Servals, caracals, and other wild cats are increasingly sold as exotic pets in countries without regulations, facing profound welfare challenges and contributing to wild population pressure.
Exotic cats kept as pets face welfare deprivation from the mismatch between their wild behavioral requirements and domestic settings. Servals need several acres of territory and require live prey experience for psychological wellbeing. Caracals are highly territorial and aggressive toward people they do not know. Cheetahs are the exception in being somewhat more compatible with human contact but still require vast exercise space. Declawing wild cats causes irreversible pain and permanently impairs normal movement and welfare. Defanging prevents natural feeding behavior. Captive-bred exotic cats cannot be released into the wild. When owners can no longer manage these animals, sanctuaries are overwhelmed with animals that often show severe behavioral abnormalities from inadequate early environment. The exotic cat pet trade drives demand that incentivizes breeding operations with poor welfare standards.