Exotic Cat That's Native To Africa Is On The Loose In Atlanta

An exotic cat that’s native to Africa is at large in Atlanta after it woke a sleeping woman in her bed.

Kristine Frank lives in historic Brookhaven. It was around 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday (June 30) when she felt an animal — which couldn’t have been her dog — jump onto her bed.

“…I opened my eyes and it was a large cat on my bed,” Frank told Neighbor News. “…It was terrifying…I just froze and yelled for my husband. I said, ‘That’s not a cat and I don’t know what it is.’”

Frank and her husband managed to usher the serval out of their house and contact the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Now, the agency is working to find the serval and bring it to an animal sanctuary in North Carolina, the local news organization reports.

Mark McKinnon of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources law enforcement division added to local reporters in an email that officials hope to catch the serval Friday (July 2). He added that the serval is likely an illegal pet, so officials don't expect it to be dangerous "unless it is cornered or provoked."

Call the Georgia Department of Natural Resources at 770-918-6408 to report sightings of the serval.