Caracal kitten is not accessible to everyone today. At home, they have been trying to breed these wild cats for a long time, however, to this day the breed can not be called common.
It is believed that a caracal kitten is tamed with ease and poses no danger to domestic (including human) animals. With a tamed steppe trot (another name for this animal) you can hunt small game - peacocks, pheasants, hares and even antelopes.
By the way, in the East such a hunt in antiquity was very popular. True, the caracals were captured and kept mostly by the poor, since the rich preferred larger and more powerful cheetahs. Hunting with a steppe trot is now a rarity.
These cats are beautiful and charming, with the same color - sandy or reddish-sand, with a lighter belly and throat. The largest individuals exceed 80 cm in length and 45 cm in height (at the shoulders). The average weight is 12 kg. The length of the jump during hunting is 4.5 m. A distinctive feature is dark gray, highly set (almost vertically) ears with long black tassels-locators (about 5 cm in height). It is thanks to this feature that this animal was called caracal (in translation “caracalik” means nothing more than “black eye”). There are absolutely black caracals, but these are quite rare specimens.
Caracal kittens (photo below), contrary to popular belief, do not always have spots scattered on a children's fur coat. Often at a fairly early age they acquire the color of an adult animal (permanent).
You must admit that they are so cute that the question ripens itself: how much do caracal kittens cost? The price, I must say, is very “biting”. If, for example, Maine Coon costs an average of 800 cu, then caracal is an order of magnitude (or even two) more expensive - about 9-9.5 thousand cu
Why is a kitten caracal so expensive and so rare in homes as a pet?
Firstly, most caracals (there are several species, but they are all alike) are active in the evening and at night, and this is often inconvenient for humans.
Secondly, the animal eats the meat of game caught by it. And the jars of "Wiskas", as you know, will not be enough for him. It is very difficult to provide proper nutrition to a wild cat at home.
Thirdly, caracals are not prolific (the female brings one or two kittens) and grow up later than ordinary domestic cats. They become sexually mature after a year and a half. The caracal kitten grows slowly, up to a month and a half, eating exclusively mother's milk (eating meat, unlike the same domestic cats, it starts only after 1.5 months). And to excommunicate the baby from the mother earlier than six to seven months is undesirable (in nature he lives with her for up to a year).
Fourth, a caracal kitten should have enough space for games and walking in the future, therefore it is not suitable for keeping in an apartment, even if it is large. And since the jumping ability of this animal is quite impressive, the risk of its escape always remains, even with high fences.
It turns out that keeping several caracal individuals for captive breeding is not only expensive, but also troublesome. Moreover, diseases of steppe cats (as well as their nature) have been studied very poorly so far. And this means that no one will give you guarantees of your absolute safety during your stay with a wild (even tamed) cat ...