Savannah cat

It took more than a flyer on a lamppost for a lost cat in Vancouver's Shaughnessy neighbourhood to be returned to its owner on Wednesday.

"We have lots of domestic cats that are waiting for a home," she said. "They are hunters, constantly needing enrichment. She also said it was likely the cat that was returned to its owner on Wednesday was a serval. Dubois said the SPCA had been pushing the B.C. government to include servals under the Controlled Alien Species Regulation, especially after a 2019 investigation found 13 servals living in "horrific" conditions in Kamloops, B.C. "[Servals are] fast and they're big jumpers and they're still kind of dangerous," she told CBC News. "They're going to be smaller than a lynx if that helps people visualize the size of them. A savannah cat is a hybrid species that is a cross between a serval and a domesticated cat. While the Conservation Officer Service maintains the cat was a savannah cat, at least two cat experts aren't so sure — saying it was likely a serval, a wild cat native to Africa. "We appreciate the public calling in tips so it could be safely reunited with its owner," the COS said on Twitter. Exotic animals not native to B.C. are not considered wildlife under the designation but are considered a potential threat to people, property and other wildlife. "This was a house cat that was corralled and returned to [its] owner by our officers." The COS, in a tweet, identified the large feline with a distinctive spotted coat as a savannah cat, which is not an exotic or "controlled alien species" under B.C. laws. It took more than a flyer on a lamppost for a lost cat in Vancouver's Shaughnessy neighbourhood to be returned to its owner on Wednesday.