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Usually, it’s the big ears that first grab your attention. They make you stop mid-scroll when you come across a photo of a young exotic cat, covered in spots, with giant ears perched above their cute face. What is this adorable creature, you might think, and can I keep one as a pet?
Those ears and that face belong to a serval cat (Leptailurus serval), a wild feline species native to Africa. Thanks to the worldwide obsession with finding newer and more exotic animals to keep as pets, many servals are bred and sold in the pet trade. But do Serval cats make good pets? No matter how cute they may look, a Serval cat is a wild animal and does not make a good pet.
We do not endorse keeping Serval cats as pets for several reasons which will be covered in this article.
Serval Cats: An Introduction
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, lizards, snakes, frogs, and insects.
Serval cats can grow as big as 40 pounds (or 18 kilograms) and live as long as 20 years. Their endangered status is classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) because the population trend is stable. However, threats include hunting by humans, habitat degradation and loss, and loss of wetlands are present.1
The 5 Reasons Serval Cats Don’t Make Good Pets
The reasons Serval cats don’t make good pets boil down to one basic concept: they are wild animals. Unlike domestic cats, which have evolved over thousands of years to live alongside humans, Servals retain their natural instincts, making them unsuitable for a home environment. Keeping a Serval cat poses significant challenges, including behavioral issues, legal restrictions, and ethical concerns.
1. Serval Cats Are Escape Artists
Serval cats are built for the wild, where they roam vast territories in search of prey. They are incredibly athletic, capable of leaping over 5 feet (1.5 meters) in the air and digging their way out of enclosures. Even the most secure housing is often no match for a determined Serval.
An escaped Serval poses risks not only to itself but also to the community. These cats are not accustomed to roads, making them vulnerable to traffic accidents. They may also hunt local wildlife or come into conflict with domestic pets. In many areas, escaped Servals are considered a threat and may be captured or even euthanized.
2. Serval Cats Are Bad House Guests
A Serval cat is not a house pet. Weighing up to 40 pounds, they are active, high-energy animals that require large outdoor spaces to run, climb, and hunt. Confined to a home, Servals often exhibit destructive behaviors, unintentionally damaging furniture, walls, and belongings.
Beyond property damage, keeping a Serval indoors can be dangerous for the cat itself. Their natural curiosity leads them to chew on wires, swallow inedible objects, or injure themselves while attempting to escape. Unlike domestic cats, they cannot be trained to avoid household hazards.
3. Serval Cats Can’t Be Reliably Litter Trained
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. Servals will spray urine frequently to establish dominance over their space, including on furniture, walls, and even their human caretakers.
This is not a behavior that can be trained out of them. 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.
4. Serval Cats Can Be Dangerous
While Servals are not typically aggressive toward humans, they are not domesticated and do not interact the way a pet cat would. Their natural play behavior includes rough biting and scratching, which can result in serious injury. Due to their unpredictable nature, Servals should never be kept in homes with children or other animals.
Serval cats should never be kept with other pets or with kids, these cats are exceptional hunters. Those hunting instincts never go away, even in a Serval raised with humans. Small animals and small people look and act too much like prey to ever be safe around a Serval cat in the house.
5. Keeping a Serval Cat Is Legally and Ethically Problematic
As wild animals, Serval cats can’t be legally kept as pets in every area. As of 2024, in the U.S., only 10 states allow residents to own a serval, but in 3 of them, a permit might be requested within certain counties. Different states and cities have different rules, and even if you can legally keep one, you may need a permit. Getting a permit can be expensive and complicated, and often requires you to allow an inspection of your Serval cat’s enclosure to ensure it’s secure.
Keeping a Serval cat healthy can also be complicated. Trying to mimic their wild diet is tough because it is 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 very challenging.
Serval cats in the wild have slightly longer lifespans than your average dog or cat, making them a long-term responsibility. Many people who acquire a Serval, later realize they cannot meet its needs and struggle to find an ethical solution. Wildlife rescues and sanctuaries are often overwhelmed with surrendered exotic cats, reinforcing the fact that servals do not belong in private homes.
Conclusion
Wild animals belong in the wild, not in your backyard or living room. If you are 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!
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay
