Serval cats as pets
Do servals make good pets? They can be very attractive. Look at this photograph below of a young serval in someone's home sitting on the bed looking blissfully happy. What's wrong with that? It looks as though it worked out very well. But we don't know the back story. And I don't want to paint an incorrect or too negative a picture because it can work out quite well (rarely). Pet serval looking happy. Photo: Cats of Instagram But in my opinion having a serval as a pet is likely not to work out that well for various reasons. Firstly, they are a wild cat species. If they are raised from a new-born kitten by humans they might fit in quite well. But if they are adopted as a young animal then they will never be a true domestic cat. They might spray in the home to mark territory which is incredibly upsetting to the owner but very reassuring to the cat! This is a tamed serval at A1 Savannahs many years ago. I made the video. He was a quite small serval. Probably a subadult.
I like this video because it's very cleanly presented with a very straightforward message which debunks what cat detractors argue namely that they don't have the capacity to have affection for us; they only manipulate us for food, warmth and security. I've never believed this and the more you get to know the domestic cat the more you realise that it is quite possible to have a very close relationship with him or her and the affection is on both sides.
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