Rare Exotic Cat On The Loose In WA Gig Harbor Owner Warns ’40 MPH For Sustained Distances’

GIG HARBOR, WA. (THECOUNT) — A rare exotic cat got loose from his home in Gig Harbor and his owners are asking for help to bring him home.

Tango is 6-years-old and familiar with dogs, his owner said. And he can run fast, very fast.

The African serval is declawed and submissive to people, according to his owner Salan Weier. She said Tango will likely run away if approached, and can reach up to 40 mph for sustained distances.

“More than likely, he’s going to run away from everybody. He’s afraid of everything,” said Weier. “He’s used to dogs, so dogs don’t bother him. He’s not gonna harm a dog.”

Weier said Tango escaped Sunday morning and was spotted near a YMCA in Gig Harbor, and again near the pond at Heron’s Key retirement home, reports KING5.

Active in the day as well as at night, servals tend to be solitary with minimal social interaction. Both sexes establish highly overlapping home ranges of 10 to 32 km2 (4–12 sq mi), and mark them with feces and saliva. Servals are carnivores – they prey on rodents (particularly vlei rats), small birds, frogs, insects, and reptiles. The serval uses its sense of hearing to locate the prey; to kill small prey, it leaps over 6 ft 7 in above the ground to land on the prey on its forefeet, and finally kills it with a bite on the neck or the head. Mating takes place at different times of the year in different parts of their range, but typically once or twice a year in an area. After a gestation period of two to three months, a litter of one to four is born. Weaning occurs at one month, and kittens begin hunting on their own at six months. The juveniles leave their mother at 12 months, according to wikipedia.

Call the Gig Harbor Police Department if you see Tango so his owners can narrow down their search for the large cat. The tip line is 253-851-2236.

Geo quick facts: Gig Harbor is the name of both a bay on Puget Sound and a city on its shore in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,126 at the 2010 census. Gig Harbor is one of several cities and towns that claim to be “the gateway to the Olympic Peninsula,” – Wikipedia.