by Jayne
(England)
Me and Nala
I got my amazing serval, whom I named Nala from Hotspot Exotics -- link broken May 2013 here in the UK. They are the only producers of F1 Savannahs in the UK and have Serval cubs too.
For me I would have had to spend 4 to 6 thousand dollars buying one abroad from a respected breeder, with an additional six thousand on quarantine due to UK requirements.
I did see some servals that where a little less, but their parents where related and I didn’t want a cat who’s parents where brother and sister... there are a lot of breeders out there doing this and it can lead to problems down the line.
I spoke to a lot of serval breeders and vets prior to buying my cat, so I did my homework, so to speak.
If I had imported, I would have ended up with a not so friendly cat, costing approx 10 to 12 thousand pounds with the quarantine cost.
My serval came to me from a cub and has been hand reared. She is just amazing and is the sweetest in nature. She uses her litter tray like any domestic and follows me around like a dog.
People who say that servals like being on their own and that they don’t make wonderful pets need to come and see my cat.
She has a large enclosure, which she plays in the day with my other three domestics cats and she lives in the house, in the evening. I have a large house and grounds so she gets plenty of exercise, so she has a good home.
I believe you require the same amount of space for a serval/early generation Savannah as you would for a large dog.
My cat is just a dream come true. In the evening she empties her toy box and brings me all her toys to play. If you’re looking for a serval or early generation Savannah in the UK, Hotspots Exotics have the most wonderful cats.
The lady there does a lot for conservation and is a true animal lover. She only sells one or two servals/Savannahs a year and is very much concerned about the animals welfare and the long term home that you can provide.
She dedicated her life to her dogs and exotic cats, which started when she rescued some servals from Canada at a cost of forty thousand pounds to buy and bring home.
Her cats have a wonderful life and she has put tens of thousands of pounds in her enclosures, so you have the peace of mind of knowing, that you are buying your animal from a person who is respected and is a highly regarded breeder.
Her cats are unrelated, so there are no problems with interbreeding. If you’re looking for a big cat, with a domestic cat personality I can't think of a better place to go.
It has taken me three years to find my serval, who would of been better named "Shadow" given she follows me around so much...Lol However she was worth the wait. I can’t speak highly enough of these amazing cats which to own is such a privilege.
Update: some more photos..
Some pictures of my wonderful serval Nala. She is just the sweetest...
Nala at six weeks of age.
Nala bed hogging at six months.
Nala at seven months.
Nala with Charlie my rescue cat.
Jayne