Exotic caracal cat captured in Chicago suburb

UPI ^ | October 17, 2024 | Ben Hooper

[Resolute Conservative]

I have room for it next to my chupacabra.

[Jamestown1630]

After fluffy’s posts, I wonder if this was bred in the US or taken from the wild. It seems to me that if it was a ‘legal’ animal and simply escaped, the owner would want it back and speak up. If wild and become unmanageable, they may have just released it.

[Dr. Sivana]

My cat Daisy and I wish this pretty kitty a long and happy life.

I love cats, but I found that one to be exotic, but ugly.

My kitties are afraid he'll eat all the food.

[fluffy]

Taking one from the Africa is not only too expensive it doesn’t really make any sense. Why grab a wild cat and transport it back here when you can spend a few grand and get a hand-raised cat with parents of known temperament?

I suspect that Caracals are illegal to keep as pets in Chicago as they are in some areas of the US and that’s why the owner hasn’t appeared.

[AndyJackson]

It only bites and scratches poor people.

What kind of idiot? It’s like a pet tiger. You are the emergency meal when it gets hungry.

[Zhang Fei]

[After fluffy’s posts, I wonder if this was bred in the US or taken from the wild. It seems to me that if it was a ‘legal’ animal and simply escaped, the owner would want it back and speak up. If wild and become unmanageable, they may have just released it.]

---

The issue with breeders is corner-cutting. It would be unsurprising if aggressive variants were retained because getting new specimens is expensive, maybe illegal, with no guarantee as to temperament. Unless state-funded like the Russian effort, it’s questionable whether a private breeder has the tens of millions needed to create a completely domesticated breed. Bottom line is getting a wild animal for a pet, especially a predator, because they are hardwired for aggression, is a real crapshoot. For resource reasons, the breeders aren’t doing much, if anything, to make them less troublesome.

[Jamestown1630]

It appears they are illegal in Illinois.

But there are stupid people making an illegal buck all over, and stupid people who will buy from them.

[teeman8r]

hehehe...

emergency meal when it gets hungry... good one.

t

[fluffy]

In that case I 100% blame the owner. No conscientious owner would put their pet in a situation where it can be confiscated and killed or caged for the rest of its life.

Small exotic cats can make great pets, but only if you know exactly what you’re getting into.

[Jamestown1630]

I think we’re agreed on that.

But there are stupid people who traffic in illegal animals, and stupid people who will buy them. I recall stories of them having been caught in airline travel with many exotic birds wrapped up in their clothing, similar stories about reptiles, and several stories of idiots even stealing animals from zoos to try and keep as pets.

[clearcarbon]

"He did not like being in that cage," resident Jan Hoffman-Rau told WBBM-TV. "The cat came out wild. I mean, they had it in -- called a snare, or something, with a rope -- and they had it by the neck, but when they dropped it in the cage it went crazy."

Maybe it recently escaped from Springfield, Ohio.