Large exotic cat on the loose near Victoria is third African serval to escape on Vancouver Island this week
Another serval has escaped from its owner on Vancouver Island, this time in a community north of Victoria.
Sylvia Lammers says her large African cat briefly got loose from her Brentwood Bay home on Sunday night and then escaped again the following morning.
"She learned how to open the back door," Lammers said. "Initially this happened on Sunday and we got her back fairly quickly. We thought it was our error that we left the door open, not realizing that she had figured it out."
Lammers says she was able to lure the cat, named Cassia, back with treats. "Basically, I put prawns in a bag on a string and that's how I got her."
But the following morning, the three-year-old exotic feline escaped again while Lammers was at work.
The Brentwood Bay woman says her neighbour reportedly saw the animal around 10 a.m. Monday but Lammers has been scouring the area unsuccessfully since.
"She camouflages so well in this habitat," Lammers said.
DOMESTIC CAT KILLED BY SERVALS
Cassia is the third serval to escape on Vancouver Island in recent days after a pair of the animals got loose in Qualicum Beach, B.C., on Sunday. One of the pair is now back in the care of its owners and the other remains on the loose Thursday.
According to the BC SPCA, one or both of the escaped servals in Qualicum Beach was involved in the killing of a neighbour's domestic cat.
The agency says that servals are not listed in provincial regulations controlling animals from other countries, so they can be legally owned in some B.C. municipalities.
Lammers says that while domestic servals have different needs than most housecats, they are not the wild animals many people have made them out to be.
"They are domesticated," Lammers said. "It's not like she's been pulled from the tundra. She has many generations been raised – her ancestors – in domestic situations."
Lammers says she rescued Cassia from someone who was ill-equipped to care for the cat when it was six months old.
The Capital Regional District's animal control office told CTV News on Thursday it had not received any calls about the escaped cat in Brentwood Bay.
"My gut is that she isn't on the run and she's just hunkered down somewhere," Lammers said. "We've created a little scent trail for her. We've put out her litter pads at the end of our driveway in hopes that she will catch the scent and find her way back."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.