank you for taking the time to offer your experienced advice on this subject. I didn't even realize Servals were legal in the U.S. before this thread popped up. I had heard of people owning Savannahs but not Servals.

I have owned three Siberian huskies over the years and it was way back when I got my first one, some 40 years ago, that I learned that some people were even keeping grey wolves as pets. Keeping a wolf as a pet is a very dangerous proposition. There is no predicting when something bad will happen. Now wolf-husky hybrids seem to be all the rage.

If someone gets a Serval, where do they keep it? Do they have to build a wire enclosure over the top of their back yard so that it won't escape?

Do some people think they can keep an adult Serval in their house?

Is an adult Serval a threat to attack visiting strangers, especially children? That's what I have read online.

Anyway, thanks for your advice. At least this thread will be informative for others considering getting one of these exotic cats.

[TheMarineGuy]

Hi bigcatadvocate,



Thank you for taking the time to offer your experienced advice on this subject. I didn't even realize Servals were legal in the U.S. before this thread popped up. I had heard of people owning Savannahs but not Servals.

I have owned three Siberian huskies over the years and it was way back when I got my first one, some 40 years ago, that I learned that some people were even keeping grey wolves as pets. Keeping a wolf as a pet is a very dangerous proposition. There is no predicting when something bad will happen. Now wolf-husky hybrids seem to be all the rage.

If someone gets a Serval, where do they keep it? Do they have to build a wire enclosure over the top of their back yard so that it won't escape?

Do some people think they can keep an adult Serval in their house?

Is an adult Serval a threat to attack visiting strangers, especially children? That's what I have read online.

Anyway, thanks for your advice. At least this thread will be informative for others considering getting one of these exotic cats.

Well let me start by saying i live in lawrence kansas,all big cats,lions,tigers,leopards,jaguars,cheetahs,mounta in lions or any hybrid
form of any of those is pure illegal,the way too get around that is owning
a small/medium size cat,currently the only requirement is you have proof
that you bought the animal legally and through a registered breeder,and thats only if a cop asks you about it,ive heard cases of police confusing them with the illegal cheetah but once the paper work is provided they cannot say squat.My breeder is with the U.S.D.A. and the state of kansas....

On the wire in the backyard,on full grown servals that might be a good idea for owners who have fences shorter then 8ft,as their are also laws here about how high you fence can be(stupid),servals do climb tho,if ANYBODY is considering owning one as a pet it is almost a must to regularly cutting the kittens nails,only the front paws tho,this will help everybody from not getting scratched and will limit the servals climbing ability.
As too a serval living in the house,my baby will sleep in my bed with my golden retriver and me until they or i die.

As too servals being aggressive towards strangers,ive had a few hands on encounters with servals ive never been around so far and theyve never shown' aggression towards me,when playing these cats they can be rough,as far as how they would interact with children,i honestly belive its all on how you raise the cat,you must get a kitten too,as if you were to get an juvi or adult,when they leave their owner of many moons thats when problems start,but you get a kitten and show it affection and interact with it as much as possible,and take him too public places where he can see kids and other people going about as a kitten they are less likely too show aggression,if any.Many people say look at siegfried and roy, siegfried and roy had white tigers in front of loud crowds and flashing lights on a daily basis,show animals cannot be show animals forever,it stress's them too much,so really they did it too them-selfs,that cat was not in the wrong.


Also those savannahs can run around $18,000 up too $25,000,their that much because they cross breed a regular house cat with a serval,they belive they it will be a house cat that looks like a serval,too be honest those guys dont live near as long as a purebred serval.Also the cost for a purebred African Serval is $2,500

Also some things too know...Get the BIGGEST litter box you can find,with bio-degradable
litter,cat toys and structures are a must they dont have too be big at first but when they grow older upgrade,female get too be around 35-40lbs and male should be around 45-60lbs,a serval can eat up too 6lbs of meat a day,you must incorprate some sort of hard bone with every meal,weather chicken bones or dog bones it helps their digestion,servals require no shots but a rabies vac every 3 year,make sure you visit you exotic pet vet twice every year for routine check ups,finding an exotic pet vet can be a task of its own....

Servals make wounderful pets and if anybody would like too get in touch with a breeder in your area please contact me i would be happy too help,hope this was informative...

[Ninong]

Also those savannahs can run around $18,000 up too $25,000...

I'm not interested in owning a Savannah; however, if I were, there's a breeder in Picayune, Mississippi, just 65 miles away, who's offering F1 and F2 Savannahs for $2,500 and up.

The highest price I could find online for F1 Savannahs was in the $10,000 range, although I'm sure you can find some higher if you look hard enough. On the other hand, there are lots and lots of breeders offering F4 and F5 Savannahs for under $2,500. In fact, you can find F4s and F5s all over the Internet in the $1,500 range.

Some jurisdictions only allow F5 Savannahs. Not all jurisdictions are as loose as Kansas when it comes to regulating exotic pets. And I'm talking about the U.S., not foreign countries, where laws can be even more restrictive. Some jurisdictions consider F1-F4 Savannahs to be exotic cats. Obviously those same jurisdictions wouldn't allow Servals at all.

It would seem to me that an F1 Savannah could be unpredictable. With an F5 from a known line at least you know what you're getting and it would be more domesticated than an F1.



P.S. -- For example: Savannahs more than five generations from the Serval are allowed to be owned in New York state, but not in the city of New York. Massachusetts forbids all feline and canine hybrids, so wolf-husky hybrids would be verboten there.

[TheMarineGuy]

This would be the serval im getting,i also saw this caracal at the facility too...I dont think i could handle on of those hahaha...
But this guy has the right mind on owning these animals....
YouTube - African Caracal and Serval cats

[TheMarineGuy]

Also heres a brief summery on every states laws,the go by Dangerous regulated animals are illegal....

Summary of State Laws Relating to Private Possession of Exotic Animals

[bigcatadvocate]

"I will sleep with my baby til I die"

No matter how good the care is, a serval is a WILD animal. It took thousands of years to domesticate the wild dog to what we consider a house pet today. This is definitely not the case with a serval. And, no matter how good the quality of care and raising the "kitten" is, life circumstances inevitably change. We have had to rescue servals for all of the following reasons:

Attacked and mauled 3 year old child once serval reached maturity
Couple divorced, neither wanted custody
Man's new girlfriend wanted nothing to do with serval in the house
Authorities confiscated serval due to improper conditions
Man's job caused relocation to a jurisdiction that did not allow wild cats
Woman died and no relatives would step up to house the serval
Serval escaped, was found wandering in the desert with no identification

The list goes on and on. Ego being what it is, no matter how many bonafide reasons I give, there will still be some who think "it will be different with mine" or "I can handle something WILD" or "I don't care, I'm getting one."

And, of course, there's the big money involved. The exotic trade is 2nd only to gun and drug trafficking. Look at the exorbitant amounts breeders are charging. Speaking of breeders, the public is finally learning the truth about the conditions of puppy mills and kitten mills in this country and refusing to support the atrocities. They have NO idea about the squalor many exotics are bred in. Supporting this industry is tantamount to animal abuse.

Sadly, that's why rescue facilities in this country are overflowing. With no govt. support and having to pick up the pieces for ill-advised decisions like owning a serval (rather than rescuing one of millions of domestic cats and dogs euthanized every month), we're seeing the infrastructure crumble. One of the largest rescue facilities, the Wild Animal Orphanage in Texas, was closed by authorities this month and left 400 wild animals with no options. Other facilities are on the brink, too.

In short, while purchasing a serval seems like an innocent enough decision, the ramifications are monumentally bad.

[TheMarineGuy]

I understand where your coming from,and completely acknowledge they are wild animals.I understand highly many people do not have the correct resources or knowledge of this animal too house one,many people do not have the time too devote many upon many years of their life too such an animal or have the "Big Head" ego of "Who Cares,Im Getting One".Those are the irresponsible and uneducated owners.I have read your list on the servals you've rescued for their different reasons and all it is truely bad,but having grown up around a few exotics such as my mothers old spider monkey forest who she adopted when he was 6 who sadly died in 2002,he was 30 years old.I know,after living with forest for many years how too handle and treat exotic animals,a serval is different yes,but the same concept of rules apply.Ive had plenty of time too see the pros and cons of owning these animals and know how important it is to provide the proper care if you commit to owning a serval...

I nor any true exotic animal owner do not reccomend this pet to you typical dog or cat owner,these animals have specific needs and living requirements and are best left too the experienced and seasoned exotic pet owners....

[Reboot]

"No matter how good the care is, a serval is a WILD animal. It took thousands of years to domesticate the wild dog to what we consider a house pet today. "

Not true. The Russian fur trade showed that Foxes could be domesticated in 30 years and even manipulate their physical traits. Of course this ruined them for fur purposes. They adapted floppy ears, shorter tails, blue eyes, marble fur color(instead of black), they even gained dog barks and lost their fox cry. This idea that domestication takes thousand of years is ancient and completely false. A well trained individual with a large enough population of breeding animals could domesticate them in a rather short time. This is not to say that Servals have been domesticated but someone with exotic animal experience, buying from a reputable breeder could easily properly care for an adult Serval indoors while keeping a docile temperament. The reason you say all Servals become aggressive is because thats all you see. People who dont know the animal and dont have experience, improperly care and raise the cat, causing them to turn out that way and then getting dumped off on you.

[kmdouglas]

Well let me start by saying i live in lawrence kansas,all big cats,lions,tigers,leopards,jaguars,cheetahs,mounta in lions or any hybrid
form of any of those is pure illegal,the way too get around that is owning
a small/medium size cat,currently the only requirement is you have proof
that you bought the animal legally and through a registered breeder,and thats only if a cop asks you about it,ive heard cases of police confusing them with the illegal cheetah but once the paper work is provided they cannot say squat.My breeder is with the U.S.D.A. and the state of kansas....

On the wire in the backyard,on full grown servals that might be a good idea for owners who have fences shorter then 8ft,as their are also laws here about how high you fence can be(stupid),servals do climb tho,if ANYBODY is considering owning one as a pet it is almost a must to regularly cutting the kittens nails,only the front paws tho,this will help everybody from not getting scratched and will limit the servals climbing ability.
As too a serval living in the house,my baby will sleep in my bed with my golden retriver and me until they or i die.

As too servals being aggressive towards strangers,ive had a few hands on encounters with servals ive never been around so far and theyve never shown' aggression towards me,when playing these cats they can be rough,as far as how they would interact with children,i honestly belive its all on how you raise the cat,you must get a kitten too,as if you were to get an juvi or adult,when they leave their owner of many moons thats when problems start,but you get a kitten and show it affection and interact with it as much as possible,and take him too public places where he can see kids and other people going about as a kitten they are less likely too show aggression,if any.Many people say look at siegfried and roy, siegfried and roy had white tigers in front of loud crowds and flashing lights on a daily basis,show animals cannot be show animals forever,it stress's them too much,so really they did it too them-selfs,that cat was not in the wrong.


Also those savannahs can run around $18,000 up too $25,000,their that much because they cross breed a regular house cat with a serval,they belive they it will be a house cat that looks like a serval,too be honest those guys dont live near as long as a purebred serval.Also the cost for a purebred African Serval is $2,500

Also some things too know...Get the BIGGEST litter box you can find,with bio-degradable
litter,cat toys and structures are a must they dont have too be big at first but when they grow older upgrade,female get too be around 35-40lbs and male should be around 45-60lbs,a serval can eat up too 6lbs of meat a day,you must incorprate some sort of hard bone with every meal,weather chicken bones or dog bones it helps their digestion,servals require no shots but a rabies vac every 3 year,make sure you visit you exotic pet vet twice every year for routine check ups,finding an exotic pet vet can be a task of its own....

Servals make wounderful pets and if anybody would like too get in touch with a breeder in your area please contact me i would be happy too help,hope this was informative...

Im really interested in getting a serval, purebred if possible and i completely agree with you about them not being aggressive animal what so ever.I've had many experiences with them and there as friendly as my domestic cat at home,lovely with the children as well,deals with all the pulling and tugging.I agree it has a lot to do with how the cat is raised.If you could give me some information where you got yours or where i could look for one for 2500 id really appreciate it.I've been wanting one for years but i cant find anything under like 6,000?! crazy and there not even purebred! I hope you had good luck with your cat and I'm excited for you! my anxiety is building up to get mine!

[Delight]

Well first of all congrats on adopting your new baby! You will soon find out what it is really like to live with a wild cat, the good and the bad. And hopefully if we (the rescues & responsible exotic ownership enthusists) are lucky you will take the bad along with the good -and JUST THE BAD if it doesn't turn out the way you had planned/thought it would be. The thing about cats, or any animal for that matter you just never know what you're going to get once that animal is fully mature, but exotic cats are especially known for irradical changes in behavior once they hit sexual maturity. I just took in a male african serval, he's 6yr old and was hand raised by a good friend of mine from a very young age. By the time this serval had grown up he killed his mate and was no longer handlable by his owner (that hand raised him.) This cat was raised indoors around kids and other animals but once it grew up that did not matter. Sometimes you will get cats that are raised perfectly and just want nothing to do with humans as they mature - you have to remember these are solitary animals naturally, therefore will not always want your company once they no longer "need you" as their mother/teacher. Be prepared to get used to the smell of pee, because you will be cleaning A LOT of it. Servals will mark, male female fixed or not. Some have better potty habbits than others but none are 100% spot on 100% of the time, and it gets worse with age because in the wild they will mark their territory (usually corners of your house) with pee and poo, you'll just end up having to get used to it lol. Don't get me wrong, I am 100% for the private keeping of exotic animals - but only when the people that are buying them are 100% aware that these animals very well may not turn out the way they had planned and love them regaurdless (which it sounds like you will.) Also in my opinion it is very cruel to keep them in the house all of the time - they need to be able to lay in the sun, bird watch and get fresh air just like you or me (or more so) so if you're dropping $2500 on a kitten I would save up and spend at least that much on building a nice outdoor enclosure for your serval, THEY NEED ONE WITH A WIRE ROOF! Servals can jump upto 12ft straight in the air, to not put a roof on one because you think the fence is high enough they can't get out is ignorent (no offense to anyone has this misconception.) Never ever play with your serval using your hands or any other part of your body like you would with a domestic cat - you will be sorry you did when that cat is fully grown. I currently have a serval and a geoffroys cat, my geoffroys cat has been hand raised by humans since birth, she still sprays and poos in the corners, and she will rip me right open with her claws if I'm not careful enough during feeding. And the serval has slapped me hard enough to leave bruises (he's decalwed) but if he wasn't it could have been a serious injury. I would highly reccomend anyone interested in the responsible ownership of exotic cats become a member of ExoticCatz.com - Index page they will be supportive of your choice and give you information for any problems that arise and how to work with them so you can live together more less in harmony! Good luck you your new precious baby!

[Gertie]

Just curious MarineGuy, how is your Serval these days?

[fvand5771]

I found a breeder in state that breeds these african cats,in my state their are no law on owning these animals,and i figured screw another dog or household cat go bigger hahaha.Just woundering if anybody has one or has had one in the past.Here are a few pics

Where did you get yours? I am wanting one. I had monkeys in the past so exotics is not new to me.