Genet
Slender, spotted and built for climbing, from Africa, and not a cat despite the shape. Nocturnal, and it hunts from branches more than from the ground.
Photo by gailhampshire, CC BY 2.0
Overview
A genet looks like a spotted cat and is not one. It is a viverrid, closer to a civet, with a tail at least as long as its body, semi retractable claws and a build made for moving through branches. Adults run 1 to 3 kilos, so this is a small animal that occupies a large amount of vertical space.
They are nocturnal and rarely out in daylight, they hunt rats, mice, insects, small reptiles and birds, and they are solitary, holding territories that exclude others of the same sex. Captive lifespans are the surprise: reported figures run from 13 years up to 34, which puts a genet in the same commitment bracket as a parrot.
Temperament
Solitary, wary, and not domesticated in any sense. A hand raised genet can be comfortable with one person and remain unapproachable to everyone else, and it does not generalise from that person to visitors.
It marks. Scent is how a solitary territorial animal communicates, and a genet in a house uses the house. Neutering reduces it and does not remove it, and the smell is strong enough that it decides whether people keep them indoors at all.
Care and grooming
Whole prey and insects, which means a freezer of mice and chicks rather than a bag of kibble. A carnivore this small has a fast metabolism and eats little and often.
Handling is limited and grooming is not really a keeper's job, since a genet keeps its own coat in order. What it does need is a vet willing to see exotics, because very little of the routine care of a cat transfers directly.
Living and exercise
Build upward. Genets are agile climbers that hunt from branches more than from the floor, and an enclosure without real height gives them nowhere to be.
Branches at several levels, a covered den up high, and mesh they cannot squeeze through, since a young genet fits through a gap that looks impossible. Ownership is regulated and the rules differ by state.
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