Animal party intervenes in serval cat bureaucratic limbo

The illegally imported Savannah cat, which made the news in May for injuring a three-year-old boy following escape from its owner’s apartment in Limassol, has made the news again this week.

The cat, which was being kept at the Limassol zoo, was reported by its owner to be suffering from dehydration as it had been housed in unsuitable conditions. It appears that the owner’s request to be permitted to take the animal to a private veterinarian was initially turned down.

Upon involvement of the Animal Party, the owner has secured permission for the cat to receive IV fluid infusion and be moved to an air-conditioned space at the zoo, while it is expected to be transferred to a private veterinary clinic with police escort on Monday.

In a brief video posted on Facebook on Sunday, the Animal Party spokesperson, Kyriacos Kyriakou, said procedures were underway to secure the necessary paperwork for the owner to travel with her pet to Turkey, while the Limassol municipality has said the owner had agreed to take the cat back to Ukraine where its journey started.

The issue of the cat became a hot potato amongst the authorities last May, with attempts to establish how the forbidden pet had escaped customs control.

The animal– a crossbreed between an African serval and a domestic cat – which varies in how “wild” it is depending on how many generations removed it is from its serval ancestor is banned in Cyprus, although certain types are allowed in the EU.