Serval Cat: Breed Profile, Characteristics & Care

The serval cat is a long-legged, spotted feline native to sub-Saharan Africa. They are wild predators with specific needs—vast living space, warm climate, live prey diet—so servals aren't good family pets. They are also larger than domestic cats (they grow to be about 2 feet long and weigh up to 40 pounds), with big ears for a strong sense of hearing.

If you are able to care for this exotic pet, make sure you can legally own a serval. Ownership of these bigger cats is banned in many states.

Learn more about the serval, including their care needs and temperament.

Serval Cat Characteristics

Serval cats are smart, bold hunters who can't be contained by a standard house or yard. Again, these are wild cats who have adapted to life in the African savannas.

Having such long legs, servals are agile jumpers and avid diggers. This tall, active predator needs more room to roam than most households can offer, and the challenge of fulfilling their dietary needs is daunting.

Although they're not extremely vocal, they can make a variety of noises that may concern neighbors, including high-pitched cries, growls, and spitting hisses.

As for companionship, servals typically aren't friendly. They're aloof and don't like being stroked or cuddled. Because of that, their large size (up to 40 pounds), and naturally wild temperament, this cat is not recommended for homes with kids or other pets, especially since they can get the urge to attack and harm a human or other animal.

However, a serval can bond well with one person and become emotionally attached to an extent that re-homing the animal would cause them deep distress. Because servals can live for around 20 years in captivity, keeping one is a huge commitment.

History of the Serval Cat

In the African wild, servals are solitary and inhabit a home territory that spans several miles. They've lived on the continent for centuries and now inhabit 35 countries.

Serval cats have been kept by humans since the ancient Egyptians, who depict the cats in their art. However, they have never been fully domesticated. Breeding stock arrived in the U.S. over a century ago, and you may find serval cats who are many generations removed from African imports. Remember: even domestically bred servals are subject to ownership restrictions per exotic animal laws.

Breeders have crossed serval cats with domestic cats to produce hybrids, such as the Savannah cat.

Serval Cat Care

To care for a serval, you need a large, secure outdoor enclosure for this highly active and solitary cat who roams several miles per day in the wild. Servals are known to jump out of fenced areas or dig out under fences. They can leap over 9 feet in the air to catch birds and dig to find prey like ground squirrels. An enclosure needs to be fenced on all sides (including the top), and the fencing should extend several feet underground,

Provide a pool of water for drinking, swimming, and perhaps even allowing your serval cat to catch stocked fish. They also can't live in a climate where it gets cold.

Servals can't live inside a home because of their large size, high activity level, and tendency to jump. Not only will they threaten breakable objects and wires, but those objects can also harm them. In addition, a serval cannot be fully litter trained. Urinating on objects is their way of marking territory, and that includes furniture and walls when they are confined to human houses.

While many pet servals are declawed in the interest of preventing injury to humans, this is a painful practice that can cause infections and makes servals vulnerable in confrontations with other animals (such as aggressive dogs).

Common Health Problems

A common health problem specific to servals is swallowing foreign objects that become lodged in the throat, stomach, or gastrointestinal tract. The objects are difficult to pass and require surgical removal. Servals are also ravenous eaters, so they often get food lodged in their throat, which prompts them to regurgitate and re-consume it. If regurgitation is unsuccessful, a serval could choke.

Appearance

Servals are larger and taller than domestic cats, reaching up to 2 feet tall at their shoulders and weighing up to 40 pounds.

These sleek and slender cats have relatively small heads with large, rounded ears. Like bobcats and pumas, they have a spot on the back of each ear to act as “false eyes," perhaps to fool predators.

Servals have long necks, which combined with their long legs, have earned them the nickname "giraffe cats." Servals' tails are shorter than most cats' in relation to their bodies.

African grasslands' tall grass and bushes camouflage these stealthy hunters' coats, which are generally golden with black spots that occasionally connect to form lines. Their bellies are white; their eyes are amber.

Servals resemble cheetahs but are smaller and have shorter tails and larger ears than their cousins. The serval is also sometimes confused with other wild cats, such as leopards, ocelots, and jaguars.

Diet and Nutrition

Ideally, pet servals' diet should contain a variety of animal prey—preferably living—that they can pursue and devour as they would in the wild. Rodents, rabbits, birds, fish, insects, reptiles, and frogs are usually on the menu in Africa. Serval diets are very high in protein which is why living or recently killed prey makes up the bulk of the diet.

Servals use their sight and hearing more than their sense of smell to find their prey. For instance, they can use their sense of hearing to track prey underground and then dig for them.

They also often play with their food before eating it. Servals are highly intelligent cats who appreciate games or puzzles that make meals, and their daily routines, more rewarding.

A formulated pelleted diet is an acceptable addition to a serval's diet but should not make up the bulk of any meal. Otherwise, the animal's health will decline.

Where to Adopt or Buy a Serval Cat

Even if you have the money, habitat, and know-how to care for a serval, you still might not be able to own one of these wild cats in the United States.

It is illegal to own servals and other exotic animals in many U.S. states, and others require special licensing or permits. Check your state and local laws before proceeding with purchasing a serval.

Laws can change, but as of this writing, the following are states where it is legal to own a serval cat without a permit:

• Alabama
• Michigan
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Washington
• Wisconsin

If it is legal to own a serval where you live, and you are looking for a reputable source for adopting or buying a serval, contact the Feline Conservation Foundation for more information.

Serval Cat Overview

Servals are wild animals and potential owners should act with that in mind. They are large, active, and independent felines that require a diet of whole animals, preferably alive. They also must live outside in a large enclosure and require a veterinarian with expertise in exotic animals. Other pets or children can't live with them.

With all that in mind, few people should consider owning a serval.

Pros of Servals

• Beautiful and exotic
• Long lifespan
• May bond well with one person
  

Cons of Servals

• Unusual dietary needs
• Not recommended with kids or pets
• Requires a large outdoor enclosure
• Wild animal
• Illegal to own across most of the country
• Requires an exotic veterinarian
  

More Cat Breeds and Further Research

If you’re interested in similar breeds, check out:

• Bengal
• Egyptian Mau
• Toyger

Otherwise, check out all of our other cat breed profiles.