Do I want a Serval for a pet?
This is a question that requires very careful consideration. The needs of wild cats are not well met in most modern households. Servals are extremely active and energetic. They have an intelligence and curiosity that is not adapted to confinement in small quarters. In exploring one’s home they can (and will) jump everywhere and get into everything, day and night. And like many wild animals (and some tame ones) if not altered, most of them mark their territory by spraying (a lot), much more than domestic cats do. Some serval keepers even find themselves becoming accustomed to their pet showing affection in (to put it delicately) showers of love. This tendency is sometimes stopped, but may only be reduced, by neutering or spaying. When excited, displeased, alarmed or frightened, Servals express themselves with hisses and growls considerably more than most domestic cats. They can seem quite scary to those unfamiliar with this trait, in many cases appearing much more hostile than they real
