A woman from Georgia, US woke up shocked when she found a strange cat on her bed on June 30 morning. Adding to her scare, it was found that the cat was a serval, a wild African cat that had snuck into her house and jumped onto her bed while she was sleeping. Kristine Frank, a resident of Brookhaven neighbourhood in Atlanta, believes that the exotic animal must have entered their home after her husband walked their pet dog, leaving the door open. Talking to CNN, Frank said the feline was just 6 inches away from her face, giving her the scare of her life. She was terrified when she realized that it wasn’t a normal cat and slowly got out of the room as her husband opened the door to let it go outside the house. After the incident, she wondered if it was a leopard or a baby or a mom.
She then called animal control that referred her to the Department of Natural Resources and the incident is being investigated.
She told the outlet that it was around 2-and-a-half feet tall and believes it was being kept as a pet in the neighbourhood. Frank admits that she was still terrified because the cat is illegal and she didn’t know what it was capable of doing. As per the Animal League Defense, owning a wild cat is illegal in Georgia although there are no federal laws against it.
Alicia Prygoski, ALDF Senior Legislative Affairs Alicia told the outlet that such cases put other community members at risk while showing why wild cat ownership is prohibited. She added that such animals are not meant for private possession because of the natural behaviours they exhibit. She emphasizes that the wild cat trade is yet to be well regulated in the US state and hence, many wild species of cats are kept as a pet.
The wild feline is still on loose and traps have been set up in the neighborhood after which it would be given to a sanctuary. Citizens are urged to inform the authorities if they spot the cat and warned to stay away from it.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.