Cocaine Cat: Exotic feline discovered in Ohio tree tests positive for cocaine

An exotic cat is recovering at an Ohio zoo after it was discovered in a tree and tested positive for cocaine.

According to multiple reports, on Jan. 28, Hamilton County Dog Wardens responded to reports of a “leopard” located in a tree in a Cincinnati-area neighborhood.

The animal was captured and taken to Cincinnati Animal CARE, a shelter and resource center. While it was initially believed the animal was a hybrid savannah cat, it was later determined through DNA tests to be an African cat species known as a serval.

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In Ohio, savannah cats are legal to own, but servals are not. 

Medical professionals treating the cat later discovered it had tested positive for cocaine after the cat was screened for narcotics exposure. The owner of the serval was eventually reached, and they were cooperating with officials. No charges have been filed currently, and it’s unclear how the cat, whose name is Amity, was exposed to cocaine.

Amity was then transferred to the Cincinnati Zoo.

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