The Detroit mystery cat that is frightening the people living in one of its suburbs is either a serval (there are some serval characteristics) or a first generation serval hybrid: a Savannah cat. The mystery cat’s description neither fits the serval nor the first generation serval hybrid, the Savannah. It somehow falls between the two. A Savannah cat is a serval to domestic cat cross. One last option is that the mystery cat is a serval to wild cat hybrid (wild cat x wild cat).
The body conformation is a good match for the lanky serval and Savannah. There is banding around the legs which is not a serval characteristic. The head is small which certainly is a good match to these cats.
The tail of the mystery cat is too long for the relatively short tailed serval. The tail matches more accurately the tail of a Savannah cat.
However, the Detroit mystery cat has been described as being 4 feet tall. That is likely to be an exaggeration. A person who was close to the cat indicated it was about 2 feet to the shoulder or a little taller. Although that is a guess. If the cat is 2 feet and more at the shoulder it is very unlikely to be a Savannah cat as the world’s tallest Savannah is Magic at 17.1 inches to the shoulder.
However, a local person may be creating a different sort of serval hybrid. As mentioned, it may be a wild cat species to serval cross. I have not heard of such a cat. The pictures and video on this page make good comparisons, I think.
This is the Detroit mystery cat (picture taken by a Detroit resident using a mobile phone):
This is a first generation Savannah cat (Magic) – this photo is copyright Kathrin Stucki:
This is a female serval (the video was made by Michael at PoC)
It’s just the distinct markings on the face which are totally different to Magic’s. If this cat showed up at mine I’d feed it and try to protect it from getting shot or euthanised having been trapped. I guess I would feed it lots of good food and welcome it in the hopes it would not feel the need to go further and get into trouble with the kind of humans who would ‘destroy’ it – lol – that’s the word they would use I’m sure. If it were military they would say ‘engaged and neutralised’. Lovely.
I would do the same. These guys are working themselves up into a lather and getting ready to shoot. It is the first thing that enters their heads.
It is a strange looking cat. Basic conformation indicates serval type cat to me.