An exotic cat is NOT just a "larger cat" that will fit in your house like a regular domestic cat
You ABSOLUTELY MUST check the law in your State AND County AND (if you live inside the limits) your City to find out if you may even have an exotic cat... and do NOT buy an exotic cat "anyway" and figure the authorities will never find out... all it takes is one telephone call, and you have a very unhappy, maybe even dead, cat
An exotic cat still has 100% of all the WILD INSTINCTS developed over thousand's of generations of only the fittest cats living to become an adult and have children, so they react VERY differently to every day life compared to a domestic cat
Some of the things an exotic cat will do:
Please, before you think about buying an exotic cat, find a sanctuary or other cat facility in your area and volunteer time for a year or two, to gain a better understanding of the committment needed to bring such a cat into your life... these cats live 20 or more years, so don't rush to make a decision that you may regret later
The bonding process ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES that you have time... hours and hours of time... to interact with your cat while it is growing up (Gee... just like human children!) so do not think you may lock your baby in a cage while you go off to work and then expect a grown cat which loves you... please do NOT obtain an exotic kitten unless you have the time each and every day to spend with your cat while it is forming a personality
Cats in the wild are taught to hunt and survive but not, except in the case of Lions, to get along with other cats... you, on the other hand, are trying to raise an exotic cat which will still like you, and if not accept, at least not attack other people, when it is an adult... so be prepared to spend every waking hour (the cat's waking hours, not yours) playing with your kitten as it grows into an adult
Some Information about OUR Serval
We brought our girl home at 4 weeks old (see the picture page) to a house which already had adult domestic cats, so she grew up accepting them as part of her world... but be aware that SOME exotic cats, even when raised with domestics, will not accept ANY OTHER CAT in the family once grown to an adult, with an adult's need to establish territory
Our Serval, at 6+ years old as of May 2004, still accepts all of the domestics in her world... but that is no guarantee that any other Serval will do the same
Terrie works out of a home office, John goes off to work every day... so since Terrie was the one who had the "hours and hours" of time for daily attention while E'Leisha was a baby, the bonding is...
For 3 domestics and 1 Serval we have a total of FIVE litter boxes in the house (actually, 4 in the house and 1 in the totally enclosed deck which all cats may reach by means of a "flap door" in a side wall) which we scoop at least once, sometimes twice a day... a Serval does not like to pee and poop in the same box, so having several boxes is very important (the enclosed deck has 14 guage welded wire on an all weather frame... as well as a double door external entrance so one door is ALWAYS closed... check regulations in your area before building an outdoor enclosure)
3 of those litter boxes are actually mortar mixing pans from a local building supply... since a Serval is larger than a domestic cat, a JUMBO litter pan is needed
The first couple of years, E'Leisha used litter boxes 100% of the time... but somewhere between 2 and 3 years old she decided that she need to MARK her territory... smelly and not nice (when we sold our old house, we had to rip the carpet, and pad, out of the spare bedroom and replace everything... our new house has tile floors in most places)
Since Servals (almost all cats) are creatures of habit, we found a solution to her marking that MIGHT work for someone else
When E'Leisha does stay out, is is usually when we have just a few people over for a dinner party... and then it is so she may "browse" the menu and "talk" to everyone until she is given her share (sigh... it was "cute" when she was a baby to give her snacks from the table... it is not as cute now that she is long enough to stand on her back legs and DEMAND a share of the food... and reach out with one of those long Serval legs if the offering is not fast enough... so we have learned to keep a few small bowls on the table with special treats, for those people who don't want to share their own dinner with the "Princess" who demands her royal share)
Speaking of food... one small problem with E'Leisha has been that she does not like the taste (or texture) of any vitamin added to her raw food diet... so after a lot of trial and error, what we have found to work is:
The Serval (Felinae Leprailurus Serval) is a native of Africa, and countries south of the Sahara. The Serval lives in well watered grasslands and is confined to the areas near water, however they do not prefer densely forested areas that do not provide sufficient cover for their activities.
The adult Serval grows to about 18-to-40 pounds (the male grows larger than the female) and stands about 22-24 inches high at the shoulder. Servals measure about 28-to-40 inches in length (just head and body) with a tail that ranges in length from 9-to-18 inches. Servals have their own "branch" of the Felinae family tree, so do not have any direct "cousins". (they are cross-fertile with other Felinae)
1-to-3 kittens are born after a gestation period of about 74 days. Servals live 15-to-20 years, usually longer in captivity due to better diet and less stress. (plus not being hunted by larger carnivores or mankind)
The young begin to eat solid food when they reach 1 month in age and acquire their permanent teeth when they are about 6 months. Vocalizations include a shrill cry (young Servals make a sound that is amazingly like a bird's "chirp"), growls and hisses, and purrs.
Servals in the wild are known to be highly specialized rodent catchers, Servals use their large ears to catch their prey in tall grass. They are also known to eat frogs, lizards, birds and insects. Servals in the wild have been observed to leap as high as 10 feet in the air to knock flying birds to the ground, where they use their long legs to deliver a "knockout punch" to stun their prey. The Serval has large, funnel-shaped ears that swivel to pinpoint the source of a noise. It also has two white markings on the back of each ear (white flashes) which are used when communicating with other cats. For example, to express aggression, the Serval's ears will be held upright. This serves as an aggressive message to other cats. The white flashes are also used to help kittens or cubs follow their mother in dark forests or at night.
The Servals habitat ranges from dry open plains grasslands through woodland savanna to the moister areas around the equatorial rainforests and grassy uplands of central Africa's mountainous regions up to 10,000 feet. Although the serval's range covers a fairly large proportion of the African continent, the cat is closely associated with water and therefore populations tend to be fragmented.
In much of its range, the Serval is primarily crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) although nocturnal hunting is found to be common in areas closer to human habitation. In the Serengeti, the cat has been observed hunting by day, which it is thought corresponds to the main activity period of its prey in this particular region. Although a medium sized cat, the serval's prey tends to be mammals such as hare, rodents including mole rats, ground squirrels and vlei rats and birds such as quails, quelea and flamingoes. In some areas frogs make up a large proportion of the servals diet, although this has been found to be localized, mainly centered on the wetter areas of the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.
The Serval is a specialized hunter and has particularly sophisticated hearing to assist it in its task of pinpointing its small prey. As with the other rodent specialist of Africa, the Sand Cat, the Serval has enlarged auditory sensors, which are used to listen for the ultrasonic high frequencies omitted by rodents. The long legs of the Serval also serve to aid prey detection, enabling the cat to see over the tall Savannah grasses for signs of movement. The Serval is often observed giving a characteristic vertical leap to pounce down directly onto its unsuspecting quarry. In short bursts the cat is also able to reach high speeds and is capable of jumping up to 10 feet off the ground to catch birds.
Approximately similar in size to the Caracal, the Serval has extraordinarily long legs for its body size, making them look almost like a small Cheetah. The base fur color is sandy to reddish brown and is covered in dark spots which have a tendency to merge into stripes along the top of the back. The Serval has a small but long head and large rounded ears marked with alternating black and white stripes on the rear of the ear. One white stripe, near the top of the ear, is larger, from a distance almost seeming to be another set of backward looking eyes. The tail has several rings and a black tip.
The Serval has been hunted throughout its range for its attractive coat. In general the animal is protected in most countries and is listed in CITES Appendix 2 as threatened. The "official" captive population of Servals, according to the December 31, 1996 ISIS report (International Species Identification System) lists 80 institutions world-wide housing 216 Servals in captivity. This does not, of course, count Servals held by private owners.
Felis catus, the domestic cat, is a recent addition to the Felidae, evolving about 7,000 years ago probably as a relative of the African wild cat. Domestication coincided with the shift from nomadic life to permanent settlement around 5000 B.C. The resulting agriculture and subsequent storage of grain attracted rodents which in turn attracted cats. Cats are known to have been domesticated in Egypt by 2000 B.C., where they were associated with the Egyptian goddess Bastet. Cats were mummified as offerings, and buried in tombs by the millions, by the ancient Egyptians.
Compared with other carnivores, the felids have a relatively short muzzle and a broad, rounded head. The lion is an exception with a relatively longer face and smaller brain case, and the cheetah with a very high skull. With the exception of the lion, the fur is soft and often marked with spots or stripes. Cats are specialized hunters having extremely limber but compact bodies. The whiskers, which are actually specialized hairs, are well developed and the felids have acute sight, hearing and sense of smell. There is a wide variation in the size and appearance of the members of this family; the smallest wild cats similar in size to domestic cats, whereas the larger cat species, the tiger, has an overall length of up to 9 feet including the tail. Most cats are nocturnal and all, except the lion, generally hunt alone.
Hunting is a culmination of a series of learned actions including stalking, chasing, and pouncing. The cat's ability to move with ease and to remain motionless for long periods of time, often up to 30 minutes until it can creep closer for the final dash, is a key to successful hunting. Generally it is only after the prey has been seized with the forepaws that the cat actually bites the prey. The first bite is frequently at the base of the neck, on the shoulder, or positioned to gain control of the prey and better position the claws. The lethal bite is generally at the nape of the neck, where damage to the brain or spinal cord kills the victim quickly. On larger prey, the lethal bite often occurs in the throat area resulting in suffocation.
The big cats have 30 teeth, 15 on each side of the skull; three upper and three lower incisors, one upper and one lower canine, three upper and two lower premolars, one upper and one lower molar. The canine teeth in the felids are generally wedge-shaped and contain large numbers of pressure sensing nerve endings. These physical traits enable the felid to feel with its canines, for the junction or space between the adjacent vertebrae, enabling it to dispatch the prey quickly. None of the Felid teeth are flattened for grinding as typically found in humans and other species that eat an omnivorous diet.
Little is known about the cats' sense of smell or taste. They apparently rely little on scent to locate prey, as do other carnivores, but smell seems to be important when big cats communicate with other members of its own species. It is believed that receptor sites take on odors, with each discernable odor having a unique receptor. These sites then send chemical/electrical messages to the brain for processing, by way of the olfactory nerves. The olfactory system receives odorous information through the nostrils, but cats also have a secondary olfactory system in which smells travel to the brain through two tiny openings in the roof of the mouth.
Cats have a highly developed sense of hearing which is important for survival and locating prey. Some species, such as the large-eared Serval, rely on sound almost exclusively for locating prey. The cheetah, whose daytime hunting habits depend primarily on sight, rely little on sound in locating prey. The oval shape of the external ears help intensify and funnel sound into the inner ears for processing. The inner ear also serves as a center for orientation and balance during jumps and leaps. Along with sensory information from the ears and eyes, a superb involuntary reflex helps a falling cat to right itself. In an automatic twisting reaction, the head rotates, then the spine and hind quarters align. At the same time, the cat arches its back to reduce the force of the impact when all four feet touch the ground.
The structure of the felid eye shows adaptations for increased visual acuity. The pupil and the lens, in the eye of an animal capable of seeing in very dim light, are much enlarged relative to the size of the retina, the layer of light sensitive cells at the back of the eye. The high proportion of extremely light sensitive cells in the retina (rods), compared to the cells optimized for vision in high intensity lighting (cones), allows the felids to be well suited for low light conditions. The retina in nocturnal animals, including the cats, are rendered more effective by the addition of a reflective layer behind the retina, the tapetum lucidum. Light that has passed through the retina without being absorbed, and therefore not sensed by the cells of the retina, is reflected by the tapetum, passes back through the retina, and thus has another chance of being registered by a detector cell. The light that is not detected by the retina, during both passes through the eye, is reflected out of the eye through the pupil and creates the distinctive yellow-green eyeshine when observing cats at night. The eye structure of the felids greatly improves the light gathering ability of the eyes and results in night vision about six times better than that of humans.
Unlike most carnivores, felids have retractable claws which are extended to help grasp and slash prey, and when not in use are retracted into protective sheaths. This permits only the soft pads of the foot to touch the ground surface, resulting in the silent stalking characteristically attributed to cats. The extension of the razor-sharp claws during the chase; providing exceptional traction; and the attack, securing and controlling the prey, have evolved to provide the felid with an effective mechanism for acquiring prey. The field mechanism for claw retraction is an intricate one that combines a special shaping of the ends of the digits, ligaments that pull the claws back when not in use, a balance between the tendons that flex and those that extend the digits, and a fleshy sheath that surrounds and hides the retracted claw. Interestingly, this unique mechanical system of digits, ligaments and tendons allows the felids to curl their toes without extending their claws. The exception is the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus); its blunt, non-retractable claws give it a good grip on the ground as it sprints at up to 60 miles per hour.
The tongue of the cat is unique among the carnivores. Although it is primarily a body cleaning tool, it is also an important part of the feeding apparatus. The upper surface of the tongue is covered with short pointed projections called papillae, giving it the appearance of a wood rasp. Although small and somewhat insignificant in the house cats, the papillae of large cats are formidable instruments. Scraps of meat and other food items are easily separated from the surface of bone by passing the tongue over the area to be cleaned. Hand feeding captive cubs is often aided by the insertion of a finger into the mouth, initiating the suckling instinct, and quickly replacing it with the nipple of the bottle. This sucking on fingers and thumbs is apparently enjoyable for the felids, as it is for the humans, and the process is often observed with adult cats and their handlers. Thumb sucking by adult felids can result in bleeding thumbs and fingers, actually scraped raw by the rasping action of the papillae on the skin.
A fundamental difference between the big cats of the genus Panthera and the small cats of the genus Felis, is that the big cats roar but cannot purr, whereas the small cats can purr but cannot roar. The roar is a distinct vocalization, very loud and resonant, which is produced by the pantherines; the lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard. The ability of these cats to roar is reflected in the structure of the bones supporting the larynx. This series of bones called the hyoid, was once part of the set of gill arch supports in the fishlike animal that was the distant ancestor of animals. The hyoid structure, greatly modified through evolution, functions today in mammals as a bony sling and site of muscle attachment for the trachea (windpipe) and larynx (voice box) and provides support for the tongue and its musculature. Purring, as observed in domestic cats, appears to be limited to pumas and cheetahs among the big cats.
Most big cats prefer to hunt at night or at dawn and dusk, but their daily activities vary, depending on season, the weather, and the periods when prey are usually active. Between hunting trips and bouts of feeding, big cats rest and sleep. When large prey is plentiful, and kills are easy to make, big cats spend much of the day resting after gorging on a large meal. When cats must survive on smaller prey that are dispersed over a large area, they spend far more time traveling and hunting.
Send me a note about YOUR feline friends jtsmith@pacifier.com