Large cat back home after a week on the run
An unusually large cat that created a stir on local social media is no longer on the loose, but his capture left him with some injuries.
The cat, named Severus, is a Savannah, the largest domesticated cat breed. He had been loose in Amity Township for more than a week. His leopard-like spots and large size — about 2 feet tall and 25 to 30 pounds — had people snapping and posting photos and asking, “What is that thing?”
Savannahs are a hybrid breed, a mix of an African serval and a domestic cat.
It’s the third time Severus has gotten out and gone on an adventure in recent weeks, owner Corinna Rancourt said.
On Aug. 1 a friend was visiting and went to the door to let in Thor, their English mastiff dog, when Severus darted out of the house, up a fence and was gone, Rancourt said.
He was sighted in the neighborhood a few times. Her neighbors called when they saw him, and Rancourt hustled over to try to coax him into her control.
On Aug. 8, Rancourt brought five pounds of raw hamburger to a sighting about a block from her house in the Greenbriar community.
“I had him eating out of my hand,” Rancourt said.
Severus ate all but one meatball-sized bit of meat, but then got spooked and ran away. His usual diet includes rats, ducks, guinea pigs and rabbits, which Rancourt said she buys frozen. He also likes cucumbers and green beans.
Why didn’t she grab him when she had the chance?
“You really don’t want to grab a Savannah by the scruff. You will
get tore up and bit,” Rancourt explained. In the wild, servals eat birds so their claws are shaped like a hook.
“I don’t believe in declawing or defanging,” Rancourt said.
Severus has a GPS tracker collar, but Rancourt had just let the cat take a swim in an oversized bathtub, so the collar was off.
On Aug. 9, Rancourt received a call that Severus had been spotted again. People were feeding him tuna to keep him in one place, said Anne Wagner, who heard about the incident. Wagner is administrator of the Facebook group Berks County Cat Search.
While Rancourt tried to coax him into a cage, Severus ran into the road and was struck by a vehicle, Wagner said.
He was taken to an emergency animal facility for care. Rancourt said Severus needed stitches on his side. He also is bruised and bit his tongue, she said.
In an interview before the incident, Rancourt said Severus was 2½ years old. She said she paid a breeder in Maryland $15,000 for Severus and bottle fed him as a kitten. She described him as cuddly, but on his own terms.
Rancourt said she has kept exotic cats for 20 years and also has a Bengal, another hybrid breed.