Exotic Cat Caught After Roaming Country Club For 5 Days

BROOKHAVEN, GA — The large exotic cat that woke up a Brookhaven resident in her own bed last week was captured Monday, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources confirmed.

Kristine Frank, who lives off Club Drive in Brookhaven, got an alarming wake-up call last Wednesday morning when the serval, Nala, jumped on her bed just before 7 a.m. The cat got in after Frank's husband had left the front door open for their dog to wander in and out of the house.

"I felt something jump on my bed, and I opened my eyes and it was a large cat on my bed," Frank previously said. "… I didn't realize how big it was at the time, but it did jump off the bed. It was terrifying. When I looked, it was as tall as my bed, so I could see its head and ears. That's when I knew it was not a normal house cat. I just froze and yelled for my husband. I said, 'That's not a cat and I don't know what it is.'"

Frank's husband David opened a connecting patio door and the cat escaped, running onto a nearby golf course.

State DNR spokesperson Mark McKinnon told Patch the serval was caught Monday near the Capital City Country Club, and the department is working on finding it a permanent home in a wildlife sanctuary. The cat is being held in a third-party facility.

The department is scheduled to pick up the cat Thursday and take it to its new home, which McKinnon said the department is not revealing at this time.

It's illegal to own a serval such as Nala, McKinnon said, and the case is still under investigation. The Animal Legal Defense Fund has offered to place the cat in a North Carolina animal sanctuary.

Related: Exotic Cat On The Prowl In Metro Atlanta