Has anyone here worked with wild cats? (serval/ bengal hybrid in the house

I adopted a serval/ bengal hybrid from a very odd woman two days ago. She no longer wanted him because of his destructive chewing (WTF did she expect? He's NOT a housecat)! He did fine on the ride home, but went into full "wildcat" mode about an hour after he arrived here. Now he's in a huge bathroom at the back of my house, with glass doors that go outside and into my bedroom. He tries to attack when I enter the room, and he's huge; 25-30 pounds-I DON'T want him on my back! I tried asking Big Cat Rescue for suggestions, but all I got was a rant about hybrid pets (yeah, I agree-but that doesn't help me now). I'm in Florida. Any suggestions?

Ashiki, BEFORE I brought him home:

such a dangerous animal, and one tht you probably knew was doing to be dangerous?

It is even legal to have?

I don't want to sound rude because I like you, but taking that thing home was, um, nuts.

Hoping for the best solution for you.

Redstone

wild cats as pets are not illegal in a lot of places. There are plenty of counties in NC where they are legal. Hell, you can keep a tiger in your backyard and the gov't won't say a word.

I'm sorry I don't have a suggestion for you Lorien. But wow, just keep him away from your other kitties for the time being until he can settle down.

she's a physical therapist who has clients in and out of her home office all day, and he's never misbehaved around any of them. She claimed his only issue was the chewing (and since she refused to have proper chew toys around the house, it wasn't surprising that he chewed non-toy items). I do pet rescue, so I'm used to working with all kinds of pets, but obviously, this Frankenkitty should never have been a pet.

Long story short; her reactions to his destructive chewing was leading toward a disastrous situation for them both.

And since I live in Florida, the laws are stupid here-anyone can own one of these. :-(

win in a brawl. I am not sure if this one can be saved since it's full-grown, but maybe it will be all right once it settles in. Some breeds do not change territories easily. :(

Just a larger more alert/hyper cat. Sort of like a dog.

Servals and Savannah cats like to get a lot of exercise! Expect to spend much of your time at home playing fetch or chase or "kitty fishing." If their humans don't give them enough to do they'll start making up projects, most of which involve shredding things and chewing them up.

Tucker

She didn't play much with him, and wouldn't let him have many toys because she's a health nut who won't allow anything processed into the home. She also wouldn't leash train him because she didn't want to vaccinate him. :eyes:

Yeah, I'm not surprised he chewed up everything; he's smart and he was bored. And not getting him vaccinated is just nuts; even if he's a 100% indoor cat, you always have to consider the possibility that he might slip out the door someday. I bet she didn't get him chipped, either.

Tucker

but Turks are called "the border collies of the cat world", so it's hard to compare them. This guy is very, very smart, though.

Servals tend to be more social than domestic cats and are often described as being "dog like."

Tucker

Then yes, I'd want one. I used to hang around the local exotics shop and drool over the servals and caracals.

Tucker

But not both. As much as Gideon wants a kitty, I know the kind of kitty he's talking about is a mellow pushover house-cat type.

Tucker

I've fostered bengal cats before....x(

If people must breed Savannahs they should be breeding the Serval with a more domesticated breed of house cat, like Siamese or Maine Coon. Bengals I've known have all had anxiety/hypervigilance issues from the wild side of their heritage--they're just more high-strung.

Tucker

because I can adopt them out five times and they keep coming back to me! Bengals DO NOT get along well with other pets in my experience. The Asian Leopard cat was a terrible choice for hybrids!At least servals are semi-domesticated in Africa.

They don't do well with other animals, or with children, and they don't usually want to be petted much. They aren't lap cats. And from the disposition of most I've seen, they aren't particularly *happy* animals, either. :-(

Tucker

and after a bumpy start, she is now getting along with a shelter full of kitties! she went from terribly agitated by any contact through the cage to snuggling up with them on the window seat.

I really think it's the bengal half that's causing the problems. The servals that I've met are pretty laid back.

fosters. Tribal was rehomed three times before finally finding a forever home with a couple in South Carolina who had no other pets.I hope that Isobella has an easier time of it!

Unfortunately, you may have to stave off another anti-hybrid rant, but they might be able to help you.

I wish I could help more than that.

Good luck. :hug:

I just talked to someone at the Columbus zoo who trains the big cats that Jack Hannah brings on Letterman. He said that a sanctuary may be the best option, since this guy hasn't been properly trained since kittenhood. He gave me the name of a guy down here in Florida-waiting to hear back from him now.(fingers crossed)

He's lovely and I can see why you would want him. But he's wild.... a sanctuary might be best for both of you.

It is possible (within limits) to tame wild animals. But it takes a lot of work and they still remain wild.

Khash.

moved into a territory that has LOTS of other cats' scents.. I would just put food & litter for him and keep the room a bit dark.. Give him a safe place to hide.. He probably is very uncomfortable right now..

When he gets used to your scent he'll probably calm down.. Wear gloves and some heavy sweats in case he "jumps you".. (not likely)..He's probably trying to scare you off.. You might enter the room with a spray bottle of water, set to stream.. That might set you up as the dominant , and all powerful one..

Good luck..:)

He's got his (dog) carrier in there, and he does hide in it sometimes. Unfortunately he loves water, so I'll have to come up with another deterrent.

It's just so sad that people breed these guys as pets; he's not wild, he's not domestic-so he doesn't really fit into either world. :-(

The only experience I can speak from is that. He's in a new area and is probably freaked out by the smell of other cats.

Don't be surprised if he marks (sprays) up the room...but he will feel a little better after he does.

Has he been neutered? That might help his aggressiveness a little

Also probably best to stay away from him except to feed him for a while...

Beautiful cat btw...

that had some wild cat in him.. he was HUGE, but was a gentle soul (with ME)..anyone else got pounced on:)

The vet may prescribe a mild sedative for him to help mellow him until he gets used to the new digs:)

Drugs are good in this situation. I was armed with a hypo and a sedative at all first homecomings with hybrids!

;-)

If he appears to be about to go off on you, shake the can REALLY LOUDLY to distract him and interrupt him.

It's going to take time, especially if he's not used to living with a lot of other cats. Right now he's freaked out, just like a domestic cat at a new house might be. Expect the adjustment time to be at least a couple of weeks.

Servals and Savannah cats (the hybrid) can be really good pets. Have you ever used clicker-training before? It's a good way to train big cats; they respond really well to positive reinforcement. Also, do you already have an Exotics vet? Health care for non-domestic and hybrid animals can be a little different than from domestic care, and your exotics vet may be able to put you in touch with other people with Servals or Savannahs.

Good luck!

Tucker

but they haven't been helpful-it's like they don't want to acknowledge that an F1 can potentially behave this way (my guess, anyway). The can trick sounds like a good idea. I clicker trained my Maine Coon to come, jump up, do high fives, etc. Works great, and I tried to get the savannah's previous owner to try it, but she would have none of it. I'll give it a shot once he calms down.

Anything big and potentially dangerous really *has* to be well-trained, and worked with daily.

Tucker

just because Ashiki loves water. There's a bobcat at the local college's environmental center who was "rescued," probably quite unnecessarily, as a weeks-old kitten, and who's entirely comfortable with most humans, especially women. Due to some human misbehavior, however, an incident occurred in which a student was clawed rather badly. (The bobcat had the habit of jumping up into the arms of anyone he fancied. He still does it with me--likes to get on my shoulders and pull mouthfuls of hair, purring madly.) The director of the center asked advice from the curators at a major zoo and of a wildlife rescue in the area, and they suggested the squirt bottle. It's worked, and no one else has had an unpleasant experience. This bobcat also loves water. In fact, he has his own pool in his enclosure.

He's one of my favorite and most cooperative models. Here he is at about a year old:

I'll take a small squirt bottle into the room next time. He's really, really depressed right now-I can just see it in his face and posture. I'm just so pissed that his previous owner would give him up like that!

I know a bobcat at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa that does the same thing (jumping on shoulders and purring madly). Must be a bobcat thing! I've tried contacting Big Cat Rescue about Ashiki-but all I get is a lecture about hybrids. *sigh*

I'm sorry Big Cat Rescue didn't see fit to be more useful. I see their point about not hybridizing, but that certainly doesn't help the hybrids that are already with us and need and deserve our care. I don't understand why someone would go to the trouble of obtaining one of these cats and yet fail to be aware of the kind of commitment that's necessary. "Pissed" is better than the previous owner deserves.

Anyway. Some other possibly useful parallels: Lucky-the-bobcat's favorite toys are tennis balls. You might try rubbing one with one of the suggested herbs--maybe the parsley, since he responded so well to it, or valerian (don't know how kitties stand the smell! Phew!)--for him. Put the ball in an old boot, if you have one, and let him fish it out. Tie one of those heavy braided rope tug-of-war things for dogs onto the end of a length of sturdy clothesline and drag it around for him to chase and "kill." If you can find a metal can with a metal screw-on top--an old fashioned baking powder tin, for instance--put half a dozen marbles in it. It makes a good bat-and-chase toy and remains intriguing because the noismakers are completely inaccessible.

Good luck to you both, and keep us posted.

Might make a great toy. Remove the fur weasel since it won't last long anyway. You don't even need to put a battery in it since it will roll erratically without it.

wildlife sanctuary here in Orlando today. I really didn't want to take the cat originally; I made every suggestion I could think of to keep him in his home with his former owner. I told her that re-homing must be thought of as a LAST resort-what's best for the animal is to keep it in it's original home, as long as that's a healthy environment. Her home IS a great environment for him-but she just goes ballistic when he chews on non-food items and immediately wants to get him out of her sight. I think she's a bit bi-polar or something; she makes certain that he gets an ideal diet every day, but then nearly wrings his neck (literally) when he chews on a shoe out of boredom. It makes no sense! I know that he would be lonely in a sanctuary, but at least he'd have fresh air and sunshine, and no one would be yelling at him for behaving like a wild animal. It's just a really sad situation.

I know it's easy to say from a thousand and half miles away, with a year-old Siamese the wildest thing in my own house, but try to hang in there with Ashiki. He's been a an affectionate house cat, and that means he can be one again. His behavior isn't all that different from that of a Siamese my dad brought home when I was--I think--in seventh grade. Her Air Force humans were being transferred to Germany and couldn't take her. She was fine in the car coming home, but when she got through the door and caught sight of one of her new sisters, she turned around and nailed him right in the upper lip. That was the end of his mustache, and the beginning of almost a week growling and snarling under my parents' bed and clawing at any feet that happened by. Didn't eat for two or three days that we could see, though may have come out at night to raid the other cats' dishes. The upshot was that she did aclimate, found her place in the hierarchy and settled down to be an affectionate if very demanding kitty. Now, she didn't weigh 25 pounds and wasn't fit to take your hand off (just a piece of my poor dad's face), but she did work out.

Here's continuing to hope the best for you and Ashiki.

today. Not great work, but I was worried about him lunging at me the whole time.The close up was taken through the back door-at least he wasn't hissing or growling.



He was watching a feather toy here, but he's still "hunkered down", so I know he's not entirely comfortable yet:







A little playtime:



The meeting with the man from the sanctuary got delayed until tomorrow-he was stuck in holiday traffic!

Looks as though the depression might be lifting, at least a little. Is he eating yet? Fingers crossed for you both.

turkey neck "treat" that I gave him yesterday. He has a naturally happy expression that's a bit deceptive.

The other problem is Puck, my Turkish Angora. She has no fear of him (at least with the glass between them) and hurls herself at the glass door when he gets near them. They can really get each other going! I don't think she would last long in a match against him, so I hope that she learns to chill out!

The only thing that seems unusual here in introducing strange cats to each other is Ashiki's size and strength. How do the other two react to him?

but he stretched against the glass doors last night-he's not as big as Ashiki, but Ashiki had never seen such a huge cat before! He backed up and his eyes got wide. Oberon's fur makes him look larger than he is, so that might give him an edge. Plus Obie and Puck have their front claws and Ashiki does not!

*he stretched against the glass doors last night-he's not as big as Ashiki, but Ashiki had never seen such a huge cat before! He backed up and his eyes got wide. Oberon's fur makes him look larger than he is, so that might give him an edge.*

This is good. If Oberon can begin to establish dominance while there's still a barrier between them, things will go much more smoothly when it becomes safe to open the door.

You're doing a wonderful job with Ashiki. Don't be disheartened. If he did as well as he did before with an evident nutjob, he'll do exponentially better with you.

From those pictures, it looks as though he is beginning to feel a little safer; his body posture looks as though he doesn't think he's in danger. Which means you've been doing great work with him (no surprise there).

I know you've got a lot of work ahead of you, but I'm still terribly envious (in a nice way though). It is unbelievably kind of you to take on the challenge of a big scared half-wildcat critter, and I know he'll do just fine with you.

Happy Holidays to you and everyone at your house!

All I can offer is that you need to work more with him and give him reinforcement.

He seems to be far more serval than bengal. I think he needs a big outdoor enclosure, as well as being allowed to come inside once a day.

has one. She is a freak. Not implying anything regarding you. Just that she has the head to deal with this exotic. I've seen her feed it a whole cooked cornish game hen.

She also has a bobcat/ African Jungle Cat hybrid. She has a history of buying expensive exotic cats, then passing them on to others when they start acting like what they are. Believe it or not, she now wants another exotic "replacement" for this one! :eyes:

I already did that with my rottweiler rescue.

as snuggly and cuddly as can be-and he's great to spoon with on chilly nights!

There are people who can live very well with an exotic animal, but they're rare and usually don't care about their furniture. Anyone who's passing their animals on and getting replacements should be encouraged to get a new hobby like volunteering at their local wildlife rehabilitation center, where they can have plenty of contact with unusual creatures without the all-day-every-day commitment.

Tucker

LICENSE to own one of these animals-along with signing an agreement that they will build an outdoor enclosure for it and spend X number of hours interacting with it daily. A friend of mine has a Meerkat colony, and you wouldn't believe the number of permits and inspections she goes through yearly-and meerkats won't eat you!

Either a class, or an apprenticeship program like falconers have, or at least a really intense test. And it should be customized to the species people are applying to own.

Tucker

could be domesticated.

Although, I guess if you can domesticate a prairie dog, that's kind the the same sort of critter,yes?

But maybe not...zebras do look lie striped horses, but try to domesticate one of THOSE!

If you have the time to reply, I'd like to hear about the meerkats.

Redstone

The only non-mainstream pet I've ever really wanted was a skunk, but you can't get de-scented skunks in this state. Skunks are smart and a lot of fun, but don't live very long.
Redstone

they are very intelligent and highly social,so less than ideal enclosures without other meerkats will make them miserable and highly dependant on their humans. I met Pam, the "meerkat mom" through our mutual friend Mike who had used one of her meerkats as the basis for Timon in "the Lion King" (also named Timon). Hers is the only private facility in the US for Meerkats. Here's a bit more info: www.meerkats.com

Cool!! Last I heard there was only one in North America.

Tucker

www.meerkats.com

I was illustrating a book about a meerkat and needed reference, so my friend and former boss Mike Surrey-animator of Timon in "the Lion King"-got me in touch with Pam and we arranged a visit. I've been back several times since and we've become good friends.

I'm so glad there's enough regulation to keep meerkats out of the exotics market. They have all the hallmarks of the kind of animal that becomes a "hot new craze" and then gets dumped by people who didn't know what they were getting into: really cute, really intelligent, and really gonna need a lot of specialized care.

Tucker

Timon was born with a birth defect and was never accepted by her "mob", so Pam, her husband and their dogs became Timon's mob. Timon would become absolutely frantic if she couldn't see either of them out of the front window, and she really had those dogs trained, too!

because if they get out they'll devestate the local wildlife. There was an episode of Ultimate Zoo about one with a meerkat colony, and they had to take a ridiculous number of precautions.

food out. And give him a place to poop. Let him chill in the house for a few days. Then take him to the vet. Get him checked out. That's my two cents. I'm sort of jealous. I always wanted one of those.

(about 13' X 15'), and has glass doors to the deck, and French doors to my bedroom-plus a kitty tree, toys, jumbo litter box,etc. I called that room "kittenopolis" before he came because I usually had a litter of foster kittens or two in there-it's a great place for cats.

Don't be jealous-this guy ain't no lap kitty! (I prefer my domestics, frankly).

He's GORGEOUS! Just like the other cats who live with you! I've never met them, yet I love all your cats! They're all some of the most beautiful and/or cutest cats I've ever seen.

As for advice, I've never had the luck to actually work with a wild cat, but I do watch a lot of TV. They seem to be, behavior-wise, like any other cat - just bigger and with more destructive potential. Stuart, my non-wild 22-pound Maine Coon/Turkish Angora boy, loves to play with empty (or full, but that's another story) gallon water jugs just like smaller wild cats on TV, so you might see if Ashiki will play with one with you. Playing and feeding seem to be the way to the heart of any cat (disclaimer: I may watch too much Animal Planet).

What's a Turk/ MC mix like? My Oberon is an MC, while Puck is a Turk-and her personality is very much like that my late half Turkish Angora Peewee; very intelligent, involved, and devoted-and HYPER! Oberon is a typical Maine Coon; loving and laid back, not a mean bone in his body. I wonder which personality would win in a mix?

I've been trying to think of some games for Ashiki. He loves his feather fishing pole toy, but he needs something that offers him a real challenge.

Laser-pointer chase (you can get the red dot of a laser pointer to move a lot faster than the kitty-fishing-pole). A large cardboard box with a couple of treats hidden somewhere inside it; he can shred and chew up the box as well as hiding in it, pouncing on it, and making it skitter around the floor. Balls to chase around. One of those sproingy things with the bit of feathers on a string, sized slightly larger than usual.

Tucker

Ashiki was unimpressed. I've got one of these:



I think his paws will fit in it-but I'm worried that he'll choke on regular sized cat toys. I need to think of some safe "prizes" for the box!

How about a tennis ball?

with him anyway. :-)

Otherwise, a toy mouse made of fabric might be big enough/soft enough not to be a choking hazard.

so I just gave him three sprigs of Parsley; he just went nuts! He acted like it was catnip or something, rolling on the floor and rubbing it. I wonder what other herbs are safe for him?

Five of mine are MC/TA mixes; my Turkish Angora Ramona got out one time in her 14 years and was nailed by a Maine Coon. Result: beautiful, HAIRY HAIRY cats! Ramona wasn't at all psycho or hyper, but intelligent, affectionate and devoted. The MC/TAs are built like Coons, including being triple-coated, but their hair is *much* finer than that of a typical Coon, so they will mat; their personalties are Coonish but they more playful than Coons usually are as adults and a little skittish (they hide when I sneeze). Very sweet natured, very affectionate with people and cats, and very smart. They also have the tiny Coon meow and need to sleep on or with people.

Really - try giving Ashiki an empty gallon jug, with or without a sturdy string (like clothesline) tied to it. Big enough for him to grasp and bite, and nontoxc and safe for him to chew.

I went through vacuum cleaners like mad before I invested in one. It's nice that TAs have a single layer coat-but MCs more than make up for it!

They sound like wonderful cats. I'm generally against getting purebred anythings-but I'm totally in love with TA and MC personalities-I hope I'm never without either!A mix sounds like just about the perfect kitty. :-)

I am very much against breeding yet I have a very soft spot for Maine Coons, Siamese and Abys/Somalis. Tessa, my gorgeous Classic (between an Applehead and a Modern) Siamese was found as kitten by my brother with her tail broken and her whiskers burnt off 14 years ago (she's still with me). Pete and Lily, two of my Maine Coons who are now dead (Lily lived to be 18; Pete to 14), were found as abandoned animals in terrible shape. Kuble was a darling Somali I adopted from a resce group; he was fairly old when he came to live with us and he eventually died from injuries received from his former owner's new husband. Ramona was a malnourished kitten who was so small I was advised not to put her under general anesthesia unless it was absolutely necessary (that's why she was my only unspayed kitty). Of course, most of the ones I have now are from Ramona's one adventure outside so they're neither strays nor rescues ... but they were most definitely were not bred on purpose! I still remember my complete shock as I saw a tiny face emerge from Ramona that Halloween (she never 'pinked up' or even weighed more than 4 pounds).

Oh, and I have a ShopVac. I need one rated in horsepower!

away. I found one in a MN rescue, but they wouldn't ship, and I couldn't get a flight up there. All the rest were in shelters that wouldn't adopt outside the state. One breeder in Florida (the ONLY one) had an older male up for adoption, so I went to a cat show to meet him. He was HUGE-as big as an MC! (My Peewee was 4-5 pounds) I knew my remaining cat Miro would be terrified of him. Miro REALLY missed Peewee-he stopped eating and howled all day. as I was leaving the cat show, feeling hopeless, little kitten Oberon reached out of his cage for me for the fifth time that afternoon. I looked at him and knew in an instant that he was the right cat for Miro. The sign just said "Kittens for sale". The breeder said he was a "pet quality" MC, so he was discounted. He's perfect to me! So I ended up getting TWO purebreds; one on impulse, and one (Puck) because I couldn't find a single Turk in the Southern US! Wouldn't you know it; now Petfinder shows THREE TAs in my state! *sigh* Well, at least I feel I've made up for it by working for our local rescue as a foster and fundraiser.

Oberon is one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen, including my cats (among the prettiest in the universe, of course). I can't imagine what 'fault' he has. I showed Loved One your cats' pictures, and he agrees with me - they're all exceptional, and we'd steal Oberon in a heartbeat if we didn't live in California. Or at least find a lot of excuses to visit.

That's a darling photo of Oberon and Miro, damn you!

As for getting two from breeders, well, that's a kind of rescue as well... Oberon sounds like he was being held hostage by a moron before you liberated him.

mostly on his belly. By breed standards that makes him not show or breeder worthy-which is good for him and for me (Obie would HATE the show circuit)! Actually, his breeders aren't bad-they only breed two to three litters a year, and usually all the kittens are spoken for before they are born-unlike others that just breed as many as possible and dump the remainder on rescues. :-(

I lucked out with the big boy-Miro and he loved one another at first sight! :-)

but please give him more than just a day to adapt to a new environment. He's probably scared shitless right now and the full attack mode is expected.

You might want to try a 2 x 3 ft cage to contain him until he gets used to you and his new environment.

Also, get the critter fixed. He'll calm down a bit after that.

I do some work with ferals and they can adapt but it does take time. When you approach him, do so at his level. Coming at him from above can freak him out.

Mz Pip
:dem:

he seems so sad, too. I just wish I could have convinced the owner to make a few simple changes that would have made living with him easier. He obviously misses his home. :-(

The good news is after he adjusts, he'll be happier with you; you obviously know more about cats' needs than she did, and anyone who would have a Savannah cat declawed cares too much about her furniture and not enough about her cat.

Tucker

the cat being sweet and gentle.

Bless your heart for adopting him. I doubt that many people are up to this challenge.

Wish I had some advice for you. But good luck and keep us posted. :hug:

truly beautiful

If it's possible, spend time sitting quietly next to him with a wire screen between you. Slip the occasional yummy through while he gets used to your scent, and remember that he will soon come to think of his room as his turf. It may be tricky to earn his trust so that you can enter the room with him.

Comfy towels with your scent on them might help him adjust, too. These are tricks that work on housecats, and I assume that your wild critter has some similar wiring.

Update us, please! :hi:

Tucker

him leaping at me-so that's an improvement (he still hisses and growls). I gave him a pot of wheat grass and he seems to love it, but he hasn't eaten anything else yet. He keeps walking around the room, making little meows-he just seems so sad. :-(

Valerian is a natural anti-anxiety herb, and many cats just adore the smell of it. They don't actually eat it so much as sniff it and rub against it (kind of like catnip). If you have some tincture of valerian, you could put a couple drops of it on a blanket for him.

It may take him a while to adjust, but long-term he'll be much happier to be in your family instead of with the ditz, I know it.

Tucker

Should I put a few drops in a spray bottle and spritz his blanket? What do you think?

It can't hurt; it's a very safe herb!

Tucker

Remember, he's as scared as you are.

I'm sure time will make it better.

:popcorn:

maybe, as a short term help, go back to the original owner and get a piece of her unlaundered clothing and put it in with him. Her scent may give him some comfort while he adjusts.

thing yesterday! I called the former owner and she didn't want to give up an article of clothing or an old towel.x(

How far away does she live? Take her a new sweatshirt and tell her to wear the damn thing all day next to her skin or you'll take movies to the poor cat's angst and give it Animal Planet channel as a cautionary tale. That poor boy sounds scared, and she's to blame.

his blanket with him. He never even looked at the darn thing.
The half bengal is gorgeous, by the way.