Rare cat missing

ASHWAUBENON - A rare African cat is missing and may be in the Ashwaubenon area.

Laurie Pitts, who is visiting from Anchorage, Alaska, said his eight-year-old male African Serval cat, Taabu, escaped from an open window of his RV, which was parked on the 800 block of Morris Ave, late Satudary night.

"He hopped out of the second window back," Pitts told FOX 11 pointing to the screen window the cat jumped out.

Taabu is 24 inches tall and weighs 50 pounds. Pitts said the cat can run 65 miles per hour and jump 15 feet in the air. Pitts characterized the tan, spotted cat as "friendly." He added it cannot meow and hisses instead. Pitts said the cat is domesticated and lives indoors.

"He's a tame animal. He's just bigger," Pitts said. "It's not unlike having a super-sized dog."

• Learn more about the African Serval from the National Zoo's Web site.

Pitts believes the cat may still be in an area between Lombardi Avenue, Cormier Road, Ridge Road and Ashland Avenue. So far, the cat has not been spotted.

"I've had three hours of sleep in the last two nights," Pitts said. "I'm definitely worried about him and I've been out every night looking."

Pitts, a retired Brown County sheriff's deputy, said this is the third time Taabu has run away. The other two times, he said the cat was found nearby.

Friends of Pitts are also helping in the search. According to the National Zoo’s Web site , Servals are native to grasslands in sub-Saharan Africa. They feed primarily on rodents, frogs, birds and other small animals. Pitts said he feeds Taabu cat food.

"We don't think it would attack anybody but that being said it is a wild animal," Ashwaubenon humane officer Ryan Windorff said. He said the village does not have any ordinance to deal with cats like Taabu. But he said there are some restrictions on interstate travel.

"Our main concern right now is finding the cat and we'll deal with the legalities of it later," Windorff said. Pitts said he crosses the Canadian border several times a year and he does have all of the required paperwork to travel with the cat.

If the animal is found in Green Bay, animal control officer Sharon Henson said Pitts will likely get a ticket for $676.

"They're beautiful animals," Henson said. "They have no business being pets."

Henson said Green Bay does have an ordinance banning animals like serval cats. Henson said she is concerned about public safety.

"Whether it's a pet or not, it's still not domesticated, meaning it can very easily revert back to what it was which is a wild animal," Henson said.

Pitts is not worried about Taabu hurting someone in fact just the opposite. He's worried about someone else hurting Taabu.

"The biggest problem is they get shot by the public when they 'em and think they're a bobcat or a lynx," Pitts said.

That's one reason Pitts is offering a reward for the safe return of Taabu.

Police say if you see the animal, do not approach it. Call your local police department instead.