I've been fascinated by this recent breed, created by breeding Servals with domestic cats, ever since I saw one a few years ago in a magazine. I still haven't seen one in person, but they are gorgeous, and from the videos I've seen, very friendly!
For cat & dog lovers, they're like the perfect kind of mix! Big enough (like dogs) to romp around and play with... they average about 30 pounds, but with the independence of cats. They're really gorgeous animals, and quite intelligent. They have more energy than domestic cats, though, so if you have a few thousand dollars to spend on one, then be prepared to also give them room to run around and leap, and put the Faberge Egg away!
They are graded by how many generations away they are from the first breeding with the serval. An F2 will be the closest to the first, and very expensive (think $50,000) and an F5 is further away, so they will be more affordable and possibly a little smaller than the F5, I'm not sure.
If you want a kitten, there are people who breed them, but you need to make sure that it's legal to own one in your state. I found this one family that are registered raisers of Bengals, Maus & Savannahs. They're at Wild Trax Exotics. They raise the kittens in their home so that they're very well-adjusted and comfortable around people. And there's definitely a waiting list!
Keith and I were so lucky yesterday to spot this raptor in our neighbor's tree. It moved from the tree to the clippings pile below... We think it's a Sharp-shinned Hawk, except that they don't typically like to be around people. They're very rural.... however, the pile of clippings it was on is full of sparrows, and possibly a squirrel or two, which is what they like to hunt.
He moved below after viewing the pile from above...
Then he stretched his leg...
We must have watched him for over 10 minutes, trying to identify him from an old illustrated bird book I had just gotten from a library book sale. I don't know if we identified him correctly, but whatever he/she is, they're definitely immature. You could tell from the white tufts of downy feathers on his bottom.
If anyone can identify him, please let me know!
As most cat owners will tell you, it's challenging! They are naturally curious, and mine like to hang out wherever I'm at... and sounds of paint brushes on paper, or dangling threads, will bring about a whole new aspect to distraction!
In the end, it's less a frustration than an exercise in cleverness. I can easily get the out of the room if I play "toss the treats" down the hallway for a bit. They become interested in other things. For a while... and then it's back to thinking of ways to get them off the work in progress! Truthfully, I love it!
