A huge cat with a little drug issue remains in the care of the Cincinnati Zoo after Hamilton County’s dog warden recuperated a serval cat from a home in Oakley. In the morning of Jan. 28, Ray Anderson was awakened by a call from media outlets inquiring about reports of a leopard on the loose.
“For a split second I really thought there was a leopard,” Anderson informed CityBeat. “But what happened was, in an encounter with Cincinnati Police, the cat either escaped from an apartment or car and ran up a tree, and that’s when we got called in.”
After getting rid of the huge cat, called Amiry, from the tree, dog wardens carried it back to Cincinnati Animal CARE (CAC), the non-profit that runs Hamilton County’s animal shelter.
Amiry suffered a damaged leg throughout the capture, according to Anderson, and veterinarians at CAC sedated him to deal with the injury. After bringing the “grumpy” cat to CAC’s center in Northside, Anderson said a huge cat specialist was generated to verify the breed of the 35-pound cat. He said it didn’t take long.
“He came in and took one look at it and said, ‘Oh, no, that’s absolutely a serval,’” Anderson said. “He asked us how we got it out and I told him that the dog wardens climbed up a tree and got it, and he told us, ‘I would rather deal with a tiger.’”
Servals are belonging to savannas in more than 35 African nations. They’re prohibited to own in Ohio, unless the cat is a savanna hybrid, which is a serval reproduced with a domestic cat. Servals are legal to own in Indiana with a license. Anderson said CAC’s medical staff ran a DNA test which validated Amiry was 100% serval and not a hybrid.
Photo: Provided by Ray Anderson
Serval cats are belonging to savannas in more than 35 African nations. They’re prohibited to own in Ohio, unless reproduced with a domestic cat.
Cocaine cat
The group likewise ran a drug test on the cat, which Anderson said is basic procedure for odd or unique cases, and it returned favorable for drug. Charges for the prohibited ownership of the cat and for the existence of drug in its system aren’t being submitted at the minute, however primary dog warden for Hamilton County Troy Taylor informed CityBeat that charges are still possible.
“Just due to the fact that we said no charges are being submitted now doesn’t imply they won’t remain in the future. This is a continuous examination, we’re still checking out that,” Taylor said.
Investigators are working to identify if the cat’s intake of drug was unintentional or required, and who was physically accountable. Anderson said the owner has actually been cooperative throughout the examination and voluntarily gave up the Amiry to CAC.
Amiry’s future
After getting preliminary treatment at CAC for 2 days, Anderson said the cat was moved to the Cincinnati Zoo where he continues to get treatment.
The zoo did not right away react to CityBeat’s ask for discuss the condition of the serval or where he may wind up long-lasting.
