We received a call from the Humane Society regarding a wild cat who was being kept in a suburban area of Minneapolis. The humane officer had spoken with the owner. He would willingly surrender the cat because he was biting his son and girlfriend. At the time of the surrender, Zepo’s story was featured in City Pages.
TWS was provided very little information about Zepo the caraval’s background. A caraval is a cross between a serval and a caracal.
We do know that this man was Zepo’s second owner. The first owner had purchased Zepo from a breeder in northern Minnesota. The man who surrendered Zepo informed us he had no toys or “personal” items to come with because Zepo destroyed everything.
Zepo arrived dealing with a few medical issues, including ear mites and a bacterial infection. At two-years-old, Zepo weighed a mere 13 pounds and vomited frequently. Zepo’s malnourishment was caused by an intestinal blockage.
Zepo underwent emergency surgery to remove the foreign object—a large piece of plastic about 1-inch in diameter that he’d ingested prior to coming to TWS. Zepo rebounded nicely from the medical conditions he came with.
The next obstacle Zepo faced came when he was introduced to the other servals at TWS. Zepo is a hybrid and looks a little different than the other servals. The other servals did not accept Zepo at first due to his differences.
Bosco, a baby serval, did not care about the differences and saw something special in Zepo. The other servals opened up to Zepo when they saw the special bond that developed between him and Bosco. We’re happy to report Zepo’s now a full-fledged member of the team.
This story of friendship through diversity caught the eye of a National Geographic Kid’s Magazine editor who put their story in the October 2003 issue you can read HERE.
Zepo now shares a habitat with other servals who have whole-heartedly accepted him. He has also completely overcome all the health issues he came to TWS with.
Formerly a cautious and apprehensive cat, Zepo has blossomed into a confident and inquisitive soul. We feel so fortunate to be able to provide Zepo a home where he can be wild at heart.
Our hearts are heavy as we had to say goodbye to Zepo, the caraval.
but because he was so accepting. He accepted every cat he was ever introduced to, even if they didn’t. And in his 14 years at the Sanctuary, that was quite a few.
Even the last few months of his life, he was still making an impact on us. Due to his unique symptoms, specialists, sanctuary veterinarians and exotic veterinarians were involved in his case. Some checked in every day to see how he was doing and how he was responding.
