African Serval Caresheet

Family: Felidae
Latin: Leptailurus serval or Felis serval
Commmon: African Serval

Local Names
German: Servalkatze
French: Tacheté
Spanish: Serval
Portugeuse: Gato serval, Gato lagar
Afrikaans (South Africa): Tierboskat
Creole (Guinea-Bissau): Onca de baga baga
Amharic (Ethiopia): Aner
Berber (Kabylia, Algeria): Zilagla
Chichewa (Malawi): Njuzi
Ju/hoan Bushman (Botswana, Namibia): Kworo
Xhosa, Zulu (South Africa): Ingwenkala, indlozi
Setswana (Botswana): Tadi
Kiswahili: Mondo
Luganda: Emmondo
Kirabai: Monzo
Lukonjo: Engalirao
Lugbara: Orumberembere
Kinyiha: Munjuli
Luhya: Rndama mweli
Lugisu: Lutuku
Sebel: Kurrbalit
Somali: Bisdinaad, muq shabeel, dumad xabashi, shabeel adari, shabeel yer
Lwo: Kworo

I like to describe a serval as looking somewhat like a miniature cheetah. Their basecoat is a yellowish color, ranging from very light beige, to a rich golden color. Their spots vary in size but are solid black and very distinct. They have extra long legs and a very sleek body, similar in appearance to the cheetah. My females and males have been roughly the same size, about knee height at the shoulder and 25-45 pounds.

Size of average adult:

Height: 20 to 26 inches (54-62 cm) at the shoulder
Length: 24 to 36 inches long (67-100 cm) with a tail 1/3 to 1/2 of its head-length
Weight:

Females: 20 lbs. (8.7-12.5 kg.)
Males: 40 lbs. (10-18 kg.)

It seems like all of my cats like to "talk" to me. Although servals can and do hiss, they tend to vocalize more often with various types of what I can only call meowing. They have a "feed me", a "don't pet me like that", a "this is really great food", a frustrated "Mom, please let me out so that I can pounce the barn cat", and many more expressive noises. They also have a really nice purr.

Servals can be extremely affectionate and playful. Mine love to pounce sticks that you wiggle in the grass or try and catch a play mouse by jumping 5 feet in the air. They, like all their feline relatives, also enjoy a good nap. They litter train somewhat easily, but it's never a good assumption to believe they will be 100% accurate 100% of the time. When bottle raised from a kitten a serval can get along with other household pets. However, since they are carnivores, you will most likely find their relationship with your pet that would be natural prey (birds, hamsters, sugar gliders, etc) in their native habitat, tasty.

Servals can be dangerous to small children. While I don't believe a bottle raised serval intends to hurt a small child, their playful nature would make a toddler great fun to stalk and play with, which could get out of hand and hurt your child. Therefore I do not recommend them in a household with children under the age of about 6.

When considering sharing your home with a serval, remember that these felines possess all the strength, grace & agility of their African cousins. "Proofing" your house accordingly is prudent. This includes unstable furniture and bookshelves, since a serval can jump as high as 8 feet straight up. While exotic species of animals can recognize their name, they tend to "come" to you at their convenience, not yours. Because of their incredible ability to jump and climb, you cannot ever simply release your serval, like you would a dog, and expect it to ever return. ALWAYS have complete control of your pet (such as a secure harness with the lead wrapped around your hand, not just held there) whenever it is not in a completely enclosed and safe place for both it and others around you. This includes fenced in areas without a top.

Wild: Birds, rabbits, and other small mammals
Captivity: ZuPreem Feline Diet, Mazuri Small Exotic Feline Diet, raw chicken and turkey

There are many successful ways to feed a Serval in a pet environment. Do your research and pick out what best suits you. I feed my breeding adults once a day. In my breeding environment I feed a variety of foods that include, but are not limited to ZuPreem Feline Diet, a premium brand cat food, raw chicken leg quarters, other raw chicken parts, and raw ground turkey. I will be adding Mazuri Small Exotic Feline Diet in the future.

When bottle raised from a kitten, an exotic cat can get along with other similar sized household pets. However, since they are carnivores, you will most likely find their relationship with any other pets (birds, hamsters, sugar gliders, etc.) that would be natural prey in their native habitat as tasty.

When considering sharing your home with a Serval, please remember that these felines possess all the strength, grace and agility of their larger and smaller feline cousins. "Proofing" your house accordingly is prudent. This includes unstable furniture and bookshelves, since an exotic cat can jump as high as 8 feet straight up.

I recommend that you have some sort of area or enclosure where you can be assured of your baby's safety as well as the safety of your home. How much time is actually spent in this can somewhat determine what size it needs to be. If you have an outdoor enclosure, it needs to have a top on it. There needs to be both shade and sun available. Bigger is always better. Our housing is chain link enclosures that are 12x24 feet and 6 feet high. We use a large plastic doghouse in some of our pens, wood houses in others. When building your enclosure, keep in mind your environment and provide what is necessary for a happy, healthy cat.

Sexual maturity: 18 to 24 months
Breeding season:
Gestation: 66 to 77 days
Litter Size: 1 to 4 kittens

Servals can breed anytime of the year, spring and fall being most common. They can produce between 1-6 kittens. Two or three have been most common here. Servals can be ready to breed as early as 18 months of age, but two years is more common. Every pair of cats has their own unique breeding behaviors. While many pairs of cats can be secretive about breeding, Sassy and Sambo, our breeding pair of servals at Julie's Jungle, were hand raised by myself, and seem to not be shy at all. During Sassy's heat, each time I walk by their enclosure they show me they are doing their best to create beautiful serval kittens!!

Bottle-feeding is not necessary to get a great bond with your kitten, but bottling your kitten greatly enhances and facilitates this bonding experience. The younger your kitten is when you officially adopt it, the quicker the bond.

Kittens can be weaned in the 6-12 week range. You will want to get your kitten on to a once- or twice-a-day feeding at about 4 months old.

Start litter training as soon as your kitten starts going to the bathroom on it's own. Exotic cats litter train somewhat easily, but it's never a good assumption to believe they will be 100% accurate 100% of the time.

Serval kittens are quite playful and extremely affectionate. Like any other kitten, they like to play with toys and stalk imaginary prey. In order to keep them happy and healthy, you should provide your kitten with plenty of opportunities to play with a variety of toys for mental stimulation and enrichment.

When raising your kitten, keep in mind that this is a carnivore and a predator. While roughhousing and pouncing are great fun with a six-week-old kitten, these same behaviors can get out of hand as a 30 pound adult. Play gently and never allow mouthing on your person. Use toys for these activities.

I personally recommend de-clawing all four feet. As early as your vet will do this procedure is best, hopefully around five weeks of age. I feel this greatly enhances the quality of life for both you and your kitten since you both can interact together safely. Servals can unintentionally scratch you during play. Your furniture will be saved as well. De-clawing is, however, a personal choice, and this is simply my recommendation.

I also recommend neuter/spay in a pet setting. This can prevent spraying/marking behavior, and keep you pet the mellow individual it is. Discuss a vaccination and worming schedule with your vet as well.

Approximate life span:

Males: 15-20 years in captivity
Females: 15-20 years in captivity

Natural Habitat Range: North Africa, Aberdare Mountains, Mount Kenya, Mau Forest and Kilimanjaro, areas below the Sahara Desert, around rivers where there is heavy vegetation.

Other Costs: shipping or pick up, supplies (as kittens and as adults), enclosures (caging), toys, and food. Routine veterinarian services can include general health check up, vaccinations, worming, spay/neuter, and de-clawing. Often a vet will charge more for exotic care than domestic animals (cats or dogs).

BEFORE YOU HIT SEND OR PICK UP THE PHONE…

Chances are the answers to your questions are found somewhere on our site. There are also questions we ask of you BEFORE we'll answer any inquiries. Please review our site completely, especially our Policies page.

Please remember that the animal health and husbandry information contained on this page is merely what has worked for us. Please realize that we do not claim to know all the answers about each animal, but can only offer you the best information we have based on our experience. This information is not meant to be a substitute for common sense and proper veterinary care. Remember that age, health, sex, metabolism and individual temperament can vary from animal to animal to dictate the proper environmental and nutritional requirements for each individual animal. Please use common sense and monitor your animal's condition daily. If you have questions, please consult your veterinarian directly if the health and welfare of your animal is in question.

This caresheet is just a beginning and is not intended to be your entire education about Servals. There are so many things to know and talk about that we simply cannot remember to list everything you will need to know. We are also just one opinion, and you should solicit other opinions to see what others think before you make up your mind. It is your responsibility to find out as much as you possibly can BEFORE you decide to buy a Serval.

For more information on Servals, you can join these free Yahoo! Groups discussion lists at:

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Serval

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exoticcatbreeds