African Serval Cat Shot Dead After Scaring People in Detroit Neighborhood

After days of residents being scared, the 25-pound African serval cat was shot dead and was discovered in a garbage can Monday. The hybrid cat was roaming in the neighborhood for about a month.

Paws for the Cause founder Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek told the Detroit Free Press, “I think people can’t just go around shooting things they don’t understand. I think we need to be a little bit more respectful of the animals and human beings around us. I’d love to see someone look into it and investigate it. But I’m not holding out a lot of hope. This whole thing from the beginning has just been a mess.”

Residents of a northeast Detroit neighborhood have been cautious when venturing out on their local streets because a huge hissing cat has been spotted roaming the area for a month. Resident Reginique Williams described the cat to WJBK Fox 2 News, “It’s tall. It has long arms a very long tail and a small head.”

Witnesses in the area around Joann Street south of 8 mile say it is as tall as 4 feet and the extra large 30-pound feline walks around unafraid of humans. Another young resident said I was just looking at it and that’s when it looked like an evil thing. So I just I just ran. However, experts from Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue who are trying to trap and save the cat say the feline is likely more afraid of humans than the neighbors are of it.

Matt Bruzek Director of the organization identified the breed saying it’s a Savannah cat. They’re bred with an African Serval and a domestic cat and depending on how far down the breeding chain they are they can be fairly wild.

Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek added “My guess is someone had it that wasn’t familiar with the breed. Thought it was a really cool thing to have. Decided it wasn’t for whatever reason and threw it outside.”

Vondell Boyer vice president of the Greenbrier Council neighborhood association where the cat was seen echoed concern of the residents and is worried that once the large cat runs out of prey like squirrels rabbits and small animals it may target children. Reportedly Detroit Police and Animal Control were called but allegedly did not respond.