A large African Serval cat that escaped from a Detroit home was shot dead over the weekend by a local resident, and now the former owners want answers.

The cat was actually a Savannah, which is a hybrid between an African Serval and a domestic cat and has the exotic features of a wild feline. The family says they believe the cat escaped through a screened-in window and roamed the neighborhood for several days, eluding a search party who were attempting to bring it home safely. Rumors began to spread that the animal was dangerous, and reportedly one resident took matters into their own hands when they spotted it.

“It was simply ignorance. A Savannah cat is a cross between an African Serval and a domestic cat, and that is it. They’re larger cats, they’re very beautiful, they have a lot of stripes and spots, which I think was more intimidating to people than even the size of the cat, because the cat wasn’t overly huge, about 25 pounds and maybe when it was sitting was probably two feet tall. But they’re very sweet animals, they’re kind of like the dog of the cat world,” said Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek of Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue.

The family says the cat never posed a threat to the public and even have photos of their neighbors petting it; Wilhelm-Bruzek says it’s a sad situation that could have been avoided.

“I’d love to see someone look into it and investigate it. But I’m not holding out a lot of hope. This whole thing from the beginning has just been a mess,” she said.

Image: Wikipedia