Care Information for African Servals General The African Serval is a wonderful member of the cat family that can make a very affectionate pet.  As the owner of a Serval you must remember that the cat will always be a "wild animal." That does not mean that they will be aggressive or vicious but it means that they have certain characteristics that they have developed that help them to survive and thrive in the wild.  When the ancestors of today's domestic cats were first tamed and began to live around humans they did not have the same personality that you see in domestic cats today.  The first domestic cats were shy of humans but realized that mice and rats lived near humans because humans stored food.  So they had a ready supply of mice & rats for food.  The humans wanted the cats around to keep their food from being eaten by the rodents.  The cats that were the least afraid of humans and the friendliest were the ones that were kept in the homes and food storage  areas.  The cats no longer had to be "smart" to survive.  The cats that survived with humans were the ones that were not afraid.  Domestic cats are a branch of the cat family that evolved without having to be particularly intelligent because they were protected by humans.  In the wild, cats had to be smart to survive.  By natural selection, the cats which were smartest were the ones who lives to reproduce and each generation became smarter.  This is why the serval and other wild cats are very smart and do things that most people would never believe that they have the intelligence for.  One of the characteristics that the serval will show is that it knows to run from danger.  When you run after or chase a serval they will think that you are trying to hurt them.  Because of this you should never chase your serval except in an emergency.  Even in an emergency, you will probably have better success by trying to get the serval to come to you instead of trying to catch him or her.   As they get older they may be shy of strangers.  When you have visitors come over the serval may go hide and come out after they are sure that everything is okay.  Make sure that visitors do not chase the serval or they may become scared of all strangers and not come out at all when there  are visitors.  Be sure that all children who are around the serval know not to chase or pull on the paws or tail of the cat.  If they are afraid of children, they may develop a fear of children that will stick with them permanently.  They are very smart and they can tell a child's voice from an adults voice. If they are afraid of children they will run and hide when they hear a child's voice. It is not recommended that you have a serval with small children. Around age 5 and up children may be capable of behaving properly with a serval. I also recommend that you have a room or large pen that you can dedicate to the serval. You will need to make the space "serval-proof", meaning free of dangers to the cat such as electrical wires, dangerous chemicals, things where a serval could get its leg caught and sprain or break it, open electric outlets, indigestible materials, etc. This room will serve as a place for you to put the serval when you are away or at times when you do not want the serval roaming the home. This is where you should feed and water him. The enclosure anc be outside as long as it provides adequate shelter form the elements. It is convenient for you to connect an outside pen to the house with an enclosed "catwalk" to give the cat access to the inside of your house. The thing to remember is that when they are treated properly, they will bond with the people that take care of them like no other animal that you have even seen.  They think that you are their pet. And they will treat you like no other cat does. Bonding When you are trying to become friends with your serval one of the best things is to feed them directly from your hands.  This way they will learn that you are giving them something good when you are reaching for them.  Another way to bond with the serval is to lay down on the floor with the cat and their favorite toy and play with them so that you are not towering over them like you would be if you are standing up.  When you are level with them, eye-to-eye, they are more at ease and they will soon become comfortable with you no matter if you are standing, sitting or laying down.  The thing that you must remember is that you must be patient with them.  It may take a while for them to bond with you.   Litter Training A serval will use a litter box to urinate and defecate if they are taught to do so.  They do not naturally cover up like a domestic cats does.  In the wild they use one or two spots in their territory and tend to stick with those spots.  The serval will use the litter box as their spot if they know that is the spot.  They may occasionally urinate or defecate elsewhere.  When you discover that this has happened you must clean the spot thoroughly, preferably with an enzyme-based odor remover such as "Nature’s Miracle"  If you see the serval 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.  When the serval is small you can use a standard litter box.  When they get bigger you will need a larger box, approximately 24" X 36" to give them enough room.  Be sure to keep the box clean.  If you are having a problem with the serval using the wrong spot consistently, contact me and I will be happy to give some suggestions to eliminate the problem.  Feeding Feeding of the serval is very important.  Servals need more nutrients than a domestic cat.  They may want to eat regular cat food but they will not develop properly if that is their regular diet.  I  recommend either Zupreem canned food and Mazuri dry food.  You may also feed raw chicken bones and all.  Do not feed meat without bones except as an occasional treat or to hide a pill of medication.  Most meats contain high levels of phosphorus and if not consumed with the proper amount of calcium will cause small or brittle bones and other problems.  Exotic cats need the correct ratio of the two minerals to be able to utilize the calcium for bone growth.  It is best to let the serval eat as much as they want but, do not leave the food out for more than a couple of hours.  By the time the serval is about six months old they may be eating as much as a can of Zupreem per day or a combination of Mazuri & Zupreem.  The Mazuri dry food will help clean their teeth.  Be sure to have plenty of clean water for them to drink.  They like to play in water so make sure that you keep the toilet lids closed especially if you use a chemical tank cleaner.  It is normal for them to eat a lot one day and less the next day but if you see that they aren’t eating you should have them checked at your vets.  A calcium supplement is required to insure proper development even with commercially prepared exotic cat diets. Medical Servals require the same vaccinations that domestic cats do. But, make sure that your vet uses vaccines made with ALL KILLED VIRUS.  Exotic cats may become sick and die if  live vaccines are used.  This is very important. Both males and females will spray once they reach sexual maturity if they are not altered.  I would recommend having the declaw and altering done at between 4 and 6 months.  Please consult your vet regarding this.  For safe measure, if there is any  reason that you suspect that your serval is ill, please bring it to your vet.  Your serval can’t tell you what is bothering them so you have to be the one to look for signs.  Particularly, you should be wary of diarrhea.  In a young cat, this can dehydrate them in a few hours and they may need fluids  intravenously.  If you see diarrhea (watery stools) more than twice in a row, it would be prudent to have the vet check out the serval.  Treatment is usually easy and quick once the vet determines the cause of the diarrhea.  Diarrhea can sometimes result from a change in diet.  But this usually goes away quickly.   Playtime Servals are very playful and very athletic.  They are capable of jumping on anything that you have in your house.  They like being perched on tall pieces of furniture and on shelves.  Anything that is on a shelf or piece of furniture that is breakable should be put in a case or cabinet.  They like to paw at mini blind cords and drapery cords.  The cords should be pinned up out of their reach because they will jump up to play with them and may get them wrapped around their neck.  I had no idea of this danger until I found one of my cats hanging by a mini blind cord.  Fortunately, she had only been hanging for a short time and I was able to save her.  Serval kittens like to chew like a puppy.  It is a good idea to have plenty of toys that they can chew on. That way they will not chew on things that you don’t want them to destroy or things that may hurt them.  If they begin chewing on electrical cords, a good solution is to spray the exposed cords with bitter apple spray (available at pet stores).  This will discourage them.  Re-apply frequently as needed.  This also works on other items that they may chew such as pillows.  As they mature they usually do not chew very much.  When you find your serval doing something that you don’t want them to it is best to reprimand them with a firm "No".  Squirting them with a water pistol also works.  If they play too rough (such as biting too hard), a firm "No!" and a light tap on the head will discourage them. If that does not work walk away and quit playing. They are very smart and very stubborn so it may take several repetitions in order for them to learn that you are not going to let them have their way. Servals love playing with toys.  When they are young, toys that are made for domestic cats will be fine. But, when they are older, those toys are too small and they will destroy most of them quickly.  Some toys may be so small that they will swallow them and choke or block their intestines.  Toys that are made for medium to large sized dogs work well.  If you wish to be able to take your serval places with you, you should start putting a harness and a leash on them early.  It is a good idea to put the harness on them and let them walk around to get accustomed to having the straps around their body. Then you should put the leash on the harness and let them run freely.  Keep an eye on them and do not leave them alone with the harness attached.  They may get it hooked on something while jumping and choke.  After they are accustomed to the harness and leash with no tension you should hold the leash lightly so that they get accustomed to having tension on the leash.  Then you may want to take them out for short walks where you let them go where they want.  Make sure that they cannot get out of the harness at all.  Servals are contortionists when they want to get out of a situation.  If something scares them and they try to get out of the harness to run, you may not be able to grab them quickly.  They won’t really be trying to run away from you but rather they are trying to run away from something that scares them or that they are uncertain of.  At all costs, try to prevent the animal from getting loose.  When they get loose outside, in an unfamiliar environment, they get scared and they may even be scared of you under those circumstances.  A serval on the loose can cause a stir in the neighborhood. And someone may think that it is dangerous and shoot it.  Strangers who try to catch it will just frighten it more.  This situation should be avoided at all costs.  They can be caught but it can be an ordeal.  Servals usually like other animals.  They welcome play with almost any animal once they have time to get accustomed to each other.  Once the serval is close to full grown you should exercise caution when introducing a new small pet (such as a young kitten).  They may think that they are a chew toys and hurt them.  You should keep other pets out of sight or in a place where you are certain that they can’t be reached.  My servals have unlocked a door by flipping a lock lever and going through two doors to get to my baby ducks.   Hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, birds, reptiles, etc. are a real teaser for the servals so you should not even tempt them.  Servals are natural retrievers.  They love playing fetch.   They will bring things to you for you to throw to them.   A Final Word When you accept the responsibility of caring for any animal like a serval, you must realize that the animal depends on you not just for food, shelter and medical care, but also depends on you for companionship and nurturing.  All animals have their individual personalities and quirks, so each is different. A serval may bond with you and never bond with another person for the rest of its life.  This may make it hard for the serval if you decide that you cannot care for it anymore.  Not many people want to spend decades caring for an animal that they can’t have a relationship with.  Bear this in mind and realize that a serval may live up to 20 years.  The serval will depend on you for that length of time.  Some servals may be able to bond with a new owner but that is not guaranteed.  Even at best, bonding with a new owner takes time. If for some reason you are unable to take care of the serval, please contact me and I will assist in finding a new owner for you.  I understand that things in life change and I am more than willing to help find a safe, friendly place for a cat to go.  There is no embarrassment in doing the best thing for your animals. If you feel that you are ready to buy a Serval please click here and fill out the questionnaire.