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SERVALS Anonymous
What does /an/ think about African servals as pets.

pic very related
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
>>96121
I hear that they are very delicious pets. The anal ring is considered a delicacy in many countries, and their epididymis is ground up and put into soup as an aphrodesiac.
>> Anonymous
technically they're not domesticated animals, they command absurd price tags ($3000 minimum), and need a lot of space. They're at least twice the size as a domestic cat, great hunters, they can be good pets IF they are raised around humans from kittenhood and given a lot of love and attention. Probably want to have some kind of outdoor fenced in area (including a top so they can't just climb out) where it can run around. If it ever escapes, odds are the average person will think it's a wild animal and either call the cops or try to kill it themselves.
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
just get one o them bengal cats
>> Anonymous
>>96353

Both servals and bengals have many problems kept as pets. Despite what many people tell you, they are quite wild. Many of them won't eat normal cat food. Getting them to use a litter box is nearly impossible. Both males & females spray urine, even if they are "fixed". They will try to attack nearly anything, even the neighborhood doberman or your grandma.
>> Anonymous
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Getting a Savannah cat is a tamer alternative. They're a cross between a serval and a domestic cat.
>> Anonymous
>>96440
erm... you do know bengals are domestic animals right? what you've said is completely and wildly inaccurate for bengals. Maybe the Serval sure, but not the bengal.
>> Anonymous
Uhm. no. Bengals (and Savannahs for that matter) are far from domestic. Yes they have domestic blood, but they are nothing like typical domestic cats.

Lots of good information here:
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/bengal_cats.htm

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/hybrids.htm
>> Anonymous
>>96457
I have never seen a bengal that wouldn't eat cat food, wouldn't use litter boxes (in fact I visited a whole litter of 7 week old bengal kittens a week ago and they were all very much litter box trained), or attacked anything other than demanding petting
>> Anonymous
If you're serious about getting an exotic such as a serval, check this site out:
http://www.exoticcatz.com/
>> Anonymous
>>96465

A few years ago when I was in high school I volunteered at our local SPCA. Every week we'd have at least one person call us about their "exotic cat" that was too wild, tearing the house apart, peeing everywhere, and so on--and would ask if we could take it. 9 times out of 10 it was a Bengal.

They are usually manageable when they are kittens, but the adults are often times a different story. I have no doubt that SOME Bengals are nice pets. But a lot of them are NOT.
>> Anonymous
>>96483
perhaps they didn't get the proper genetic generation from a reputable breeder?
>> Anonymous
>>96490
It's definatley possible. But the horror stories are SO common that it really makes one wonder...


In a way I agree with with the bigcatrescue link that someone else posted earlier. It's just not right to breed all those "problem animals" in the hopes that some later generation or some small fraction of them might turn out OK.
>> Anonymous
I'm inclined to believe that groups like TICA wouldn't endorse something like the bengal if there wasn't some merit behind the breed. The bengal isn't just some haphazard hybrid breed, all of the breeders I've ever talked to take great care in keeping the individual cats and their bloodlines as healthy and good nature disposition as possible. The bigcats rescue site really makes it sound like these people are irresponsible breeders and while there might be some, all of the breeders I've ever known are more concerned with improving the bengal line rather than padding their pockets with cash from flawed kittens.

It's also possible that a lot of these people that turned their cats over to shelters didn't know what they were getting into, there's a big difference between a high energy cat and a wild cat. If they were just looking for some lazy kitty who looked exotic, it's not what they thought they were getting.
>> Anonymous
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Wild animals you say? Us?! YOU FIEND!
>> Anonymous
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I think somewhere along the line bengals got some hamster blood in the bloodline...
>> Anonymous
A Savannah and Bengal cat playing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqcNDR-mBmY
>> Anonymous
apparently ferrets are mortal enemies of bengal cats!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru_vufvFFnk
>> Anonymous
I've heard that they love water and can be walked on a leash and harness unlike domesticated cats.

Also I've heard that they bond fiercely to anyone who owns them. They won't ever like anyone as much as their owners and if their owners decide that getting an exotic cat is more work than it's worth.. then the serval will often be heartbroken for the rest of its life and won't be able to enjoy human contact anymore. I'm not sure how much of this is true, but this is what I read.

>>96442

Getting Savannahs is more expensive than Servals because they're really hard to breed.
>> Anonymous
>>96605
I've seen domestic cats being walked down the street.
>> Anonymous
>>96453

Agreed.

I havn't heard of problems with bengals and they may be less domesticated then other domesticates but they're deifnatly more than a serval.
>> Anonymous
Those are really pretty cats
>> Anonymous
pretty cats. that will eat your face.
>> Anonymous
i petted a florida panther once, and she was purring really loud. of course, she had been raised in captivity from birth and was always around people.