Caracal is a beautiful, graceful cat with unique black tassels on her ears. Caracals have long become not wild African cats, which are destroyed in the wild, but pets. A few years ago, only very wealthy buyers could afford to buy a Caracal kitten, but now on the Internet, you can increasingly find ads with a relatively affordable price for a kitten, which has led to an increase in demand for these animals.
So what kind of animal is Caracal, and how does it behave at home?
The caracal is a carnivorous mammal of the cat family. Caracal has long black tassels at the tips of its ears, the very name of the animal comes from the Turkish word “karakalak”, which means black ear, because of this it looks like a lynx. For a long time, it was attributed to the lynx family, but because of its genetic characteristics, it was identified as a separate group of cats. This animal is of medium size, body length reaches 65-82 cm, tail is about 30 cm, body weight is 16-19 kg.
The coat is short and thick, brown shades, ears with long black tassels up to 5 cm, the contours around the eyes are painted with black lines, the eyes are blue. Caracal cubs are very interesting, they are able to make sounds reminiscent of the chirping of birds. Caracal is a rare animal, and belongs to a species that is endangered, and is listed in the International Red Book.
In order for the Caracal kitten to be tame, it is taken away from its mother and artificially fed. It is better to take kittens from professional breeders, nurseries who know the peculiarities of raising this type of animal. As a rule, the cost of kittens bought from a professional breeder is much higher than from a reseller who can bring an animal from the wild, fed by his own mother.
A kitten from the wild will never be able to become tame, and will be dangerous to its owner. Since the species is under protection, kittens must have the necessary documents confirming that this animal was born in captivity, and not caught in the wild. The smuggling of exotic animals is a very popular phenomenon, there is a great demand for animals from the wild, the price of which is much lower than the market price. But purchasing such an animal, the buyer may have problems with the law.
In order for a kitten to live comfortably at home, he needs to create all the conditions that are as close as possible to his natural habitat. The maintenance of Caracals is very costly. After feeding the baby with artificial milk, he is transferred to raw meat. These animals need to be fed only with fresh meat, cat food that is given to ordinary domestic cats is not suitable for them, the digestive system of caracals is arranged differently, and if the correct diet is not followed, the animal will die.
Caracals are predators, in the wild they get their own food by jumping up to 3 meters in height, this instinct is preserved in captivity, so small apartments with low ceilings will not suit them. The best option would be a private house with an equipped aviary, where the animal can feel more free, jump, sharpen its claws.
Toys are very important, according to how much the animal is active, it must move a lot, a large number of balls, rubber toys are needed. The main condition should be the good quality of the toy, the jaws of the animal are strong enough to easily crack the toy and swallow its fragments, which can cause serious illness. The constant change of games and toys is also important, the monotony and entertainment with the same subject quickly annoy the pet.
Caracal is very attached to his master, he will be faithful to him all his life. If for some reason you have to give the animal to another owner, it will be almost impossible to build a new, strong trusting union.
Do not get this animal to families with small children. Caracal does not tolerate manifestations of any kind of violence against him, or obsessive attention that is not pleasant for him, which may come from a child.
If Caracal grew up in a family with other animals, he can accept him and be friends. You should not keep Caracal with small breeds of dogs, when he grows up in the game, he can simply strangle the animal. Now very successfully breeders cross Caracals with other types of cats, and get valuable hybrids that are more adapted to life at home.
Caracal is a very beautiful cat that got into apartments, country houses from the wild. Her beauty captivates and wins hearts. Having a Caracal in the house is an indicator of status and luxury. Caracal should be started only by those owners who are ready and can provide decent and comfortable conditions for the life of their pet. Before starting such an exotic animal, you need to weigh all the pros and cons of his character, all those expenses that the owner will have to bear.