When Exotic Pets Turn on Owners

In Illinois, a pet caracal—a sleek wild cat with long ears and a powerful leap—escaped from a fenced backyard and attacked a woman and her young daughter. The cat pounced from behind a bush and clawed them both before neighbors rushed in.

Though the victims survived, they needed stitches and trauma care. The caracal was captured and rehomed, but the neighborhood never looked at housecats the same again. What looked like an exotic status symbol turned into a terrifying reminder that wild instincts never fully vanish.