African wildcat’s owner plans to leave North Las Vegas to reclaim pet
A North Las Vegas resident is planning to move back to unincorporated Clark County in order to recover her pet African wildcat captured by police Tuesday night.
Kat Bailey said she isn’t sure how Draco, a 5-year-old serval, escaped from an outdoor enclosure, but is doing everything she can to get him back.
She told the Review-Journal that she’s been allowed to see Draco and feed him at an animal shelter in the city.
Serval cats are carnivorous and native to Africa, typically sporting long legs and a lean frame. Despite their status as wild animals, they are kept as pets in some parts of the world.
Bailey said she bought Draco five years ago from a breeder in California, when she lived in unincorporated Clark County. It’s legal to keep a serval cat in the county, as long as the owner properly obtains a permit.
When she moved to North Las Vegas, she said, she didn’t realize that keeping a serval cat as a pet is illegal under a city code.
Bailey said she was planning to immediately move out of the city so she can retrieve Draco from the city’s animal shelter. She noted that her ex-husband, who owns a savannah cat — a cross between a serval and a domestic cat — lives outside the city and could take care of Draco while she sorts out a move.
Alexander Cuevas, a spokesman for the city, told the Review-Journal Wednesday that the owner had reached out to the animal protective services but it was unclear what would become of the animal. He noted that under the city code, “No person may exhibit in public or keep on public or private property any wild animal.”
Draco lives with Bailey, her dog Avalanche, and two mice. While Draco isn’t allowed near the mice, he gets along quite well with Avalanche, she said.
“At first it was a little rocky,” Bailey said. “Draco didn’t like him barking all the time, but now they get along just fine.”
Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.
