Facts About Servals As Pets By a Serval Pet Owner
Beautiful, wonderful Servals. Servals can be an incredible pet. The bond created between you, and your serval is the strongest bond you’ll ever have with an animal…for the RIGHT person. Unfortunately, most people are NOT the right person to own a Serval for various reasons.
Before you get carried away researching and contacting breeders across the planet, please consider the following:
◻️ Are Servals legal in my country, state, province, and city as pets?
◻️ I own my house. (it can be complicated to rent a house with an exotic cat).
◻️ I live in a house with a yard. (Servals can’t live in a townhouse or condominium. All Strata’s have pet restrictions.)
◻️ My children are old enough.
◻️ I’m financially stable and can afford all the extra costs associated with an exotic pet. Food is specialized. Vet bills are substantially higher, as the Serval must be sedated for most appointments.
◻️ I have all the time I need to spend with my Serval to make sure they are happy.
◻️ My other pets will be fine adding a new kitten to the house. Pet rodents and birds don’t do well with Servals.
If you can answer “yes” to all of the above, then you’re ready to start looking for a Serval breeder.
The qualities a Serval breeder should have when looking for one are:
◻️ The breeder should have a social media presence. Look for pictures and videos of the kitten being raised in the house, not in a crate, cage, or other such enclosure.
◻️ The breeder should have a clear and informative website, including testimonials from past customers. You should have free access to contact these customers easily without the breeder setting up the call.
◻️ They should ask you all the questions you asked yourself. (from the list above) Most breeders will ask for proof of your address, such as a driver’s license and proof that you actually own the property.
◻️ Ask the breeder where they purchased their breeding Servals from and also research that breeder.
◻️ Ensure you’re not being scammed. Ask on social media in the Serval groups if anyone knows this breeder. If you see a Serval for sale at a meager price, it’s most likely a scam.
◻️ Most breeders won’t allow home visits, so asking for a ZOOM video meeting should be totally acceptable.
◻️ Confirm with the breeder that they’ll support you with advice and help with your Serval for the long run. Some breeders will ghost you the moment you pick up your kitten.
◻️ Your pet Serval should be spayed and neutered before you pick up your kitten. All pet Servals must be spayed and neutered, or you don’t have a chance of having any lasting relationship with your cat.
◻️ A good breeder will only sell you one kitten at a time. It’s imperative that your kitten bonds with you and your family. Bonding will be impossible if they go to a new home with a sibling.
◻️ If you’re planning to import a Serval from another country, the breeder should be confirming all import requirements with the appropriate authorities. (Health requirements, quarantine, age). The travel options must be reviewed and offer the least amount of stress to the kitten. Make sure the breeder knows all of these details before you make any payments. You’d hate to pay for the kitten in full and then find out it’s impossible to import a Serval to your country.
◻️ They should have a contract you can read and sign before any funds are sent. Usually, you’ll need to pay a deposit to confirm a place on the waitlist. Under no circumstances should you send any funds until you’ve signed a contract. Be wary of the breeder that’s only interested in the deposit.
In a very dedicated home, Servals can be the wonderful pet I described in the first sentence. They must be spayed and neutered to avoid extreme urinating problems. I have three pet Servals; two females and one male. My oldest female has perfect litter box habits (litter box with a pee pad in it.) My second female is very social and loves new people. She’ll come and get pets, a head-butt, and somehow convince them to sit on the floor with her. She’ll then lick their ears and purr, then quickly turn her butt, flip up her tail, and squirt urine onto their heads! Most people feel privileged she likes them so much. My male Serval will squirt on the fridge, and when I’m cleaning up the pee, will snatch the cloth from my hand and run away. This is a game. When he feels slighted, he’ll open the cupboard under the sink and squirt in all the stuff. Outside in his enclosure, he does full-on fire hose sprays. I was able to train him to only spray like this outside. My older female is an exception to the rule. There will always be a pee issue owning a Serval. If they’re spayed and neutered, it’s very manageable. Your kitten should be fully litter-box-trained before you pick him up. Again, this goes back to selecting a good breeder.
I can’t stress enough that Serval kittens must have complete nutritional diets. Raw meat from the supermarket is the very worst. Kittens can’t survive on protein alone. Metabolic bone disease and intestinal issues set in very quickly, and kittens will suffer from broken bones and horrific constipation and will usually die. The whole prey diet is the best. Day-old chicks, mice, rats, quail, and rabbits are the most common whole prey foods. Again, your breeder should be able to help you source this food.
Your home must be baby-proofed when you bring your kitten home. Kittens must never be left alone with the run of the house. You must supply his own room or a huge crate to keep him safe. Like many domestic cats, Serval kittens can destroy your furniture if given a chance. You must provide adequate scratch posts for this large cat with very long nails. Servals of any age may eat rubber, plastic, blankets, etc. that can cause an intestinal blockage. The number one killer of Servals is intestinal blockage from rubber. They love to chew rubber and the surgical procedure to remove the rubber is costly.
Please be aware that these are just a few pointers when deciding to add an African Serval to your family. My Servals and Savannahs are my pride and joy, and I can’t imagine life without them. I’m one of the few people that is the RIGHT PERSON to own a Pet Serval.
By all means, this article is not 100% complete with every detail about Serval kitten ownership, so you may contact me if you want more information at servals@hotmail.com.
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