An African serval cat is suspected to be responsible for the death of at least two pets in a Sooke neighbourhood.

For over a decade, Gail Bishop and her husband Steve have been feeding a feral cat they call Midnight, which has been visiting their sun deck twice a day.

鈥淥nce they are feral, it's pretty hard to get them and do anything with them but feed them,鈥� said Bishop.

Over the years, the couple have developed an affection for the black short-haired cat, so when the feline went missing after Christmas, Bishop was worried.

鈥淚 kept calling and calling for her,鈥� she said.

But Bishop鈥檚 worst fears were confirmed when the cat鈥檚 dead body was found on New Year鈥檚 Day.

鈥淭he cat wasn't eaten, there were just marks around the neck,鈥� she said.

Bishop and her husband suspect the culprit to be a serval, an animal native to Africa, seen roaming on their sun deck around the same time their feline friend went missing.

In B.C., serval cats are not included in the provincial Controlled Alien Species Regulation, which controls the possession, breeding, shipping and releasing of alien animals that pose a risk to the health or safety of people, property, wildlife or wildlife habitat.

With no permit required to own a serval, it is unknown how many of the medium-sized wild cats are kept as pets in B.C.

Bishop says a neighbour has at least two servals in a nearby enclosure, visible from her property.

While the couple did not see the serval kill the stray cat, they believe the timing of its appearance in their yard and the disposal of the uneaten body points to the wild African feline as the likely suspect.

鈥淲e feel terrible,鈥� said Bishop. 鈥淚t's awful, we still expect to see her 鈥� of course we will for some time.鈥�

And Midnight may not be the only victim.

When Bishop shared the news of Midnight鈥檚 death on social media, she was contacted by a woman living nearby who had also recently lost a cat.

鈥淭hey thought it was a cougar,鈥� said Bishop. 鈥淏ut she also lives very close to us and very close to where this enclosure is.鈥�

This is not the first time an exotic cat has been seen roaming in the Bishop鈥檚 neighbourhood. 

In 2022, a serval cat was reported missing in the 7000 block of West Coast Rd.

鈥淲e had no idea they were this close to us,鈥� said Bishop, who feels more should be done by the provincial government to restrict ownership of serval cats.

鈥淚'm sure this animal would be quite capable of taking a small dog, or chickens 鈥� I'm sure it would go after them too.鈥�

The BC SPCA is campaigning for serval cats to be added to the provincial Controlled Alien Species Regulation and for all municipalities and governments to adopt exotic pet laws prohibiting the keeping of servals and other exotic animals. 

According to the animal welfare organization servals have a 鈥減oor quality of life鈥� when kept as pets.

鈥淚t is extremely challenging to provide for the nutritional and veterinary needs of a wild cat like a serval in captivity,鈥� said a BC SPCA spokesperson in an emailed statement.

鈥淭hey are not easily house-trained and will frequently mark their territory with urine.  This is in addition to the fact that it is difficult to contain them in a home or adequate enclosure setting to meet their needs.鈥�

However, change could be on the horizon according to the Conservation Officer Service (COS), which enforces Controlled Alien Species regulations, who say the serval could be added to the list of restricted exotic pets.

鈥淲hile African servals are not considered wildlife or a controlled alien species and therefore do not fall under the jurisdiction of the COS, the province is in the process reviewing and considering changes to the Controlled Alien Species Regulation to ensure they are effective,鈥� said a spokesperson.

For more information about controlled alien species, visit: .