A friend recently mentioned he was thinking about getting a Genet as a pet, which was the first time I've ever heard of  one - so of course I looked it up! Genets are a carnivorous cat-like creature and members of the Viverradae family, which include the Moongoose and the Civet. The are extremely agile with long tails and like Civets, spend alot of time up in the trees. They communicate with scent glands and are very musky, when frightened or angry they squirt an unpleasant fluid to deter enemies.

Genets can be taught to use a litter box and fed cat or ferret food. They are sometimes kept as exotic pets in the United States and Asia. Genets are nocturnal and come from Africa. They have dark, round spots and ringed tails which are one and a half times the length of their bodies, allowing them to move easily among the trees. They have short legs and fiery eyes and within Africa, the Genets have adapted over time to different climates; Forest Genets, Aquatic Genets, Arid Climate Genets, and so on.

They enjoy eating birds, eggs, lizards, rodents, bats, millipedes and whatever else they happen to come upon although they have a reputation for being somewhat wasteful, consuming only parts of their kill. They are solitary creatures who only spend time with one another during periods of courtship or motherhood. Genets mature at 2 years old and a female can have up to two litters a year.

Males are usually 5-10 lbs and females are 2-8 lbs and in the wild live to be around 8 years old. Their natural predators are owls, panthers, and pythons. Kept in captivity, Genets can live up to 20 years. In medieval times, Genets were often kept as pets due to their keen affection and capacity for killing rodents. Some disadvantages of having a Genet as a pet are their razor sharp claws and natural inclination to jump all over everything, their musky scent glands, and their skittishness and speed.