Information about Servals

Before you get your heart set on owning a Serval, you should check to see if your city/town will allow you to keep one as a pet. This is typically called private ownership of an exotic animal. In Canada, this is regulated by your city (or your area) bylaws. In the United States, this is regulated by individual state laws. 

Click here to see a list of Canadian bylaws

Servals are tall and slender and typically weigh between 20 to 45 pounds. They are a wild, exotic, graceful, cat originating from Africa.  They are the second fastest runners in the world, clocking in at 35 mph. They are extremely good leapers and climbers and have excellent hearing.   They grow to be about 40 inches long (1 meter long) with a 1 foot-long tail. They are 20 inches (half a meter) tall at the shoulder. They generally have a pale gold/yellow/beige coat with black spots, and black bars on the shoulders. The tail is ringed in black and has a black tip. Their ears also have distinct thick stripes. They have a long neck and long legs. They fair better here, in our homes, than in Africa, where they are hunted for their meat and fur. Servals do make good house pets because they are small for a wild cat (Lakeesha is only 22 pounds and Jagger is 32 pounds), can be litter-trained, and are socialized at a young age. Servals are considered the high-class of exotic felines and are ideal for those who have always dreamed of owning a wild cat.   However, ownership of a Serval is not to be taken lightly.  They retain their wild instincts and require special attention and care. If you are thinking about purchasing a Serval, take into consideration the following points:

Good things about owning a Serval:

They like to play fetch. This video takes a minute to load, please be patient. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNj_0z1i3RU

They are very affectionate and playful. Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eilw0DaTUg

They use a litter box. 

They can live inside with you. They do like to have a small outdoor enclosure attached to the house just to be able to smell the fresh air and get some sun. Many people enclose a balcony or a small part of their deck to allow their Serval to have an outdoor area.

You can leash-train them to take walks. Now, that's really cool. Click here to see.

They are loyal to their master (more so than dogs).

They are extremely affectionate with their owners.

They purr (bigger cats will only roar). This is much easier on your ears!

They love to swim and will wade in the bathtub or outdoor pond.

They look absolutely amazing. They look like a mini-Cheetah with big ears and legs. 

They eat a raw diet, or special exotic cat kibble/canned food. So, you don't need to feed them whole prey (even though they really like that0. Raw diet suppliers can be found virtually anywhere.

You will have a real wild cat living  with you in your house. 

They will get along with other pets in your home, as long as they are raised with them.

Bad things about owning a Serval:

They are shy with strangers. When strangers come over, they prefer to watch from a distance, and it will a considerable amount of time for them to approach new people in the house. They are a very cautious cat.

They like chewing, so you need to duct tape down your electrical cords and supply them with the biggest 'Kong" (chew toys for dogs) toys, and put away your slippers. They also tend to open cupboards and play with your pots and pans. So, if you don't want a noisy party waking you up in the middle of the night, then you should put child safety locks on your cupboards.

They swallow anything that they can get into their mouth, such as shoelaces, pen tops, earrings, coins, chapsticks... 

You can not leave them run free at any time, not even in your back yard. They are not a dog.  

You need two large litter boxes because most don't like to pee and poop in the same box.

You must be aware that a Serval is an exotic, unique animal, and it is always a possibility that others will try to steal the Serval. So, you must use your common sense in making sure that the Serval will always be safe.

A Serval should not be left unsupervised in the presence of children/babies (just as you wouldn't leave a dog unsupervised with a child/baby.)

Please see the FAQ section for more information about Servals.

More comprehensive information on Servals can be found at: http://exoticcatz.com/index.html

A private owner's picture story http://webpaws.chezbarabe.ca/index.html