Diet

Keeping in mind that a Serval is an African Wildcat you have to think about what they would eat in the wild. Here at A1 Savannahs our Servals get several servings of raw chicken legs as well as the Exotic Feline wet food Zu Preem. The cats need that bone to give them the calcium and other nutrients needed to survive. Another very important element is SUN. Servals need and enjoy that sunshine. This is important for the depletion of extra nutrients and vitamins that they acquire too much of in the food that they eat. The vitamin D is important all around for their health and well being.

Health Care

If your serval needs to go to the vet for any reason please know they need special care and they are not to be treated like a domestic cat. There are certain medications that they can not receive due to their exotic blood and genetic make up. Please just be sure that your veterinarian is aware that it is an exotic feline and needs to be treated as such. Certain medications can be very harmful to them that are not harmful to a domestic cat.

Litter

All of our serval kittens here at A1 Savannahs are litter box trained and we use a big big box with pine pellets as litter. Servals like have two places to go to the bathroom so we recommend having two boxes if your serval is living inside your home.

Exotic Feline Laws and Regulations

Since servals are exotic felines most states require you to have special license and permits, some states they are not even allowed. The Feline Conservation Federation (FCF) website has a great link for this. Please click on the link below to look at their web page to see the laws and regulations in your area. Also keep noted that the laws seem to change frequently so if you check this year and then in three years decide to purchase a Serval you may want to check the updated regulations.

FCF Regulations Page - www.felineconservation.org

Serval Temperment

The Serval In Nature

Servals are found throughout the Savannahs of Africa, where the grass is tall. The cat’s long legs allow it to walk easily through the vegetation. Their large ears help them to locate their favorite prey – the small rodents hiding in the grass.

Servals catch their prey by leaping and landing on their victims with both front paws. Servals can jump up to 10 feet in the air and catch a bird in flight. They are also good swimmers, tree climbers, and exceptionally great runners.

A Serval is solitary by nature and will roam up to 4 square miles which it claims as its own territory.

The Serval In Captivity

A Serval is a wild animal and usually doesn’t make a great house pet. The wild cat will live up to 20 years old and needs zoo-like outside/inside facilities with a large enough exercise area to run, a pool in which to swim and dive, and an area with lots of climbing possibilities. Servals will escape from anything that is not totally secure and are unlikely to return once having escaped. Servals are solitary animals and like to travel many miles when hunting.

At A1 Savannahs, we have invested thousands of dollars constructing a completely secure and extensive outside environment for our Servals. Their facilities include an indoor outdoor fenced area with trees and plants for natural shading and climbing. We have sprinkle hoses which run along one side of their enclosure so they can have their play time in the water.

Even though we spend ample hours socializing all of our kittens Servals will never be a lap cat. When deciding to purchase a serval you need to take a lot of time and do a lot of research. These felines eat a lot and require a ton of quality time. If you work a 9-5 job then a serval is probably not the cat for you.

If you are looking for a pet and are attracted to the look of a Serval. We recommend that you consider purchasing a Savannah cat, which is a cross between an African Serval and a domestic cat. Take a look at our About Savannahs page for more information.