Exotic cat found roaming around Vancouver is prohibited as a pet, city confirms

An exotic feline found prowling through Vancouver’s Shaughnessey neighbourhood is prohibited as a pet in the city, staff confirmed Friday.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service was called to help police wrangle the wayward cat on Wednesday. At the time, conservation officers identified it as a savannah cat, a hybrid between a wild serval and a house cat.

The incident caught the attention of Carole Baskin, co-star of Netflix’s “Tiger King” documentary and owner of an exotic cat sanctuary, who posted on Twitter that the animal was actually a serval.

Dr. Sara Dubois, chief scientific officer at the BC SPCA, has seen servals in the wild and in captivity, and she agreed with Baskin’s assessment.

Whether it was a savannah or a serval, neither is allowed in Vancouver.

“It's definitely something concerning that an exotic cat that is illegal to possess in the city was returned to the owner,” said Dr. Dubois.

In an email to CTV News, the city wrote that under its Animal Control Bylaw, “felids are prohibited with the exception of domestic cats. A serval is considered a felid.”

When asked why the suspected serval was given back to the owner, the city said animal control officers were not present at the time, but that they are looking into the situation.

Adding to the confusion, it’s possible that the conservation officer did not know servals and savannahs are not allowed in Vancouver – because owning them is not prohibited by the province.

The BCCSO sent a tweet explaining that savannah cats are not part of B.C.’s Controlled Alien Species regulation, which bans 1,200 species in the province and requires a permit to possess, breed, ship or transport any of the animals.

In an email to CTV News, the Ministry of Forests wrote, “The animals initially prioritized for the Controlled Alien Species regulation list were those most likely to pose a potential threat to people, property, wildlife and wildlife habitat.”

Dr. Dubois said the list should also consider the risk that is posed to the exotic animal itself.

She said often times, servals end up in vet clinics with metabolic bone disease because cat food does not offer the proper nutrition to these wild animals.

“I think we need to have a bigger conversation and ensure that the province moves forward on the commitment to increase the Controlled Alien Species list to protect animals for their own welfare,” she said. “It is extremely challenging to keep these animals in any good condition in a private home. And so hopefully, the owner will recognize that we want to support them in actually getting this animal that life it deserves.”

The ministry said staff is undertaking a review of the regulation and no decision has been made at this time.