Big Kitties, Big Hearts: a Tale of Exotic Cat Rescue

The Story of an African Serval Rescue and a Trip that Changed My Life

It's never too early in the morning to embark on an adventure. So it was that I found myself at 5 o'clock in the morning, packing up to leave for a weekend road trip with a woman I had never met. It was more than just a mere road trip, however; it was a rescue mission.

I was traveling with Sara Schimke. Sara is the president and one of the founders of Feline Utopian Rescue and Refuge, Inc. (FURRI), an organization based in Manistee, Michigan. FURRI serves two functions. While the main role of FURRI is running a domestic cat adoption service, the also help to rescue displaced exotic felines. Such was our undertaking for the weekend ahead of us. (It was also FURRI's very first exotic cat rescue.)

As we set out on our journey, Sara explained the situation to me. In Jackson, Missouri, we were to pick up a two-year-old African serval by the name of Simon. Simon's owner (who asked that his name not be used, so we will call him "Chad"), in the midst of a divorce, had to sell his house. Since an apartment is definitely not the ideal setting in which to raise an exotic cat, Chad was forced to relinquish possession of his beloved serval.

When exotic animals find themselves without a home, there are sadly few options for them. Humane Societies and other animal shelters will not take in exotics, as they are require special care and are very difficult, if not impossible, to find exotic homes for. If no one will take in the animal, humane euthanization is the distressing last resort these creatures face. As Sara put it, rescue organizations such as FURRI "are the only hope these animals have."

The African serval is a medium-sized species of cat found throughout a large part of Africa. Their size when fully grown can range from a height of 18 to 24 inches tall, with weights between 18 to 45 pounds. A serval resembles a small cheetah. Proportionally, the serval has longer legs than any other feline species. Their large ears allow them to zero in on prey they cannot even see; it is reported that a serval can pounce on a mouse from as far as twenty feet away. Smarter than domestic housecats, they tend to get into more mischief around the house as well.