Posted on 01/24/2023 1:28:41 PM PST by BenLurkin
A wildlife refuge in Arkansas said an African serval cat on the loose in Missouri for at least six months has been safely captured on a farm and will have a new home at the refuge.
Officials said the serval was likely an exotic pet that escaped or was abandoned by its owner. The cats are common as exotic pets and are used to breed Savannah cats, a hybrid of a serval and a domestic feline.
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
Turpentine Creek already had nine serval cats. They’re sitting a fortune if they bred and sold litters. But I don’t think that’s their goal.
Because it’s an invasive species.
Now, how would that sound if Daffy Duck said that?
Too bad it was not a male cat. Imagine the new line of wild cats we would have had down here.
If memory serves, at least one variety of serval cat, somewhere in the Pacific Rim is involved in creating a very special and exclusive coffee. Coffee beans are fed to the cats. The beans pass thru the cats unscathed except for some “magic” exotic fermentation or chemical change that happens along the trip. The beans are then removed from the serval feces, washed and roasted. And then the folks in the wealthier part of town pay premium prices to enjoy the brewed nectar.
“But they have good natures.”
As wild cats go, they are very consistent with their breed. Small children however can be considered prey to them and they play rough anyway using their claws and teeth.
They are not easily house-trained, and will frequently mark their territory with urine. It is extremely challenging to provide for the nutritional and veterinary needs of a wild cat like a serval in captivity. Without their needs met, they experience poor welfare. They also retain their natural hunting instincts and without the effort they don’t eat as well as they should and some starve.
wy69
Savannah cats are not just a Serval plus any old house cat. They were carefully bred to produce a superior cross breed, so much so that they are neutered before sale, to protect the cross.
Savannahs are much like large dogs in personality. They tend to prefer to bond with a single member of a family.
I don’t know if their scat repels dogs like the scat of other big cats.
They have no problem wearing a collar or being walked on a leash.
One of the goodest little friends I’ve had was a pound kitty. Spent hours on my belly.
One of the most standoffish little friends I’ve had was a pound kitty. Usually didn’t get closer than a few feet from me. But ALWAYS followed me from room to room.
You rolls your dice...you takes your chances.
I have a couple. One is really old. Had him since he was a kitten. I’m going to have a hard time when I lose him. He’s always easy going. Always wanting to mooch a meal. He can hear the microwave running from two rooms over. Wakes me every morning to let me know it’s time for his breakfast. The other is really laid back. But she’s a hunter. We have to watch when she comes back that she doesn’t release something alive in the house or something dead to chew on later.
It must be tiring, walking around every day consumed by hate.
We’ve had several of each...dogs and cats. Not a one I didn’t care about and grieve over when they passed. The older I get, the harder a death is. Our current dog’s brother passed last year. It hit me so hard, we actually left town for a few days just to break the routine. With the passed dog’s brother still here, everything was the same except one of my buddies was gone. It just seems like their deaths accumulate and are harder to overcome. We have this one little guy left and he’ll probably be the last.
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