The Dutch Positive List has been in force since 1 July 2024. From that date onwards, unless the animals were born before 1 July 2024, servals may no longer be purchased as pets. Servals that were already living as pets before the law came into force may remain with their owners until they die. However, we encounter many owners who have realized that a living room is not the best place for their animal, and are looking for a solution.
This is because once cute wild serval kittens have grown into adult wild cats, they turn out not to be suitable pets after all. This was also the case with serval Nini: her owner recently gave Nini to AAP because she had realized she would be unable to give her the care she needs.
Purchased on online platform Marktplaats
Nini’s owner bought her from a Dutch breeder. She had seen an advertisement on Marktplaats, a major classified advertising website in the Netherlands, and was immediately sold when she saw the fluffy serval kitten: Nini went home with her. It was clear that she was a wild cat: she played more intensely, bit more powerfully, scratched harder and jumped higher than a normal domesticated cat.
As Nini grew in size, her owner realised that she was really not a suitable pet. The serval clearly needed more space and was becoming unmanageable. In addition to her wild behaviour, she also started spraying.
‘We hadn't really done our research beforehand and didn't really know the disadvantages of keeping a serval.’
Video: A serval as pet, not a good idea
Change houses
To give Nini more space, her owner decided to move from an apartment to a house. When that also proved insufficient, she contacted AAP. After three years, she decided to give Nini a better life and, with a heavy heart, said her goodbyes at AAP – ‘I know she will be much happier now than she was with me.’
And when asked whether she would recommend anyone to take a serval into their home: ‘No I don’t recommend it. If I had known all this beforehand, I would never have bought Nini.’
Servals at AAP
Nini is not the only serval staying at AAP. We receive many requests for shelter and the waiting list is long. Fortunately, we were able to make room for Nini: at AAP, she gets the space and care she needs and can just be a serval again.
We are glad that Nini’s owner wanted to share her story. Because even if you have the best intentions as an owner, servals, like other wild animals, do not belong in the living room.
