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Big cat found in plant pot after two-month search

Owen SennittNorfolk
News imageKevin Murphy A Savannah cat, with dark spots and pointy ears, rest in a grey garden plant pot on a sunny day. Its head and back are visible above the top of the pot.Kevin Murphy
The cat was found sat in a pot in a back garden

An escaped big cat believed to have been roaming the countryside for two months has been captured after being found with injuries in a plant pot in a back garden.

Kevin Murphy, of Norfolk Wildlife Rescue, has been trying to track down the Savannah cat since it was spotted three weeks ago near Bramerton, south of Norwich.

The feline is native to sub-Saharan Africa and it had been on the loose since escaping from its home in May.

Murphy, who used a net to catch it safely in Bramerton, said the owner had been confirmed as living in the NR1 postcode area of Norwich, about four miles away, and that the animal had been taken to a vet with a broken paw.

News imageKevin Murphy A cat with black spots and pointy ears sits in a plant pot in a garden. It appears to be hissing. The is a wheelbarrow next to the pot, resting upright on its front edge.Kevin Murphy
The Savannah cat was found injured in someone's garden

The Savannah cat is a cross between a serval and a domestic cat and it has brown spots and pointy ears.

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It was first seen in a field between the A146 Loddon Road and Framingham Lane on 23 June.

Tom Baker, 27, who spotted the cat last month, likened it to a "small leopard" when he saw it from a distance.

The large cat was caught on camera by a dog walker
News imageKevin Murphy A cat with black spots and pointy ears sits in a loaf position inside a cageKevin Murphy
The cat was put in a cage after a net was used to catch it

The June sighting generated national headlines.

Murphy said the cat had been microchipped so the owner was able to confirm it was theirs and that its name was Blaze.

Murphy added the Savannah had a broken right paw and a wound on its chest following its adventures in the Norfolk countryside.

News imageKevin Murphy A cat can be seen in a net having been captured in a gardenKevin Murphy
News imageKevin Murphy A cat with spots can be seen inside a net, with wounds to its chestKevin Murphy
A net was used to catch the cat
The cat has been taken to the vets and is recovering from its injuries

Owners of serval cats and first generation Savannah cats require a Dangerous Wild Animals (DWA) licence to keep them.

However, this cat was believed to be in the F2 category, which would mean its owner did not require a licence.

According to a recent freedom of information request by Born Free, a charity that works to protect wild animals, there are two Savannah cats and three servals registered as being kept at private addresses in South Norfolk.

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