His days of being a snow cat are over.
The African wild cat that was found on the streets of Cincinnati with blow in his system is healing from a broken leg and sobering up at his new home in the city’s zoo, officials said.
Amiry, a 30-35 pound serval cat, was taken into animal control custody after he jumped out of a car and climbed a tree at traffic light in a residential neighborhood when his owner was pulled over by cops in January.
The exotic feline — who is native to the African savannah and illegal to own in Ohio — suffered a broken leg during the ensuing rescue mission and became agitated, officials said.
When Cincinnati Animal CARE finally corralled the long-eared cat and ran a drug test on him, they found that he had ingested cocaine.
Amiry was taken to his new home at the Cincinnati Zoo, and was making great strides in his rehabilitation there, officials said last week.
Amiry, seen here in January, was progressing nicely after being found with cocaine in his system after a Cincinnati traffic stop, officials said.AP
“Amiry’s health has improved enough after receiving care in our veterinary facility that we were able to move him to the Cat Ambassador Program area,” the zoo said in a statement, WLTL reported Saturday.
The feline was still not able to run or jump as he mended his broken leg and was acclimating to his new home and care team, officials told local media.
The serval cat has a new home at the Cincinnati Zoo, known for its breeding facility for cheetahs — a relative of the wild African species.AP
“Amiry is young and very curious. He is exploring his new space and eating well, both great signs of progress,” the lead trainer of Cincinnati Zoo’s Cat Ambassador Program, Linda Castañeda, told WXIX-TV.
The exotic cat’s rescue and apparent penchant for cocaine had trended on social media, fueled by commentators who compared his plight to the movie “Cocaine Bear,” released last month.
The film — about a deranged bear who can’t sniff enough coke — is based on a 1985 incident when a drug smuggler dropped a huge haul of the narcotic into the Appalachian Mountains and fell to his death from a overloaded plane. A 150-pound black bear then tore into the stash and overdosed.
Amiry was found to have coke in his system when taken into custody, earning him the nickname “Cocaine Cat.’RayAnderson/CincinnatiAnimalCare / MEGA
It was unclear how Amiry had come to ingest the powder, and his “cooperative” owner had not been arrested in connection with the investigation after he paid for the cat’s care and relinquished ownership, animal control officials said.
Cincinnati Animal CARE, which rescues some 8,000 animals a year, had been performing drug tests on all its patients since it treated a capuchin monkey named Neo that had methamphetamine in his system last year.
His days of using the narcotic are over, as he was making great strides in rehab, caretakers said.RayAnderson/CincinnatiAnimalCare / MEGA
Serval cats are “difficult to contain” as pets and “pose a risk” to their owners due to their strength and “wild instincts,” according to The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The species has become more popular with pet owners after being featured in TikTok videos as domestic companions, but experts warn they require far more care than a house cat.
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“There are way better options for pets that are way more safe, economically smart and sustainable,” said Julie Sheldon, clinical assistant professor of zoo medicine at the University of Tennessee.
Instead of breaking the law and subjecting the animal to a poor quality of life, Sheldon advised would-be serval owners to “save a whole lot of money and get a really awesome house cat at your local animal shelter.”