Serval |
(Leptailurus serval) |
|
Servals are from Africa, south of the Sahara. They usually live in areas with tall grass, especially near rivers or streams. They prey on rodents, birds, hares, lizards and sometimes larger animals like young antelope. They are pretty good at catching fish also. As you might guess by looking at their large ears, their hearing is exceptional. They locate prey by listening. Their hearing is so acute they are able to detect tunneling rodents underground, which they dig up and eat. Their long necks and legs, combined with their small heads, give them distinct advantages when hunting in tall grasses.
This is a very dexterous and graceful cat. To anyone who knows cats, this may sound redundant but the serval is a paragon of fluid movement, even in the cat family. They are capable of great leaps for their size and have been seen to jump 10 feet straight up to take a bird out of the air.
Servals as Pets
Raising a Serval is much more time consuming and challenging than raising a domestic cat. Domestic cats generally come to us litter trained and if they are not litter trained when we get them, we can litter train them fairly easily. Although it is possible to litter train a Serval, the Serval may never take to the litter and may go to the bathroom where ever it wishes no matter how we feel about it. They also have very large claws and teeth and can inflict severe damage on a human. Most people who own Servals as pets have them de clawed to avoid the possibility of being injured by the cat. Servals are a wild feline and it is generally very difficult to get vet service for a cat like this. When a willing vet is found they often want to anesthetize the cat before treating them. A Serval also needs a lot of raw meat in it's diet and special vitamins to supplement that diet. A Serval cannot be fed the same food as a domestic cat.