Ohio: Feral ‘cocaine cat’ tests positive for crack and sent to zoo

Cocaine Bear isn’t alone as it seems.

An exotic cat spotted high up in a tree in the dark of night gives off cocaine cat vibes.

Dog handlers responded to reports of a leopard in a tree in the Oakley neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cellphone video showed a cat with a spotted golden coat and large ears perched on a branch. Officials, suspecting it to be an F1 Savannah house cat, managed to capture it and take it to a shelter.

Cincinnati Animal CARE ran some tests on the cat and found out its species – which wasn’t even the biggest surprise. Cocaine was found in his system.

“The toxicology came back, the animal was positive for narcotics in its system,” Troy Taylor, chief of the Hamilton County Canine Control Office, told WKRC.

‘And DNA came back as a positive illegal serval.’

African servals are legal to keep as pets in neighboring Indiana and Kentucky, but are illegal in Ohio.

“These species are considered dangerous. They’re on the dangerous wild list for Ohio,” Taylor said.

The serval, known as Amiry, suffered a broken leg during capture. The shelter’s medical staff began caring for the cat, which is unlike any they’ve worked on before.

“He was given some good painkillers, put a camera on him so we could monitor him that night, and in the morning we could reach the zoo to do the care,” Taylor said.

Amiry was taken to the Cincinnati Zoo for further treatment and monitoring.

“We are very proud of the work done by the canine guards and medical staff on this case and are very grateful to the Cincinnati Zoo for providing Amiry with the care he needs,” said Ray Anderson, Community Engagement Manager of Cincinnati Animal CARE, to WLWT.

According to reports on Wednesday, the zoo is still taking care of Amiry. It’s not clear if the zoo will keep the wildcat or what’s next in the future.

Amiry’s owner was located and was cooperative and will not be charged in the January 28 incident, which is partly reminiscent of the comedy thriller Cocaine Bear, which is in theaters now.

Based on a true 1985 story about a grizzly who eats a load of crack, Cocaine Bear follows the drug-addicted animal on a rampage in the woods. Luckily for the officers who captured the African serval, they weren’t hurt in the way that Cocaine Bear investigators were.

“It was definitely a sight to behold and after speaking to the cat expert he said we did a great job and we were also pretty lucky because that cat could have shredded us and killed us,” Taylor said.

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