SEATTLE -- In the last month, Animal Control officers have captured two servals wandering around West Seattle.

The medium-sized wild cat is sometimes mistaken for a cheetah or a leopard. It's native to Africa and can grow to be 50 pounds.

The most recent capture happened on Saturday when some neighborhood kids spotted a serval on the grounds of Madison Middle School in West Seattle.

The first serval was captured just before New Year's Day, roughly 20 blocks away from the school. Both cats are about 1 year old and had been declawed.

"It's a predator. It's a wild animal," said Seattle Animal Control Officer Don Baxter.

Sandra Crespinel of West Seattle found the first one in her driveway. She says it looked hungry and it was eyeballing the cat food she had on her doorstep.

"It was hissing and just vicious," she said.

It's illegal to own an exotic animal within the city limits of Seattle, and servals are categorized as exotic. Baxter says servals may look gentle, but can be mean.

"If someone has some chickens or rabbits that are pets, this is absolutely a hunter who would go after them," said Baxter.

Servals in Seattle are not as rare as you may think. Baxter says his office typically captures one every other year, but two in one month is more than a coincidence.

"We believe the owner is the same person and the two were paired together," says Baxter.

Despite the penalties the owner could face, Baxter hopes the servals' owner will come to claim them. He said officials just want to educate them on the laws and the dangers of raising a wild animal in a city environment. There is a possibility the penalties could be dropped, Baxter said.

The first serval is now at an exotic animal sanctuary in Redmond. The second one could be headed there as well, or someplace similar, if the owner doesn't claim it by the end of the week.