It’s part of what makes life so grand; we love our dogs and cats and other loyal companions. They enrich our lives.

But sometimes, people own animals they really shouldn’t, and that’s when problems occur.

Veteran animal rescuers have seen this issue many times, but even they get a shock from time to time…

In April 2009, a strange woman called up the Carolina Tiger Rescue, an organization that has dealt with just about every feline on earth (not just tigers).

This woman said she had a friend who owned an animal she could no longer care for.

Why? Well, the animal in question had simply grown too aggressive and so, the owner wanted to donate the creature to the rescue team.

The problem was, the Carolina Tiger Rescue team didn’t have much room left, and they also had no idea what sort of animal the woman was talking about.

And for some strange reason, the caller didn’t seem to know what the furry creature was, either!

So, the team didn’t commit to the rescue. But the next morning, volunteers arrived to find a big dog crate on their doorstep with a note attached. It read:

“Love me tender. Elvis.“

But what WAS Elvis? When rescuers looked inside, they just couldn’t believe their eyes…it wasn’t a housecat, certainly, but it also wasn’t a tiger.

In fact, it was a serval, a medium-sized wild cat indigenous to Africa. They’re known for their fantastic hearing and impressive vertical leap (7 feet!).

Obviously, as this serval grew, its wildness came out and simply became too much for the owner to handle.

And unfortunately, that owner had taken far too long to find a home for the animal, as Elvis was in very poor condition.

The beautiful cat was malnourished and he’d outgrown the collar on his neck to the point where it was embedded into his neck!

Then there were terrible scars on Elvis’ forehead, which may have come from constantly rubbing his face on the bars of the crate.

Yes, it was a darn good thing he arrived at rescue HQ when he did.

Thankfully, the team set to work fixing up Elvis and when his rehabilitation was far enough long, they debuted him to guests. Said the team:

“[He] will often come up to the fence to greet tour guests and volunteers.”

Elvis had turned out to be a friendly and curious – though still obviously wild – feline!

But in the end, this is indeed a cautionary tale for everyone, as communications coordinator Jessika Morgan told The Dodo:

“Many of our servals were former pets.

Elvis’ story speaks to that and what we believe: these animals should not be pets.

Animals such as Elvis deserve to be respected as the wild animals they are.”

Very true and very important to remember.

Stick to those adorable house cats, fellow kitty lovers!

Source: Honest to Paws

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