The best accessory for him is the red leather interior of an expensive car. Because this is the Big Boss. This is the serval (the rarest and most secretive of all cats kept at home). But let’s try to see what’s hiding behind the tinted windows.
Origins
What makes a pet serval so special is that it looks exactly like a wild cat. And in fact, that’s essentially what it is: a wild cat that decided to live in a nice mansion for a while.
The serval’s homeland is Africa. On that hot continent, their numbers, once quite large, have dropped in recent years because poachers are drawn to this cat’s beautiful fur. Today there are several recognized subspecies of wild servals, which differ in coat color.
Not long ago, breeders found that the serval can be tamed remarkably well (if you go about it wisely). That’s how pet servals came about.
You may also like our article on the Bengal cat.
Serval Overview
As a proud representative of Africa, the pet serval lets its fans admire its African grace and predatory look. Yes, it’s a predator, and everything about the way it looks is built for hunting and attacking.
There’s no finished breed standard yet, but nature itself has set certain features.
- Serval kittens have a small head. But the ears are large compared with the rest of the body, set high, well furred inside, and marked with black and white stripes on the back:
- the nose and bridge of the nose are broad;
- the eyes are almond-shaped along the lower lid and boomerang-shaped along the upper lid;
- the whisker pads are very pronounced, and the whiskers are a must: thick and long.
- The serval’s body is fairly small, especially compared with other wild cats of Africa. But compared with ordinary house cats, serval kittens are giants. Their body can reach about 3 feet in length.
The tail is thick and short (about 10–16 inches).
These cats are top models. Their legs are the longest of all cats (in proportion to the body), and the hind legs are longer than the front legs. These differences are obvious, but that’s not the full list of the serval’s features. These “little ones” weigh about 18 to 40 lb.
- The serval’s coat is a lot like a cheetah’s. The animal is covered in striking spots that merge into stripes on the back. The chest, belly, and face are white. The coat itself can range in color from sandy to reddish brown.
The fur itself is short, unusually soft, thick, and glossy.
Personality
Servals are cats with personality! And to keep that personality from showing in all its glory, you need to carefully discourage your pet from showing signs of its wild ancestry.
These African beauties love to play and run. Let them do both. Since in the wild they can even hunt birds, leaping up to about 10 feet high, they won’t give up their habits at home either. Be ready for every high spot in your home to be conquered by your fearless serval. Antique vases, fragile figurines, and pictures on the walls may suffer along the way.
On the whole, though, these cats are very friendly and curious, and they love to explore and guard their territory. Owners all agree that servals are a little bit dog!
Health
If you’re caring for a serval kitten, make sure it doesn’t jump from high surfaces too often: their legs are very fragile when they’re young, and the risk of injury is high.
Keep an eye on your pet’s stool. How do you know when to worry? If diarrhea happens more than twice, take your pet to the vet right away.
These cats need to be vaccinated like any other pet. IMPORTANT! A serval’s vaccine must not contain live viruses (only killed vaccines). Getting this wrong can cost the animal its life! You’ll also need a vet who works with exotic cats.
Servals mark their territory, sometimes up to 50 times an hour! Of course, this comes with a very unpleasant smell. So spaying or neutering is a must here. Females are spayed at about 1 year old, and males are neutered at 7–8 months.
A pet serval lives longer than its wild cousins. The lifespan of this “house cheetah” is 15–20 years.
Care and Living Conditions
There are a few simple techniques that help you raise a serval kitten into a good-natured, safe animal. For example, experts recommend hand-feeding your kitten: that way, it will link your presence with good feelings and feel safe around you. Another good trick is to play with your kitten while lying on the floor. When your eyes are at the same level, the serval doesn’t see you as a threat.
Experts highlight three main rules for raising a serval:
- don’t let it play with your hands or feet;
- don’t yell at the cat; it understands commands perfectly well. And NEVER hit your pet. It won’t forgive you;
- if your serval gets carried away playing and does real damage, instead of scolding, just leave it alone. It will get the message and come back to apologize.
Feeding
Feed your serval so it doesn’t miss the African savanna. In the wild, servals eat rodents (most of their diet), shrews, birds, and to a lesser extent snakes, lizards, and insects.
Of course, you don’t need to catch grasshoppers for your cat. It’s enough to put together the right menu of raw meat with bones (it can be chicken, quail, or organ meat) and, as a “compliment from the chef,” offer special vitamins with calcium supplements. Also offer super-premium commercial food.
An adult serval eats up to about 1 lb of meat a day.
Photos
A pet serval is a prestigious animal: a status symbol, and not a cheap one. Photos in palace-like interiors are the best shots in this African beauty’s portfolio.
Not ready for a cat like this? Take a look at the Siberian cat.
The Bottom Line
To get the right idea of the African serval’s personality, you need to understand how much this cat is like a dog! Servals easily learn to walk on a leash, with some patience they’ll even follow complex commands, and they’re fairly friendly with other animals… if those animals are the same size. In other words, don’t introduce a serval to a kitten or a parakeet: its hunting instincts will win, and the serval will be the only one left living in your house.
When it comes to destroying furniture, servals could team up with termites, since they love to chew on everything. They also love to tear down, flip over, and knock things over. In short, this cat needs plenty of space and room to roam.
Never punish a serval for its mischief: you’ll get the exact opposite result and turn your gorgeous kitty mean.
Be ready for your serval to mark its territory about 50 times an hour, and think about neutering in good time.
One thing we definitely recommend: bathe your serval often, since they love water. But they don’t like fights and yelling, so you couldn’t call servals stress-resistant.
Servals have no hereditary diseases.
Serval Owner Reviews
Yulia: “I breed servals, and I have to say I’ve never met a smarter or more elegant breed. My cats understand commands perfectly. All it takes is a confident voice saying eat, walk, bathroom, no, and they follow orders. These African cats sleep in the same bed with us, and they get along well with each other. All in all, an imperial breed!”
Olya: “Our serval kitten scared me at first. We got him at 5 months old, and he constantly hissed and growled at me and my husband. But our patience and persistence broke through his bad temper. Today he no longer hides in corners, plays with his toys like crazy, and sometimes even comes to restaurants with us!”
Ilya and Elena: “Our Asenka is our baby. We spoil her all the time, and she takes advantage of it. I recently built her what’s practically a whole city instead of a single cat house. It’s a multi-level complex where our cat sharpens her hunting skills. We also take her on trips, and Asya settles in perfectly at every hotel. Traveling with this cat is no problem: she calmly walks on a leash and quickly gets used to a new litter box.”
Where to Buy a Serval Kitten in the US
To raise a serval into a true companion, breeders recommend getting a kitten between six weeks and five months old. The younger the kitten, the easier it is to raise a loyal friend.
First, check the law. A serval is a wild animal, not a domestic breed, so it isn’t registered with TICA or CFA. In the US, servals can only be kept legally in a minority of states, usually with a state permit, and they’re banned outright in many states, including California and New York. Even where state law allows them, your county or city may not, so check every level of local rules before you buy.
When buying, go only to USDA-licensed breeders with a good reputation (you can verify a breeder’s license with USDA APHIS). After all, you’re not buying a hamster, and the price isn’t “mouse money” either.
In the US, a serval kitten usually costs about $3,000–$10,000, and some breeders charge even more. Can you buy one for less? Yes, but there’s no guarantee the kitten will grow up into a well-mannered house cat. Plus, you’ll need to budget for permits, a secure enclosure, and an exotic-animal vet.
In the US, as around the world, servals are among the rarest cats kept as pets. That comes down both to the nature of the animal and to how demanding it is to care for.
Pet servals are VIP cats!
