African Serval Cat Rescued from Ohio Tree Tests Positive for Cocaine
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Cocaine Bear is in the theaters, but cocaine cat is in Ohio.
An African serval cat is in the care of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden after officials say the feline tested positive for cocaine following its capture — which came after police arrested its owner.
In January, the over 30-Lb. cat, named Amiry, escaped from his owner's car in the city's Oakley neighborhood, according to Fox 19.
Amiry, at first thought to be a leopard, was found high in a tree when Hamilton County Dog Wardens and Cincinnati Animal CARE responded to the scene.
"We got called in to get the cat out of the tree," Ray Anderson with Cincinnati Animal CARE told the station.
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He added, regarding the capture: "[They weren't] sure what they were dealing with. Hindsight being 20/20, it probably would have involved a whole lot more people."
As the dog wardens struggled to remove the cat, the animal's leg was inadvertently broken during the rescue, Anderson said.
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After the rescue, the feline was taken to Cincinnati Animal CARE's facility. While assessing the serval's health, caretakers ran a toxicology report — which is when the wild story took another turn.
"It did come back positive for cocaine," Anderson said. "Now, we can't say how the animal got the cocaine in the system. I don't know if it was environmental or experimental."
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Amiry was then transferred to the zoo shortly afterward, according to WLWT-TV.
On Tuesday, a zoo spokesman confirmed to Fox 19 that the cat is now in treatment at the facility.
"The serval has been receiving veterinary care in our Animal Health Center since he was brought here," the spokesman said. "He's doing well, and the next step will be for our Cat Ambassador Program team to work with him and determine if he's a good fit to be an ambassador animal. He will likely be behind the scenes for a while."
While owning an African serval is illegal in Ohio, authorities told WLWT that Amiry's owner wouldn't face charges and is cooperating with investigators.
