Serval Cat Spotted Again In Ohio

CLARK COUNTY, Ohio — A wild cat on the loose in Clark County has been spotted again.

A woman said she noticed the cat walking around the backyard while she was babysitting three children.

The African Serval has been missing since early July, and the cat’s owner is eager to have her back again.

Police and the owner want people to know that the cat has been declawed and is not a danger to people or their pets.

They think she has been surviving on mice ever since she ran out of the house two months ago.

Lindsay Ayres said, “When I first heard that there was one on the loose, I thought it was somewhat of a joke. I never expected to actually see it.”

ON Friday, Ayres was watching television with the boys she was babysitting, when she noticed something strange in the backyard.

“I looked out the window and something caught my eye moving over by those palm trees,” said Ayres.

She knew right away that it was a cat. However, this animal was bigger and longer than any cat that she had ever seen before.

She made some noise to see what the cat would do, but it did not seem to notice her.

Ayres said, “It just looked, it didn’t really care, and just kept on going.”

The cat followed a treeline and finally disappeared into a field behind the house.

“I could see it was blondish in color, yellow, and it possibly had spots,” said Ayres.

Cindy Shaffer believes that was her cat.

“Absolutely! There’s been too many people that have described her like that,” Shaffer said.

Whenever someone has spotted her pet, named Seraphina, Shaffer goes there and sets up traps. So far, she has always been a few hours too late.

Shaffer said, “We believe that if we can get there and see her, that we’ll be able to catch her.”

She wants everyone to know that Seraphina is not dangerous but she says it would not be wise to try and catch her yourself.

“If she doesn’t know someone and they try to pick her up, there’s a chance she could bite them. Any animal could. But she’s not a danger,” said Shaffer.

Still, Lindsay Ayres said she will keep the three children that she babysits inside for awhile.

“I would assume that it’s somewhere off in these fields hiding,” said Ayres.

You should call the police if you happen to see the cat.

Shaffer said she is hoping that Seraphina will be returning home soon and she won’t become wild in the two months she has spent prowling around Clark County.

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