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[Ravnos]

I haven't dealt with caracals specifically, but having dealt with other 'smaller' wild cats... I feel rather confident in saying they are a handful. They don't play nicely with other pets, so they are best being the only animal in the house. You will need to go to great lengths to cat proof your home. Infinitely more so than a house cat. A caracal is a cat that is going to get the size of a labrador retriever, and no matter how domestic they seem, they have the attitudes and instincts that all cats have.

Also, please consider diet. They are not house cats, you can't go buy a can of Whiskas and a bag of Tender Vittles and expect him to be healthy. They require large amounts of real meat. I believe Mazuri makes a good supplimental diet, but I don't think it is complete - I could be wrong on that, but its something you should know ahead of time.

Main thing to consider, is your locality. Almost every single major city in the US bans wild cats as pets, due to public safety issues. That normally includes -any- wild cat, from lions and tigers to servals and bengals. There may even be laws at the state level regarding it and require you to get permits and USDA inspection of your care facilities every year. Don't go on the word of the breeder, even if they seem sincere. Do the calling for yourself before you commit, get all the information for yourself and get names of the people who give the information to you so if there are any issues in the future, you have a record of it. It would really suck to lay down 3 grand only to have animal control officers show up at your home, destroy your pet, fine you for breaking the law, and then bill you for their time.

One thing I do know... in order to run a cattery in Illinois, one is supposed to be licensed. Maybe you should find out just how legit your breeder is. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Rav

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