An African Serval cat was shot dead in a Detroit neighborhood after it escaped its owner's house and was mistaken for a wild animal according to UPI.com.
"It was simply ignorance," Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek of Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue told WWJ Newsradio 950.
According to UPI, a neighbor reportedly shot the cat, named Chum, after believing it was dangerous based on its exotic look.
Typically, the cat measures 2-feet tall and weighs 25 pounds, UPI reported. The cat is a Savannah or a combination of an African Serval and a domestic cat known for its stripes and spots which can resemble a wild feline.
"A Savannah cat is a cross between an African Serval and a domestic cat, and that is it," Wilhelm-Bruzek said. "They're larger cats, they're very beautiful, they have a lot of stripes and spots, which I think was more intimidating to people than even the size of the cat, because the cat wasn't overly huge, about 25 pounds and maybe when it was sitting was probably two feet tall. But they're very sweet animals, they're kind of like the dog of the cat world."
Wilhelk-Bruzek also told WWJ the cat ran away from its owner's home roughly a month ago through a screened window, UPI reported.
"We have been out there day and night, trying to set traps out to get this cat," Wilhelm-Bruzek said.
She was reportedly told by reporters Saturday night the cat had died.
"They're totally legal pets," she said. "As long as they're cared for and socialized properly from a young age, they're wonderful animals. They're legal exotic pets."
Neighbors found Chum's body in a trash can Monday evening after the Michigan Humane Society and Detroit Police received numerous calls from neighbors who saw the cat roaming about UPI reported.
According to UPI, Both organizations did not investigate the calls.
