Almost everyone has heard of the amazing Savannah cat. Because they are a new and somewhat rare breed, there is a ton of misinformation about this breed. I have been breeding Savannahs since 2001 and I'd love to repute some of these myths.
This is a truly made in the USA breed. It's only been in the last few years that these cats have been bred abroad. It is a hybrid achieved by breeding an African Serval to a domestic. The normal F1 (or Foundation generation) kitten is 50% Serval and 50% outcross cat. Subsequent generations are produced by breeding the F1 female to an F5 or F6 Savannah male and producing kittens that are theoretically 25% Serval and 75% outcross cat. As the generations proceed away from the Serval, each generation is reduced by one half of the mother cat or dam's percentage and the father cat's or sire's percentage theoretically.
MYTH Savannah Cats weigh between 38 and 40 lbs. (17.2 and 18.2Kg.). An African Serval male weighs between 38 and 48 Lbs. (17.2 and 21.8 Kg.) depending on sub-species so breeding it to a normal 8-15 lb. domestic female cannot result in a cat that weighs as much as the larger parent. That said, we do see males weighing 28-30 lbs. (12.7 to 13.6Kg.), but these weights are rare even at the F1 generation.
I encourage callers to compare a Cheetah Cat to a Lion, similar height but vastly different in weight and a Serval is built like the Cheetah so therefore there is a lot of cat per pound or kilo. An example would be my F1 50% female Savannah Gihadi, standing on her hind legs her head is 39 inches above the ground, she weighs 18 pounds (8.17Kg.) unless pregnant.
The diminishing percentage of Serval blood results in a smaller cat, still exotically beautiful, but in a smaller to lap sized version. At the fourth generation of Savannah to Savannah breedings the cats reach SBT or (Stud Book Tradition) and when approved to compete, they will be eligible to earn Championship status with TICA (The International Cat Association), a world wide and highly respected genetic cat registry. At this time our cats cannot compete for titles. TICA has rigid requirements regarding the number of cats produced at this level before we can complete. We are hoping to gain this status within the next two years. At fifth and sixth generations removed from the Serval, the males become fertile.
In all generations expect beautifully spotted cats with striping that starts at the top of the head and spreads out at the shoulder blades and down the rib cage behind the front legs. There should be extreme contrast between the spots and the base coat. The coat can range from clear to moderately ticked so long as the contrast is not affected. The texture of the coat is thick and a little course feeling to the touch. The spots should vary in size and shape. The head forms a triangle, wider at the top and narrow at the chin. The head is small in proportion to the body. In early generations there will be the teardrop markings from the inside corner of the notably small boomerang shaped eyes down to the nostrils. The eyes should be encircled in a light to white ocelli. There are varying degrees of ocelli or false eyes on the backs of their very tall and high set ears. The legs should be long in proportion to the elongated slender body with a deep set ribcage. The tail is mid length ideally thick with a blunt end that ends at hock level or above. While lean in build, the strong musculature is very apparent while you feel its body.
You might ask why not just get a Serval? The biggest reason not to is because Servals simply do not make good pets. They are illegal to own in many states and require special permits with lots of rules attached to them in the states that allow them. While as cute as can be as kittens and young adults they may change as they mature, they are first and foremost wild animals and will need to always be respected as such. But with a little infusion of domestic genetics it all changes.
MYTH The Savannah is a cross between a domestic Bengal and a Serval. Many of the early breeders bred Bengals to their Servals for a variety of reason with the biggest being it was what they already had. However the TICA standard for the Savannah breed does not allow for the Bengal to be used. Their genetics department decided that they did not want more than one wild cat used in any hybrid breed. The breeds approved are Oriental Shorthair, the Ocicat, the Egyptian Mau and DSH or Domestic Short Hair known as a mutt cat or mixed breed. Using non-permissible breeds take your kittens back to the starting level so far as working towards SBT is concerned.
They bond incredibly tightly to their new families, train like dogs and can be walked on a leash and harness/collar if you are willing to put the fun effort into training them. Most fun is when they play fetch, they can be trained to do almost anything a dog can be trained to do, provided it's fun them too. Once owned by a Savannah it would be hard to consider owning a domestic breed again. They take smart kitty to a whole other level.
They get along with other pets, including dogs and domestic cats. As with any animal they should be closely supervised around small children and toddlers. They are high energy cats, super intelligent and will never be "sit and just look pretty cats". They live to interact with you; they love to be near you, they will get your attention with their clownish antics. They will share your sofa, and your bed (but expect them to take their half out of the middle), if you have a favorite chair they will make it their own as well.
They eat a high protein diet and there are commercially available foods for them where better cat foods are sold. They should never leave a cattery unless 100% potty pan committed. They require all the same vaccinations as domestic cats although less is better. They should be no less than ten to twelve weeks of age, that way you know they are fully weaned and eating well on their own. They should leave a cattery under contract and should be warranted to arrive healthy, that is a must for every animal purchased from a breeder. Most reputable breeders also provide a warranty against genetic defects that would affect your kitten's quality of life. Also expect email verifiable references from folks who have visited their homes/catteries and those who have bought their kittens via the internet. Look for kittens that are raised inside the breeder's home, who are used to daily interaction with people and other pets. They should come ready to love and be loved.
As with all things, there is the best of the best, the Ferrari, the Mercedes, and the Lamborghini and in the Savannah world for the exceptionally discriminating cat buyer only, the HP or high percentage Savannahs are the crme de la crme. Their exotic beauty is unsurpassed by any domestic or hybrid cat living, providing of course that your taste in beauty is on the wild side. As with the Lamborghini, do not buy one if you don't like a little extra attention when seen in public.
These rare cats result from breeding a regular F1 or 50% Savannah female back to a Serval. Not as easy as it sounds and getting viable kittens can be a real challenge. If it were easy, they would not be the rare creature that they are.
Depending on the generation, quality of markings, many wonderful Savannah kittens are easily available starting at $1000 USD and up. The HP or High Percentage kittens because of their rarity of course cost more, but nowhere near the $25K to $50K quoted by some breeders that consider themselves very elite, it's all in their minds, trust me, lol. A reputable breeder will verify that Savannahs and what generation of Savannahs are legal in your City and State. Organizations like PETA and The Humane Society of America or HSUS (not affiliated in any way to the Humane Society down the street), have used fear to and campaign contributions to restrict the ownership of small hybrid cats. The truth in reality is that there is no documented evidence that a full blooded Serval has ever attacked a human in the United States. The Serval is a flight rather than fight animal and while they may posture aggressively if threatening they would much rather run then attack. Their offspring have the same non combative nature.
They are all about fun, love, exploring your world and making it their own. The incredible beauty is but the icing on the cake. The head butts, kisses on the lips and commitment to you will touch your heart in unexpected ways. After all of the years I have spent breeding and developing this very special animal, I still find myself in awe of them.