- Servals require a diet of a large variety of whole prey protein items.
- Due to its wild nature, this breed is not recommended for families with small children or other pets.
- It requires an large, outdoor, temperature controlled, fully enclosed enclosure.
- Ownership is restricted in several states.
What should I Feed my serval or caracal kitten?
Some breeders heavily stress by feeding a mixed whole prey diet, that your serval or caracal kitten would be perfectly healthy and this is true to an extent. Often cats in captivity do not eat the whole prey which they would in the wild because they know that their next meal is coming by sunset.
What do servals eat in captivity?
In the wild, Servals feed on primarily on rodents and small animals, as well as birds. A diet in captivity needs to be similar for them to get adequate nutrition. One of the most important things is that they get enough calcium in their diet of 54mgs per animal while kittens, tapering off to about 45 – 49mgs per pound for an adult of three years.
Can you keep a serval cat as a pet?
The serval cat is a beautiful animal that some people keep as an exotic pet. While you may be able to acquire a serval cat from a breeder, they are considered wild cats. To own a serval cat, you must create a large, secure outdoor enclosure and provide a warm environment year-round. They will need to feed on whole prey food items.
Can I Feed my Serval Cat Meow Mix?
This is not a cat you can feed Meow Mix and assume their nutritional needs are met. According to one exotic cattery owner who has kept a number of servals since 2012, “A serval cat needs variety in its diet, just like in the wild.”
Can serval cats eat raw chicken?
Serval's diet should be akin to their natural habitat and based on animals served whole, such as mice, one-day-old chicks and quails. Our servals also eat raw chicken meat, offal, beef, fish and their favourite “Purrrr” series of “Catz Finefood”.
How much do serval cats eat a day?
Metabolic rate and maintenance: is about average 2 to 4 pounds of food a day or 1000 calories a day. Serval cat diet should consist of the following Iron, calcium, phosphorous,taurine,protein,fat,oils.
What is the best food for a Savannah cat?
Wet food true to feline roots—Untamed keeps it real! If you want to raise fit and healthy Savannah kitties, you shouldn't be stingy with quality proteins. Untamed brings you grain-free wet food made with 60%–63% whole meat, naturally rich in taurine, arginine, and other essential micronutrients.
Do servals have to eat raw meat?
Giving her meat, raw or cooked, as a treat is fine. I use cooked meat (much nicer to handle cooked meat as opposed slimy raw meat) treats for training purposes. If you decide you want to feed meat only, then whole prey is a safe option.
Will Servals use a litter box?
The instinct of a wild serval cat is to mark its territory. No matter how hard you work to litter train a pet serval, their wild instincts will win out in the end. Yes, they may use the litter box, but that won't stop them from urinating in other places as well.
Is it cruel to have a serval as a pet?
Serval cats are not recommended for households with young children. They play using their teeth and claws, and they may be too rough with children or view them as toys or prey. This is not likely, but it is possible.
Can you feed a Savannah cat raw meat?
At 0-8 weeks old, Savannah kittens need to be fed a diet of raw, ground chicken. This should be supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Once your furry friend begins consuming the raw chicken with ease, you can move on to a wet cat food, usually a chicken-based formula.
What do savannah cats need to eat?
Because of their high activity levels, a high-protein cat food like Pro Plan Savor or True Nature Formula is recommended for Savannahs. Follow the feeding instructions based on your cat's weight and consult with your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns.
Do Savannah cats use a litter box?
Do Savannahs use a litter box? Yes. Select Exotics Savannahs are completely litter trained prior to leaving. Kittens will use a litter box as faithfully as any domestic.
How long do serval cats live?
Servals generally live 10 to 12 years in the wild and can live up to 20 years or more in captivity. Servals are between 23 ¼ and 39 inches long. They are between 9 ½ and 18 inches tall and generally weigh between 20 and 40 pounds. Males are typically larger than females.
How do you take care of a serval?
The spotted serval cat is a long-legged African wild cat that can be kept as an exotic pet, but it needs a lot of room to play and a diet consisting of whole prey. To keep these cats healthy and happy, serval owners must provide large outdoor enclosures in locations that stay warm year-round.
Can Savannah cats eat raw eggs?
Avoid giving your cat cow's milk and raw eggs.
How often do you feed a serval?
They usually eat 4 to 5 meals a day but as they grow older, they start reducing to 3 times but maintain the feeding timetable at all times to keep your Servals happy. Servals like variety in their diet, you can feed them with high quality cat food in the morning, mice lunch and grind at night.
How long do serval cats live?
Servals generally live 10 to 12 years in the wild and can live up to 20 years or more in captivity. Servals are between 23 ¼ and 39 inches long. They are between 9 ½ and 18 inches tall and generally weigh between 20 and 40 pounds. Males are typically larger than females.
What do serval kittens eat?
Diet and Nutrition Ideally, a pet serval's diet should contain a variety of animal prey—preferably living—that it can pursue and devour as it would in the wild. Rodents, rabbits, birds, fish, insects, reptiles, and frogs are usually on the menu in Africa.
How much are African serval cats?
F1 savannah cats have the largest percentage of wild African Serval in them, and are usually the most expensive type of savannah cat. Male F1 kittens generally range from about $12,000 all the way up to around $16,000. Female F1 kittens typically range from about $15,000 to $20,000.
How much food should a serval eat?
By the time the Serval is about six months old they may be eating as much as a full can of food per day or a combination of dry and wet food. By this time they will be able to chow down on whole IAMS kibble taking the place of the powdered kibble.
What is the best diet for a wild feline?
Recommended Serval diets consist of raw, bone-in poultry, meat, and fish supplemented with vitamins made for wild felines. This includes, chicken in all forms (quarters, necks, thighs, wings and ground chicken) turkey necks and ground turkey, any cut of beef and ground beef, as well as canned fish like tuna, salmon, jack mackerel. You can also offer treats of such things as cheese, beef jerky, fruits like strawberries, cherries, oranges, and bananas, lettuce and tomatoes, and macaroni and cheese.
How do servals play?
Servals are very playful, as you will soon find out. They will bring things to you for you to throw to them. They are natural retrievers and they love playing fetch. Some Servals will play fetch for hours. Because they love water, it is not surprising to see your Serval peek-a-booing you when you are in the shower. They will enjoy having a kiddy pool in their outside cage. They have fun cleaning their toys. At night, if you have more than one, they will often start playing and chasing each other around the house, even bouncing off of the walls while you try to sleep.
What to feed a 6 month old kitten?
Feeding your kitten basically takes the form of fine foods rather than whole. Kittens up to about 6 months will need ground meat, offered in combination with wet food. A mixture of ground raw turkey mixed with powdered dry IAMS works well for small kittens. You may want to feed them regular cat food but most types are not well suited to these cats. Use only premium cat food kibble such as IAMS or Orijin, which is 75% meat based. Some kittens, as young as 6 weeks, can chew on a whole chicken wing. At a later date, you may decide to feed your Serval ZuPreem® Exotic Feline Diet Canned, or “Mazuri”. However, many breeders don’t like this approach and especially have concerns with Mazuri. “My male Serval had developed stones due to the salt content of the Mazuri.”… Sally Comstock
What to do if a kitten goes in the wrong spot?
If you see the kitten going in the wrong spot you should pick it up and bring it to the litter box. You should not scold the Serval for this. You may need to show your kitten the litter box several time, but once they recognize this as their spot, they will faithfully use it.
How big of a litter box do svals need?
When they get bigger you will need a larger box, approximately 16 inches in width, 24 inches in length and 18 inches in height or even larger to give them enough room. Be sure to keep the box clean. Using two litter boxes, one for urination and one for defecation, can help a great deal. Servals will refuse to urinate in a box that has been defecated in. You must keep these litter boxes clean every day, after each use.
What is a serval room?
This room will serve as a den for your Serval, especially when you are away from home, or when the need arises for the Serval not to roam your home. You need to make the room “Serval-proof”, meaning free of dangers. Make sure there are no electrical wires, dangerous chemicals, etc., no glass or other fragile knickknacks that could be shattered leaving dangerous shards, no places where a Serval could get their leg caught resulting in a sprain or break, no open electric outlets, no indigestible materials, etc.
How to feed a serval kitten?
As they get older you can reduce feeding times to 3 times a day but it's best to keep it at 4 to 5 small meals if possible. Mix it up and feed different types of meals to keep your serval happy. Just like us, they get tired of the same thing. For example: You can feed your kitten a can of high quality cat food in the morning, a couple of mice at lunch and meat grind at night. You can also mix you grind with cat food and you can place your mice in the grind to add a little change. As your serval gets older you can add whole prey such as guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, and fish. You can also leave out a good quality dry cat food to munch on between meals. It's good for their teeth and will keep them satisfied until their next meal. It's very important to make sure your kitten's diet is balanced because if you don't feed it a balanced meal there is a strong possibility that they will develop metabolic seizures. This can be corrected if you adjust the diet and follow you dietitian's advice.
What to feed servals?
Some other snacks and foods that servals enjoy is fresh water fish such as tilapia, gizzards, steak, shrimp and chicken hearts. Before selecting a diet for your kitten discuss a diet with your exotic cat dietician to get the exact proportion needed. Probiotics (plain yogurt) is something to consider. I usually grind all of my meat parts up and add this if needed. Only add supplements that have been prescribed by your exotic vet. Blindly adding supplements is detrimental to your servals health and could kill them if you over do it. You have to take into consideration what you are feeding and add to that if necessary. The calcium should come from the bones and cartilage of the animals they consume or commercial food. Make sure your serval is exposed to direct sunlight daily to insure the proper breakdown of nutrients.
What is a serval kitten's diet?
A serval kitten's diet should consist of a high quality wet cat food and a whole prey diet. Since the serval kitten will most likely be too young to chew bone you can start them on a ground diet until they are old enough to chew the bone. You can find a lot of suggested ground whole raw diets online and you can order already prepared diets from different companies. Facebook has several different raw diet cat groups. It's a good idea to join a few of these groups in order to share recipes and ideas.
What does a serval eat?
A Serval in its natural environment is an obligate carnivore, meaning that their nutritional needs are met by eating a diet that consists mainly of animal-based proteins. The evolutionary history of the serval indicates that it has eaten a purely carnivorous diet throughout its entire history. Servals are very sensitive to the physical texture, odor and taste of foods. They consume live prey beginning at the head. Food temperature is also important. They prefer food near body temperature which is about 101 degrees fahrenheit. Which is to say, they prefer warm over cold. Many cats will choose a new food over a diet that is currently being fed. The reverse is true in new or stressful situations, such as illness or hospitalization, where cats tend to refuse food they are not accustom to eating.
How much meat should I feed my serval?
When feeding your domestic serval, make sure the food is fresh, cleaned and thoroughly washed before feeding. Servals eat between one and six pounds of meat a day. The amount to feed a healthy adult serval would be 3% of his body weight per day. For example a 30 pound should eat at least 0.9 pounds of meat a day. For a growing kitten it can be as much as 5% of his body weight. The 3% pertains to real meat weight. Commercial diets like Blue Buffalo and Mazuri are condensed/concentrated and therefore fed in lesser amounts
How long can you leave serval out?
Make sure not to leave any meat out for longer than 2 hours. Throw it away, better safe than sorry. Also monitor their poops and make sure they are pooping at least once every 48 hours. If you notice your serval has not pooped in more than 48 hours give 3 cc’s of whole pumpkin in their mouth every 8 hours. If this does not work within another 24 hours, it's time to see the vet to check for blockages.
How often should I feed my chicken legs?
The Diet will Change as your serval matures and she/he will enjoy a little variety. You can start feeding whole raw chicken legs when they get to be about 4 months old. They will love gnawing on them and it helps keep their teeth strong. I would feed a couple of chicken legs a week. Also a few other things that could be added to the daily diet are cubes of steak, 2 week old chicks, rabbits, quail, fish, mice, rats, and venison.
How to keep serval cats active?
Large outdoor enclosures are a must for these highly active and solitary cats that roam at least four miles a day in the wild. Being nocturnal, they are more active at night and have been known to jump out of fenced areas or dig out under fences. An outdoor enclosure needs to be completely fenced in on all sides with a top and the sides should go down a few feet deep into the ground, A simple dog run will not suffice. A pool of water is also important for drinking, swimming, and perhaps even allowing your serval cat to catch its own fish.
How do servals find prey?
Servals use their sight and hearing more than their sense of smell to find their pre y. They often play with their food before eating it. 5 Servals are highly intelligent cats. When feeding them, a game or puzzle that makes the cat problem-solve will enable the meal to be more rewarding and counts as an enrichment activity in their daily routine.
Why are servals declawed?
While many pet servals are declawed in the interest of preventing injury to humans, this is a practice that can result in an infection. It also makes the serval vulnerable in a confrontation with other animals. One common veterinary emergency for servals is swallowing foreign objects, which can become lodged in their throats or difficult to pass. 4
How many states have serval cats?
It is legal to own a serval in 18 states in the U.S.
Where do serval cats come from?
History of the Serval Cat. The serval cat is from Africa where tall grass and bushes can camouflage this tall cat allowing it to sneak up on its prey. They are known to resemble cheetahs but have shorter tails than their larger cousins. They typically hunt where they can hide and stay near water.
Can servals be litter trained?
While servals can be litter-trained, be aware that urinating on objects is part of their natural way of marking their territory.
Is a Savannah cat better than a serval cat?
Breeders have also been crossing serval cats with domestic cats to produce hybrids, such as the Savannah cat. A Savannah might be a better option than a serval if you like the look of the serval but need a tamer cat that is easier to care for.
Why do people get rid of serval cats?
Serval cats mark not only their territory but anything they want to claim possession of, including their owners! One of the number one reasons people wind up getting rid of their pet serval cats is because they urinate on everything, which is understandably not a desirable quality in a house pet.
What is a serval cat?
Servals are medium-sized wild cats found throughout most of the continent of Africa. Their long legs make them fast, athletic, and the best hunters of all wild cat species. Serval cats are far-ranging, solitary animals. They eat a wide variety of different prey including rodents, birds, and fish.
How big is a serval cat?
Full-grown serval cats might be as big as 40 pounds. And that’s not 40 pounds of a couch potato either. These cats are fast, active, athletic, and can be incredibly destructive in a home environment. Serval cats are playful rather than intentionally destructive, but they play hard and your house and belongings will pay the price.
Do serval cats make good pets?
If you’re tempted by that cute picture of a baby serval cat, remember that all babies grow up, and grown-up serval cats don’t make good pets. Thousands of homeless domestic cats need forever families in shelters and rescues throughout the world. Instead of a serval cat, consider bringing one of these cats into your home and leaving the servals to the wild and your social media feed!
Is it hard to keep a serval cat healthy?
Keeping a serval cat healthy can also be complicated. Trying to mimic their wild diet is tough because it’s so variable, and many pet serval cats are malnourished because of this. In addition, finding a veterinarian knowledgeable in caring for serval cats may be difficult.
Do serval cats use litter boxes?
No matter how hard you work to litter train a pet serval, their wild instincts will win out in the end. Yes, they may use the litter box, but that won’t stop them from urinating in other places as well.
Is it dangerous to keep a serval cat at night?
Serval cats are most active at night, and keeping a serval cat in an inadequate enclosure may result in a nocturnal escape with dangerous consequences. Escaped serval cats pose a danger to domestic pets and are themselves in jeopardy of being hit by cars or shot and killed.
What Is a Serval Cat?
A serval is a cat native to the African grasslands typically found south of the Sahara Desert.
How much does a serval cat weigh?
Keep in mind that a serval cat weighs an average of 29 pounds. 5
What is the life expectancy of a serval cat?
9 (A domestic cat’s kill rate is more like 10%.) 10. The average life expectancy for a serval cat is around 22 years. 10.
What did Lolo say about the serval?
And then, Lolo says, “it happened.” The serval “attacked our baby.”
Why do serval cats need space?
A serval cat needs space to fulfill their natural instincts. Photo: A_Different_Perspective
Where did the serval cat come from?
According to the book Classical Cats, “In second-millennium BC Egypt, the serval was an exotic import from sub-Saharan Africa. When it was depicted in Egyptian art, it was frequently as a gift or trade object from Nubia.” 2. Some people keep serval cats as exotic pets today, but they are limited in number.
Is a serval cat a wild animal?
Serval cats are considered wild animals, and legislation restricts their ownership in several U.S. states and other countries. If you decide to get a serval cat and later decide it won’t work, you may find it difficult to relinquish ownership of such an animal.
How big can a serval get?
Servals can develop timid and shy behavior around strangers. The males can get extremely large up to 50 lbs! You should own your home before you comit to buying a serval , as they are not legal to own in many states and cant easily be rehomed - as they will be aggresive in their new home with new owners, they will only be loving to the family that raised them / or as long as the family that raised them is around. For example if you leave town and need someone to feed your big cat - they will likely be agressive ! Servals are also known to spray all over the house / outdoor enclosures and early neutering is highly recommended. If these things scare you, we recommend looking at a F1 Savannah from F1savannahkittens.com
Can you smack a cat's nose?
a light smack on the nose is okay as if you were another cat. Act like a cat!! Even purring can make your kitty purr , you want them to purrr as much as possible as a kitten! Small amounts of anxiety growing up will give you a well rounded cat, caging, car rides, big animals, being high up etc so forth.
Is an African serval a house cat?
African servals are not anything like a house cat, and bond to only one family their entire life, they are not easy house pets, please take deep consideration and education before comitting to one of these beautiful animals.
Risks
Habitat
Variations
- Breeders have also been crossing serval cats with domestic cats to produce hybrids. Savannah cats are one such hybrid and can be a choice if you like the look of the serval but need a tamer cat that easier to care for.
Behavior
- Serval cats can bond with humans, especially if they are bottle-raised and hand-fed. Typically, they are a one-human cat and bond for life. You will need to spend time with the cat, playing with the cat on its level, eye-to-eye. They can be affectionate but require patience and a gentle hand in training. While you can try to socialize a serval, they will often remain shy of strangers and can b…
Safety
- While servals can be litter-trained, be aware that urinating on objects is part of their natural way of marking their territory. For safety when walking your serval you will need a special serval harness since they aren't built like domestic cats.
Preparation
- You will need to have a plan in place for someone to care for your serval cat if you take a vacation, need a respite, or develop your own health problems. You will need to ensure you have access to a veterinarian who can care for exotic pets. Servals need the same annual immunizations and dewormings as domestic cats.
Health
- While many pet servals are declawed in the interests of preventing injuries to humans, this is a practice that can result in an infection. It also makes the serval more vulnerable during confrontations with other animals. One common veterinary emergency for servals is swallowing foreign objects, which can become lodged in their throats or difficult to pass.
Diet
- In the wild, servals eat whatever is available, which makes providing the most natural diet as pets difficult. You may not necessarily have access to everything Africa has to offer wild servals, but rodents, rabbits, birds, fish, insects, reptiles, and frogs are all readily available to provide a varied diet of protein sources. Whole prey should be...
Breeding
- If you are interested in similar cats, look into these breeds to compare the pros and cons: Look into the many cat breeds that are available.