Ohio Savannah cat mistaken for wild cat after escape
Olmsted Township police said a reported wild cat in a neighborhood was an escaped Savannah cat later returned to its owner.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
An Ohio Savannah cat caused a brief scare after police were called to a residential area for what was first reported as a loose “wild cat,” according to Olmsted Township Police.
Officers responded Thursday to the animal sighting in Olmsted Township, a community in Lorain County, police said in a public update. After checking out the call, police said the animal was identified as a domesticated Savannah cat that had gotten away from its owner.
The feline then headed into a wooded area, turning a neighborhood animal call into a search with the owner, police and sheriff’s deputies all involved, according to police.
What was the wild cat reported in Ohio?
Police said the animal was not a wild cat but a Savannah cat, a breed that is a hybrid of a domestic cat and an African serval.
That detail explains why the report may have drawn attention. Savannah cats can look more exotic than the average house cat because of their serval ancestry, but Olmsted Township Police described this animal as domesticated and said it belonged to a local owner.
The department said the cat was found by its owner after it fled into the woods. Police and sheriff’s deputies accompanied the owner during the effort to recover the animal, according to the department.
Getting the cat back was not instant. Police said several attempts were made to catch the animal safely with a snare, but those efforts did not work at first.
The cat was eventually captured, police said. It was then returned to its owner so it could receive veterinary care.
Police did not report any injuries to residents or officers in the account. They also did not identify the owner or say how the cat escaped.
The incident landed in the sweet spot of suburban oddity: a call about a possible wild animal, a wooded-area chase, and a final answer that was less jungle cat invasion than runaway pet with a very fancy family tree.
Olmsted Township Police handled the public account of the case through their update, which identified the animal, described the recovery effort and said the cat was back with its owner after the capture.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.