Felid TAG Opposes Private Ownership of Exotic Cats

The following is from the Felid TAG (Taxon Advisory Group) Key Educational Messages 2009

The Felid Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) recommends the following key messages for AZA member institutions to use in their educational efforts relating to wild cats.

Wild cats are not appropriate pets.

It is unsafe to keep any type of wild cat as a pet; all species are extremely powerful and exhibit behaviors that are dangerous or lethal, even when hand-reared and cared for by people their entire lives.

Many state laws prohibit the keeping of wild cats as pets, and those that currently permit private ownership of wild cats are under review.

Few people have the expertise and resources necessary to provide for adequate welfare of a wild cat kept as a pet, including its needs for sufficient space, exercise, nutrition, veterinary care, and enrichment.

Keeping a wild cat is a long-term commitment that is expensive and time-consuming. When an owner is no longer able to provide for a wild cat, there are limited options available for placing it in a new home and euthanasia may be necessary.

Instead of considering a wild cat as a pet, visit your local animal shelter and adopt a domestic cat. Spay or neuter your pet and provide it with a good indoor home.