Exotic Cat Information
I have owned several Asian Leopard Cats, 1 Serval and 1 Geoffroy's Cat. All of these are absolutely gorgeous exotic cats but certainly are not for everyone. Before inquiring about one of these beautiful cats, please do your homework. I cannot stress that enough! They are first and foremost a wild animal. Exotics are stunning, a lot of fun, very hyper at times with a don't touch me attitude quite often and will whether neutered or not, become a sprayer. They can be your best friend if socialized well enough if we are lucky. Sometimes, its just not their temperament to be friendly. Bonding with their owner will help but that doesn't always happen no matter how well socialized they are.
Exotics should be given the initial three kitten core vaccines. Also rabies at the appropriate age. Having a vet that is familiar with wild cats is a huge plus! Never give your cats the felv/fiv vaccine. The vaccine itself will not hurt them but it could cause them to test positive for felv when they actually do not have it. Many shelters will put down a cat for testing positive. My contract states that we are against felv/fiv vaccines and all guarantees are void if given. We are also against declawing. It is stated No declawing in my contract.
An exotics diet is extremely important. You must be prepared to feed them a diet of whole prey and raw. It can be a matter of life or death with these cats. There are many places you can get whole prey. Most of mine comes from Rodenpro.com. I also feed chicken legs, breasts and thighs. Sometimes beef, fish, chicken gizzards, chicken hearts, necks, liver, etc. Whole baby chicks, hamsters, rats, mice, quail, gerbils and rabbits are on the menu, too. They may eat regular canned or dry food (most don't) but dry is certainly not good for them.
In their natural habitat, exotic cats usually have 2 to 3 babies and dad helps raise them. In captivity, it may not be the same. Sometimes dad may eat them. So I suggest taking dad out of the birthing room. To socialize them you may have to pull them from mom at around 2 to 3 weeks old and hand feed them. It's all according to whether mom will let you handle them. Most won't. Hand feeding them at that age means getting kitten forumla, a bottle or syringe and I highly suggest the Miracle nipple. This means feeding every 3 to 4 hours, 24/7 the first 3 weeks. Then you can move to every 6 hours. At 4 weeks I introduce mine to raw chicken. Usually it is a wing with bone. I still bottle feed, too. I supervise them the whole time. Also finely minced chicken pieces. Won't be long before they are grabbing the chicken wing and running with it to eat in peace. lol
If you keep exotics in your house, you need to cat proof your home. That means a double door system. These cats will run out faster than you can blink. Good luck getting them back. Re-enforce your windows. They will tear threw a normal screen. They can also knock the screen out. They can open cabinets and doors. No place is too high for them. They may like when you have company or they may hide the whole time. Some will use the litter box faithfully others may prefer your toilet or their water bowl. Still, some may just like your bed or floor.
Kharistan Exotics and Bengal Spirit Cattery share some of these beautiful cats. Please call to find out how you can become an exotic parent.
Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, do your homework before getting one. Talk with people who have had exotic cats. I thoroughly enjoy mine. I hope to be able to breed them for another 10 years!