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Sam came to us when he was about 16
months old. When we first decided to get a serval, we were not sure
if we wanted a kitten or an adult. A friend of ours asked if we
might be interested in Sam.
When we went to meet Sam, we fell in
love with him. He was a very personable cat and acted as if he had
known us all his life.
We contacted our county officials and USDA, and began work on an
enclosure. Everyone agreed that Sam is a very special individual and
that if the change in environment had an adverse affect on his
personality, he should return back to his caretakers.
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Finally it was time to move Sam. ( We were a
basket case, Sam was fine.) When it came time to release him in his
new pen, he looked around as if to say - so this is my new digs -
cool.
Regardless of how social Sam seems, he is still a wild
animal, and there are still behaviors that are inherent to him. In
order to safely interact with him, we all must respect him for what he is.
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Not all servals are as social as
Sam. In fact, he is an exceptionally social animal. We were
very lucky to have found him.
As you can see from this next set of pictures, moving Sam really
hasn't changed his disposition, he still seems to enjoy meeting new
people.
On the right Sam is making Sue Masden, one of the workers from
Indigo Mountain Nature Center feel welcome on her visit.
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Sam loves to play ball. Our son Damon became
his new best friend when Sam found that he would throw the ball for him as
long as he wanted to chase it.
I wish we could take credit for Sam being as
well-adjusted as he is, but in truth, the people that raised Sam did an
excellent job. We are just trying to continue where they left
off.
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We have had a problem
finding information about behavioral characteristics for servals.
There simply isn't that much about them on the web. (At least
I haven't found any sites that address specific motivating factors.)
I will continue to add links to the list below that address these
issues. If I have missed any, please feel free to let me know and I
will gladly add them to the list.
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Care
Information about African Servals
Serval
Kittens
The
Serval Fact Sheet
Basic
Serval Facts
We would like to thank Pat Babin from Patzmeow
for taking the time to explain a few behaviors and offer a few pointers -
it really made a difference. We thank you and so does Sam.
We are always looking for things for Sam to do. If anyone
has enrichment ideas, please email us links and I will add them to this
page. Entertainment is very important for any animal kept in
captivity. Sam's pen is still a work in progress. (Though at this
point it seems extremely slow progress.)
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The thing Sam seems to like most about
his new pen is grass. One corner contains cedar shavings and that is
where he "does his business" (along with an extra large cat
box) the rest is where he lays and plays. We intend to plant
some taller grasses in the pen next year that will offer a natural cover
for him. Large rocks have been placed around the edge of the
pen where the cats often sit in the sun.
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Sam has various balls, and certain types seem to be better than
others. He prefers the splash balls because he can bite them and throw
them, yet not bite hunks out of the balls or ingest them. Too, they can be
easily cleaned by throwing them in the washer and dryer.
Sam loves water and we considered an in-ground
pool. But, after seeing how dirty his kiddy pool gets - we may keep
it so we can clean it. We try to put fish in it from time to
time. Other suggestions for summer entertainment is to freeze a favorite
toy or treat in a block of ice and then float it in the pool. He can play
with the ice until the ice melts, then have his toy or treat.
Rock climbing wall such as this one can be bought
at Lowe's or Home Depot. The wall is made of hard plastic and originally
designed for children's forts. I understand that some sanctuaries
use them for their smaller cats and that the cats love them. We decided
to add one to Sam's pen for enrichment.
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The stand serves as a great place to
laze around and sun during the day.
Most things I read indicate that upper levels are as important as the
lower ones. At the moment Sam has two. His pen is a work in
progress.
This summer, we hope to extend a number of upper levels with different
textures.
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Sam seems to love his toys. We try
to find stuffed toys without parts that will come off or that he can
swallow. Here he is playing with his stuffed serval.
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We really enjoy Sam, but he is a lot of work. Not only is
it necessary to research and build a facility that offers a good environment, it
takes a lot of time and research to develop a proper diet.
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