We Think He's Purr - Fect!

Despite the dangers, kelly and her family are proud to share their home with a giant African cat.

It wasn’t your average choice for a household pet. But when Kelly Jones’ husband Seb, 29, announced that he wanted to adopt a serval – a wild African cat – she wasn’t surprised.

The couple, who have two young children, Sienna, four, and Brandon, 10, have never owned a ‘normal’ domestic animal.

In fact, Seb owned a range of rare snakes and lizards during his childhood and after meeting Kelly, now 28, she began sharing his passion for bizarre pets.

‘There’s Morticia, a hairless Sphynx cat, and Sobec, the Cuvier’s dwarf caiman, which is a small crocodile, and then the latest edition, Anubis, a serval cat,’ Kelly, from the UK, tells New Idea proudly.

Born on March 4 this year, Anubis was adopted by Kelly and Seb at 11 weeks old and has since grown to more than five times the size of a domestic cat.

Now nine months old and boasting a spotty coat, it’s little wonder he’s attracted a lot of attention in his short life.

‘Anubis is already three-feet tall and although he’s considered dangerous due to his two-inch fangs and long claws, we let him sleep with the kids,’ Kelly says.

‘We don’t think he poses a threat to our family at all. He’s harmless and would only attack if he felt threatened.’