By Margi Lilienfeld
My first encounter with genets was nothing short of magical. One evening, my husband arrived home from his veterinary hospital with a small box. Inside, curled on a heat pad, were two Large-spotted genet kittens—eyes still closed, barely ten days old. Discovered in a woodpile and abandoned by their mother when the woodpile was removed, they had been brought in for hand-rearing.
They took eagerly to the bottle, purring as they suckled. Even after their teeth emerged and they were happily devouring chicken, they continued nursing from neonatal bottles. Their soft coats were beautifully patterned—pale grey fur marked with dark spots often tinged with russet, a bold black stripe along the spine, and long grey tails, ringed in black and ending in jet-black tips.
With large dark eyes, pointed faces, and soft rounded ears, they were both delicate and wild. Agile climbers from a young age, our ceiling soon became a jungle gym of suspended ropes and swinging tin-foil balls and their evening antics kept us highly entertained. They were gentle, clean (they used a litter tray!), and quickly integrated with our young children and pets. However, they remained shy around strangers.
As nocturnal animals, they gradually spent more time outdoors at night. By age two—coinciding with their natural age of sexual maturity—they stopped coming indoors altogether. They were never caged and had full access to our garden, eventually slipping back into the suburban wild of Westville where they belonged.
The Cape Genet: A Closer Look
The South African large-spotted or Cape genet (Genetta tigrina) is a striking nocturnal carnivore, endemic to Southern Africa. It differs from the lesser-spotted genet (G. genetta) by its larger russet-centred spots and solid black tail tip. The colour of the tip of the tail, white in the lesser-spotted genet, is by far the easiest way to differentiate between these two species.
Though often solitary, genets tolerate overlapping home ranges. They are remarkably clean and form small, pyramidal latrines, called scat middens. In the wild, their diet consists mostly of insects, spiders and small rodents. Occasionally reptiles, frogs are eaten. Despite their climbing skills, birds are rarely part of their diet.
Natural predators include leopards, crowned eagles, large owls, pythons, and domestic cats and dogs. Genets have adapted well to human-dominated landscapes and are known to use roof spaces for both shelter and breeding.
Genets in KZN Urban areas
Dr. Craig Widdows shared fascinating findings at a previous Simbithi Environmental talk. Camera trap footage from Hillcrest, Kloof, and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi revealed urban genets adapting and persisting in fragmented habitats. Camera trap photos showed two incidents of genets hitching rides: one on a buffalo and one on a rhino! The analysis of scat in Dr Widdows’s study showed high consumption of petfood and waste as well as invertebrates and rodents. Importantly, he advised that genets should not be artificially fed, a principle supported by Simbithi’s environmental policy. Craig emphasised that the provision of supplementary food items by residents has a significant effect on the diet and foraging behaviour of urban genets. Additionally, it also influenced the social behaviour of genets. Typically, a solitary species, genets were observed communally foraging at waste sites and at food trays of pet food and chicken provided by residents in Kloof and Hillcrest.
Genets on Simbithi
Several Simbithi residents have reported sightings of these elusive animals. I was delighted to see one recently while having supper with friends in Lalapanzi. A trail camera set in our garden confirmed further visits—not only from genets but also from bushbuck, common duiker, red duiker, porcupine, and even a cane rat.
Fast Facts: Large-Spotted Genet (Genetta tigrina)
Simbithi’s green belts and plentiful water make it ideal genet territory. These secretive creatures are a perfect example of how wild animals can still flourish alongside us—provided we respect their space and keep our environments clean, connected, and free of artificial feeding.
Have you seen a genet in Simbithi? Let us know—we’d love to build a community map of sightings!
References:
2015 Widdows, C. The ecology of large-spotted genets within an urban landscape. UKZN unpublished PhD thesis.
2018 Widdows, C. and Downs, C.T. Genets in the city: community observations and perceptions of large-spotted genets (Genetta tigrina) in an urban environment. Urban Ecosystems (2018) 21 (1):357–367
