caracals, pets or not?

[thanigraphics]

I was reading about caracals, a large cat species....I'm sure you guys know what a caracal is, since most TLK fans are also kittycat lovers

On the internet I found some websites and info about keeping them, they aren't indoor cats and should be kept outside in a nice enclosure. I showed some pictures of caracals to my parents, and my father told me he knows a guy, here in Holland, who keeps those for pets in an enclosure.
My yard is too small for a caracal to keep, but my question is, is it possible, if I am living in a larger home after a few years, to keep a caracal indoor? Does anyone of you own a caracal or knows someone who does? I really like the way they look but I don't know anything about their personalities and attitude towards humans.

[shadowdream]

I never knew they could be kept as pets, from wat I've learnt of them they are wild animals so I'm afraid I'm no help

[Annie]

I'm a caracal <3




Umm, I dunno...they're not like cats and dogs, they're still very much wild (Something about genes, but I'm really not an expert) so you'd really have to know what you're doing to handle them.
Of course, there are always exceptions, I've heard of people keeping pets like that (even as large as lions and tigers) with no problems what so ever.
But then there's always the chance it could harm you or itself if it decides to go "wild" again.


I would love one though, if I had the space and proper know how XD they're one of my fave cats <3

[thanigraphics]

aww, what a sweet pic! *squeezehuggles the caracal charrie*
yeah, I am a huge cat lover too, I have 3 sweet european shorthairs at my place, and right now my home is filled enough with kittycat ^-^
but I also LOVE big cats, it's such a shame that a tiger would rip my head off if I'd hug it :p
my dad will be taking me to the guy that keeps caracals, I hope they're tame enough to pet them.
If I'm going there, I'll sure take some pictures!
I read and watched a lot about (big) cat behaviour, from what I know is that caracals prefer to live alone and are pretty territorial. Coming into their enclosure, which is their territory, may be not such a good idea, but they might want to be petted from outside the fence, since then you aren't intruding in their "personal environment". I'm really looking forward to it, when I have a bigger home sometimes, I'd love to make a nice enclosure for one, or maybe 2 if possible

[morri908]

no.. not really.. BUT, i still think that if one has the proper training, AND FUNDS.. that it could be okay... problem is that most people don't have that.. soo... no, we prolly shouldn't keep them as pets .

[Deeri]

Caracals can be easily tamed and kept as pets and can adapt to living with humans but they are still wild animals.
As Annie said, you have to know what you are doing with them and also have the space in order to provide for them.

If you are able to go and see them and take photos then that would be great to see.

[PrincessKiara]

Personally, I wouldn’t have kept a wild animal like that as a pet. Especially if you can’t be close to them physicly to play and cuddle with them..

[Nadra]

I agree with PrincessKiara. Caracals are adorable, but I don't think they'd be as good pets as domestic cats. But I'm not sure - I have no experience.

[Simba]

like any wild animal, you're going to need LOTS of training before you can get one. possibly years. you have to be able to understand their body language and keep a check on yours to prevent anything unexpected and learn your boundaries with the animal. so I wouldn't recommend it.

my advice to you is to see if you can get a hybrid. I haven't heard of any breeding programs involving caracals, but I know there's one involving servals. the domestic cat breed Savanna is actually more or less a domestic cat x serval hybrid. but typically what you get from breeders are 5th generations from wild. this is because by that generation wild temperment isn't likely to come out. you can get cats that are closer to wild, but you still take the chance of them acting more like their wild family members instead of domestic.

I strongly recommend against petting them at this person's house. Anansi and I went to this magic show once where they had servals in the act. when intermission came the audience was allowed to take pictures beside them. we wanted to pet it sooooo bad, but it was pretty unhappy about having to set still on that stool for the photos instead of walking around the stage. so we didn't pet it due to the risk of getting our faces ripped off. but the exhiliration of being a few inches from a wild animal is to die for!

[morri908]

The problem with getting a cat that is related to a wild cat (such as a Savannah, which are actually usually direct offspring of a serval), is that in several states, it is illegal to have them.. So, if you ever wanted to move to Florida or something, you'd have to look up the laws and see if you can even own it. Another problem is that no matter if it's wild, 1st gen, or 2nd gen, it's still a close relative to a wild cat, and has that "wild" in them. You can never get rid of the "wild" in an animal, it's always there, and this is especially true with animals that you get from the "wild" and their offspring.