The picture of a caracal can make you wish to adopt the animal as a pet. But you need to know if it is legal to do that or not.
Caracals are not natives of the United States but you must have seen them in the country because people are bringing them in as pets.
All the same, it is not legal to own a caracal in every part of the United States. This is why we put this article together to help you know if your state has legalized adopting a caracal.
What Is a Caracal?
Before you go ahead to find out whether it is legal to own a caracal in your state or not, let’s first see the kind of animal it is.
A caracal is a member of the cat family but it is a wildcat that is almost the size of regular housecats. Sometimes, it is known as a desert lynx.
Caracal look like housecats too but they have some features that make it easier to recognize them and differentiate them from housecats. We will discuss these features later.
As we said earlier, caracals are not native of the United States. They are basically found in grasslands, deserts, woodlands, and rocky hills of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
They are usually brown or reddish-gold in color.
How Can I Tell a Caracal from Other Cats?
Even though caracals are cats, they are slightly different from the regular housecats you know. Here are some features that can help you recognize a caracal whenever you see one:
- Long black ears. Caracals have long black ears that always give them away. Once you see a medium-sized cat with long ears that have dark tufts, just know you are obviously staring at a caracal.
- Coat color. Caracals are mostly reddish-gold, sandy, reddish-tan, or brown in. The cat’s color is also solid, meaning that it doesn’t have streaks of other colors on its coat.
- Dark facial markings. Caracals always look like they wear dark makeups around their eyes, down their noses, and on the whisker pads. These dark markings and the cat’s black ear coats make it look like a lynx except that its color is solid.
- Tails. The tails of caracals are short and have the same coat color as their main bodies.
- Speed and agility. Caracals can run up to 50mph. They are also very agile and can jump as high as 3 meters. The animals’ swiftness, great speed, and ability to jump very high are some of the reasons they can survive in the wild.
Are Caracals Harmful?
Seeing the features of a caracal can make you question whether they are harmful as pets.
Well, you have to remember that it is a wild animal and that it has things like sharp claws and strong jaws that help it hunt and stay alive in the wild. This means their attacks can cause severe injuries to humans and other animals.
Are Caracals Aggressive or Friendly?
Caracals are basically wild animals and have the potentiality of becoming aggressive. Of course, people can raise it to be less aggressive but as a wild animal, they are very unpredictable. This means they may attack their owners and other people when they feel cornered.
Should You Own a Caracal as a Pet?
This is a question you may have to answer by yourself. Many people believe the animal shouldn’t be a pet, even as an exotic pet, because of how unpredictable it can be.
But if you want to have a caracal as a pet despite knowing it can cause harm to you and people around you, you should know the following:
- You have to prepare your home to house a caracal. Remember its agility, great speed, and jump height when doing this. Make everything in your home caracal-ready.
- Reinforce your house and compound to prevent the animal from escaping into the neighborhood.
- It may not be wise to have other pets because caracals are predatory and may attack them.
- Work closely with a vet to make sure you give the caracal its basic medical checkups and treatments when the need arises.
- Remember that caracals only eat flesh, as in raw meats. A vet will help you plan its meals.
Arguments for and against Keeping Caracals as Pets
Since caracals are wild animals, there are different opinions on whether they should be kept as pets or not. Let’s quickly look at what each side of the argument has to say about this.
Arguments that Support Owning Caracal as a Pet
There are so many caracal lovers that want to have them as pets. Here are their arguments on why they should be allowed to adopt caracals as pets:
- Caracals can be trained from young age to live as domestic cats.
- They are emotional animals that easily bond with their owners.
- They are very intelligent.
- They are energetic and playful, meaning they have positive traits.
- They are beautiful and can be very good exotic pets.
Arguments against Owning Caracal as a Pet
While some people believe it is great to have caracals as pets, many others advise against it. Here are their reasons for believing that caracals should never be kept as pets:
- Even when caracals are raised at homes as pets, they continue to show their predatory instinct. This puts other animals around them in danger.
- Caracals are unpredictable because they retain their wild nature and instincts even if kept and raised as pets. This means they can become aggressive and dangerous.
- Their sharp claws and strong jaws can cause grave injury even when they are playing.
Caracal Legal States
The state you live in also determines whether you can own a caracal as a pet or not. While some states make it fully legal to own a caracal, others will only allow you to own one with a permit. But there are many other states that are yet to legalize the ownership of a caracal.
Here, we will only give you the list of states that have legalized owning caracals as pets.
States with Full Legal Status
Caracal is only fully legal in five states. They are:
- Alabama
- Nevada
- North Caroline
- South Carolina
- Wisconsin
States with Conditional Legal Status
If you are living in any of the following states, you can own a caracal if you obtain the permit:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Virginia
- Wyoming
Let’s Wrap It Up
If you are not living in any of the states, where caracal ownership is legalized, you should not consider adopting other pets. But if your state legalizes having caracals as pets and you wish to get one, you should remember to make provisions for the new member of your household.