Mischief came to us as an owner surrender in December 2021 at approximately 12 weeks old, they thought he was a Savannah hybrid, but it turned out he is a full-blooded African serval. He is a gorgeous cat and has a lot of energy, just like kittens do. We put him in with our 17 year old serval, Monzo, it took a little bit of time but now they enjoy each other’s company and we have even caught them chasing each other around, we haven’t seen Monzo run in years so Mischief is helping to keep him young! We also harness Mischief and take him for leisurely walks around the compound, his favorite go-to spot is a room in our barn that has a bunch of hay bales in it so he can play King of the Hill! He is very busy filling his brain with information which will be very important for him to use later in life. This is why getting a serval as a house pet can be so detrimental as being a lazy house cat is not their nature.
ORDER: Carnivora
FAMILY: Felidae
GENUS: Leptailurus
SPECIES: Serval
Servals are the mid-size cat (25 to 40 lbs.) of Africa, known for their long legs, small head, long neck, and large ears. They are most active at dawn and dusk and live a solitary life unless it is a mother with kittens. These cats are territorial and great jumpers, six feet high from a stand still. This jumping ability is a big part of their hunting strategy. They sit quietly listening with their giant ears for things like rats, mice, gophers, frogs, reptiles, and birds and then jump surprising their prey. Because of this jumping ability, they have a higher than average hunting success rate. Servals are pregnant for approximately 70 days producing 2 to 4 kittens a litter. They stay behind while mama goes out alone to hunt for them, and at about 3 months, start to join her to hone their hunting instincts. The kittens start with insects and work their way up the food chain. They stay with her for about a year before she pushes them out to find their own territory. This can often be tough on the male kittens as she must chase them far away to avoid inbreeding.
Threats
Hyenas, leopards, hunting dogs, fur trade, bushmeat and pet trade.
Conservation Status
LC - Least Concern