Serval pedigree, behavior in the natural environment, reproduction of servals, exterior, advice on keeping and caring at home, buying and price of a kitten. A large number of people live on our big and beautiful planet, and each of them has their own, completely individual tastes, preferences and outlooks on life. Most of us, at least once in our lives, have had the question of whether it’s time to get some kind of cute pet.
Today, it seems possible to bring practically anyone from the large animal kingdom to your home, it would be a desire, material resources, and, well, free space. Many people do this, the main thing for them is that their pet is original and no one has this, even if it costs a lot of money, and caring for it is not so simple and cheap. But there are also such individuals who would like to have someone completely unique and exotic, but somehow they are not yet ready to bring hippos or camels into the house. In this case, you should turn your attention to a very cute and delightfully beautiful kitten, which is known to the world under the name Serval.
It seems that this is the most optimal solution - this is a seemingly beloved and familiar cat, but at the same time it is a very peculiar and unique pet. You can look at it for hours without getting tired, its beauty, grandeur and natural grace are simply mesmerizing. In addition, this living beauty is not at all difficult to maintain at home. But still, no matter how domesticated this handsome man is, he comes from the wild, so before deciding to get this cute furry, you should get to know him a little closer.
Native localities and origin of the Serval breed
For the first time the world heard about this living creation of nature from the scientist Schreber in 1776. For about 80 years, several more different subspecies of servals were discovered, and in 1858 the official scientific classification was already recognized, which says that this cute kitten, which is also called a bush cat, belongs to the class of mammals, the order of carnivores, the family of felines and to the genus and species of the same name.
In order to go to visit this amazing living creature, you will have to travel a little. The natural distribution area of this predatory feline is quite extensive, this eccentric lives almost throughout the entire territory of the African continent. The only exceptions are the lands of the Sahara Desert, the wooded areas of the equatorial zone and the Cape. Small populations of Servals are found in countries such as Morocco and Algeria.
Features of the serval's behavior in open nature
As their permanent habitat, bush kittens choose more or less open spaces, around which there is a large number of bushy thickets and just grassy vegetation. For these cute animals, the main thing is that there is a constant source of water not far from the territory they occupy, they are by nature excellent swimmers, which not so many felines can boast of. But these animals try to avoid desert locations, plains with a dry climate and wooded areas with high air humidity, if they settle in humid forests, then only on the edges of the latter.
The main peak of activity of these graceful animals falls on the evening time of the day and earlier in the morning. Servals hunt mainly for hares, various rodents, hyraxes, small antelopes, flamingos, guinea fowls and many other birds. If the predators manage to track down some lizard, then they also will not refuse to dine on it.
Mother Nature has endowed these amazing representatives of the world fauna with all the qualities that are necessary for experienced and professional hunters. Very large ears are given to them by nature not as a decoration, but thanks to them, these animals perfectly hear even the smallest rustles, which helps them find even heavily hidden prey. The long limbs allow the serval to pass easily even through the tallest savannah grasses. Unique photoreceptors of the visual organs enable these avid hunters not only to see their prey and the terrain around them, but also allow them to distinguish color, shape, and even detect movements at the same time.
Despite all the power and length of its limbs, the bushy kitty cannot run for a long time, catching up with its future lunch. Usually they use wait-and-see tactics, namely, the servals watch the area around for a long time and as soon as some animal is in their field of vision, without hesitation for a second, it pounces on it with a big, strong jump, and they know how to jump very well. In height, this predator can jump over 3 meters, so it can easily grab several birds that have just prepared for takeoff.
If he came up with the idea that he could afford to eat some rodent, he would not wait for him for a long time, usually this predatory kitten, without any remorse, simply breaks their burrows and takes out his live lunch. Servals also climb trees very well, therefore, if they come across, for example, a tree hyrax, then he will definitely not be able to hide at a height from a predator.
Shrub cats are creatures that do not need large companies, for this reason they live most of their lives in proud and independent solitude. In the event that some of their relatives accidentally got into their territory, then there will be no fights and bloodshed between them. These animals are saved from their natural enemies in the most reliable way - a swift flight, while their ingenuity works perfectly and these sly ones never run away in one direction. Most often, they simply confuse their pursuer with their sharp and unexpected turns or sudden jumps.
Continuation of the Serval cat family
If we talk about the mating season for these representatives of the feline family, then there are no exact periods and dates, usually in each separate area this time falls on different seasons of the year. During the very height of sexual activity of the serval, the male and the female are obliged to spend some time together, they hunt together, eat and even rest, and only after that the female serval can allow the male to impregnate her.
The duration of the period of bearing babies in servals lasts approximately 60-75 days. At the end of this period, about 2-3 small kittens are born. Before the female feels that labor is approaching, she begins to look for a suitable place for this, the main thing is that it is reliable and warm. Most often, old burrows or cozy nests in the middle of dense herbaceous vegetation act as such a cat's "maternity hospital".
Newborn babies feed on mother's milk for about 6-7 months, and when they are one year old, they already leave the mother's nest and go into their adult and independent life. They already feed themselves and are looking for their personal territory. Such kittens reach sexual maturity at the age of about 1, 5-2 years.
Description of the appearance of the predatory serval
The body of an animal is, one might say, one of the standards of beauty and elegance. The body of such a mammal is slender, with a well-developed muscle system and long, beautiful limbs. The average body length of an adult serval varies from 85 to 140 cm, the height at the withers is approximately 40 to 70 cm. The body weight of this muscular handsome man varies from 8 to 20 kg. The caudal process is relatively short, approximately 30–40 cm long.
The head of a bush cat is neat and miniature, one cannot fail to notice large auditory organs on it.
The entire surface of the body of this representative of the world fauna is wrapped in rather thick, but relatively short hair. And although in terms of the morphological structure of the body, the serval most of all resembles a lynx or caracal, as for the color of the body, we can say that its closest relative is none other than a cheetah.
The main tone of the color of the fur of the shrub cat is grayish-yellowish; against this background, the irregular configuration of spots and stripes, which are painted in darker colors, immediately catch the eye. The projection of the chest, abdomen and directly the front of the head is presented in white or slightly beige. The ears on the outside are also quite interesting and originally painted in black, against the background of which yellowish-white spots or transverse stripes are drawn.
According to some sources, servals live in different geographical locations, the color of which varies greatly, in nature there are several specimens of melanistic servals, most of these unique animals live in Kenya, namely in its mountainous regions. There are also shrub cats, painted in a white color, against the background of which specks and lines of a grayish-silver color are drawn, but such peculiar specimens are found only in conditions of zoos and reserves.
Serval maintenance, home care
It is truly a pleasure to live under the same roof with such a miracle of nature as a Serval. In the event that you have acquired a small shrub kitten, there is no special need to equip a cage or aviary for him, since in his behavior he is not much different from an ordinary kitten and will feel quite comfortable in the apartment. Only such an extraordinary pet will have to be brought up from early childhood, this is necessary so that when your pupil grows up, he will still perceive you as his best friend.
By their nature, servals are creatures endowed with remarkable intelligence and it is not difficult for him to explain the most important nuances of living in an apartment. To begin with, you should teach your exotic pet to relieve himself in the same place, as such a cat litter box is perfect. These animals are very clean, so you will not see much resistance with such training, the only thing is that he will not always bury his excrement, as cats do, but you will have to get used to it. In addition, servals also tend to constantly mark their territory, so in order to avoid unpleasant odors in the apartment, it would be better to castrate or sterilize this animal.
In order for your new companion from the wild to honor you as a friend and family member, it is important to pay as much attention as possible to him from early childhood - feed him from your own hands and play with him when you have a free moment and As a result, you will have a reliable, sweet and funny buddy who will look forward to your return from work every day with great impatience. When you start playing with this little kitten, it is good to do it on the floor so that your eyes are level with his, so the animal will not feel defeated or less powerful. As soon as such a peculiar pet appeared in your house, present him with several toys that he can play with, either alone or with you.
Under no circumstances should you try to offer your arms or legs as bait for your kitten. Since he will quickly get used to this and will perceive your limbs as his personal toys, and if at first it will be nothing, then when your friend grows up, you cannot avoid abrasions and scratches. He also needs toys to keep things important for you safe and sound. The thing is that this fluffy loves to chew everything, and if he does not have anything of that kind at hand, be sure that your books, clothes and even wires from various electrical appliances will be used, and this is not only your losses but also deadly for the bush cat. If the serval has already turned its attention to an object in your house, then you can spray it with apple spray, the smell of which is disgusting to cats, and it will no longer poke its curious nose there. These deterrents are sold at any pet store.
A bush cat can also climb onto the dining table, scratch furniture and wallpaper and do many more different things, but whatever she does not allow herself, in no case should you raise your voice at her, and even more so use force. Otherwise, you will not only permanently lose the trust of your pet, but also risk provoking anger and aggression on his part. The best weapon against the bad manners of the serval is, as strange as it may sound, a simple spray bottle with water. In case of bad behavior, just splash some water on your pet and explain to him that you cannot do this, soon he will hear this word and act as you tell him. In general, servals are very smart and if you make the same remark to him several times, then he will independently understand exactly where he is doing wrong.
Also, this friend can be taught from childhood to a collar and a leash, he will happily walk along the street with you. Just never forget to immediately release the animal from the leash after such a walk, otherwise, playing with it, it may not only be injured, but also suffocate.
In the event that you already have pets in your house, this is not a problem at all, usually these cute predators get along very well with other animals, even become friends with them. But now, if you brought another pet into the house with the serval, then they should be introduced gradually and rather carefully, your exot, of course, will not show aggression, but he can easily conclude that you just gave him a new toy, which is still and moves. So during the game, he can injure and even kill your pet.
Do not forget that although he lives next to you, he needs to feel that he also has his own cozy nest. For this reason, it will be good to arrange for him a comfortable soft place where he can retire and sleep or just lie down.
The diet of such a peculiar pet should consist mostly of meat, preferably with bones. It is good to offer your kitten low-fat varieties such as poultry or beef. The average weight of a home serval's daily meal should be between 600 and 1300 grams, depending on the age of the animal.
Do not forget about additional feeding for your pupil in the form of vitamin and mineral complexes, especially calcium. Carefully monitor the health of your friend, just like an ordinary cat of this eccentric needs to be vaccinated, also during the period of active growth of the animal, he can often get injured limbs, jumping even from a slightly high height, so it is better to limit your pet's ability to conquer the peaks of your house.
Serval purchase and price
It is possible to acquire such an animal as a bush cat in our country, only by making such a purchase, make sure that you are buying an animal raised in captivity. The average cost of a serval kitten ranges from 300,000 to 900,000 rubles.
More about home servals in the video below:
