Way Downstream … (April 18-24, 2019)

      We’ll call this Rocky’s excellent adventure.

      An exotic serval cat that disappeared from Kitty Hawk, N.C., in October was spotted last week in Virginia Beach, 85 miles north, after probably existing for six months on shorebirds and rodents.

         Serval cats, native to north Africa, are unlike any felines you might see outside of a zoo with their leopard-like coats and their size — up to two feet high and 40 pounds.

         They’re fond of wetlands and coastal lands, they’re shy, preferring late night and early morning to move about, and they’ve been known to mate with common house cats.

         Should people worry?

         “Rocky is a domesticated pet and is accustomed to being around dogs, people and children,” according to a post on the Virginia Beach Animal Control’s Facebook page.

         Apparently, Rocky also likes his freedom.