What is a Savannah cat?
A Savannah Cat is the crossing of an African Serval to a domestic cat. This cross made for a very large cat that looked wild but acted domestic. The first cross of a Serval to a domestic cat was an accidental breeding by Judy Frank in 1986. At first the word spread slowly then in the mid 90's Joyce Sroufe heard of this cross and started her own breeding program. The rest as we say is "history". The Savannah breed was born.
Since their inception the Savannah Cat has grown exponentially. In 1997 a breed standard was created by Joyce Sroufe and submitted to TICA (the international cat association) and was accepted.
Savannahs are known for their long slender bodies, big ears, long legs and their spots. The Savannah cat is one of the newest and most exciting breeds of cats currently being developed by a select few breeders around the world. There are still relatively few Savannahs in existence, and the demand for them is quite high.
How to choose a Savannah Breeder?
Choosing a Savannah Cat Breeder does not have to be difficult. Search the internet for a savannah breeder and email them if they have a kitten you like. It is best to locate a savannah cat breeder in your area but that may not be possible. You may need to ship a kitten to you.
Be sure to ask lots of questions. A good savannah breeder will be happy to answer as many questions as you have. If you can, go visit the cattery. Is it clean or have an odor? Do the cats look healthy? Are all the cats and savannah kittens friendly? Is the breeder friendly? These are all important clues.
If you can only talk on the phone make sure you ask many questions and listen for inconsistencies in the answers. Ask for lots of pictures and not only look at the cute kitten but look at other things. Does the house look clean in the background? Does the kitten have runny eyes or nose? Do the ears look dirty? There are lots of clues in pictures if you just look.
What are Savannah Cat Personalities like?
Savannah Cats have very loving and outgoing personalities and are commonly compared to dogs in their loyalty. While being very cat like for obvious reasons, savannahs also like to play in water, play fetch, walk on a leash and will follow you around the house like a dog. They are also very active cats with an incredible jumping ability. It is not uncommon to find them in places a cat cannot normally get to.
How big do Savannahs get?
All Foundation Savannahs have the letter "F" and a number associated with it to indicate how many generations it is from its Serval ancestor.
F1 = first generation (~50% Serval)
F2 = second generation (~25% Serval)
F3 = third generation (~12.5% Serval) etc.
There are a lot of variables when it comes to size in Savannah Cats. The size depends much on the size and type of their parents and also of the percentage of wild blood they have from their Serval ancestry. With each generation the size will also decrease but most males will be larger than most domestic cats. The female however can be small and will be the same size as a domestic cat but with a much larger personality. If you absolutely must have a large cat you should choose an F1 or F2 male for sure. After that there are no guarantees that any savannah will be a large cat.
Are Savannah Cats good with kids and other pets?
Absolutely! When Savannah Kittens are raised in a home with well-behaved children and pets, a Savannah kitten will thrive and are often found seen sleeping with both kids and other animals.
Diet & Health Care
Savannahs do very well on a high quality dry cat food supplemented with canned wet food and some raw (or cooked) meat.
Please try to stay away from grocery store brand dry cat foods as they are all mostly fillers and very low quality.
Savannah Breeders give the same vaccinations and veterinarian health care as domestic cats. I prefer to use "all killed" versus a "modified live" vaccination with my cats.
Of course, all of our kittens are fully litter box trained and properly vaccinated before they go to their new owners.
How Much Does A Savannah Cost?
The price of a Savannah will vary depending on the quality of the individual cat. Our Savannahs will be individually priced based on gender, fertility, generation and type. Their cost will be noted with their pictures.
Higher percentage Savannahs (F1's and F2's) are rare and very difficult to breed. It takes many years and a lot of luck to mate a Serval with a domestic cat. Only a few breeders worldwide have had success.
Servals are wild cats with special needs in terms of their caging requirements, their diet and their health care. Caring for pure Servals and mating them to domestic cats is costly, time consuming and demanding.
Following are average price ranges for PET kittens, breeders are priced higher:
F1's will range from $4500 to $6000
F2's will range from $2500 - $4000
F3's will range from $1500 - $2000
F4's will range from $1000 - $2000
F5's will range from $8000 - $1500
SBT's will range from $1000 -$1750
Author: Gary Fulgham
