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Ashleigh
and Saezar |
During
the early 1980's, cat breeder Judee
Frank successfully bred a male
African serval to a female domestic cat. About ten
years later cat
enthusiasts
set
out to make this hybrid cross a legitimate breed of
domestic cat.
Patrick Kelley,
Founder of SavannahCat.com and the Exotic
Cat Network |
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Starting
out with an offspring of Judee Frank's original
hybrid cross Patrick Kelley set out to breed more of these cats and find
breeders interested in working with him to start
a new breed. He began going to cat shows and
making phone calls and at first only one other
breeder showed interest in starting this new
breed. That breeder was Joyce Sroufe. As Patrick's
F2 Savannah gave birth to her third litter of
F3 kittens (third generation Savannah cats) Joyce's
cat was having her first litter of F1 (First
generation) Savannah cats! With this breeding success
fueling their fire, Patrick and Joyce wrote
the first Savannah Cat Standard, and presented
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it to the TICA Board
for a vote. The Savannah cat breed was approved
and the breed was allowed to be registered with
TICA. One of the biggest helps to the Savannah
breed has been TICA
Judge and past SIMBA
Persident, Lorre Smith who
guided the breed through some rocky times with
TICA all the way to New
Breed Status. Lorre continues
to help guide the breed's now over
80 breeders from around the world toward Championship
status.
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The
name Savannah refers
to the African Savannah, the habitat of one of
the breed's ancestors the African serval cat.
The breed was named by Suzie
Mustacio the lady who came to own Judee
Frank's first Serval hybrid. The African Serval
was at times kept as a pet by natives in Africa
but is not a suitable pet for the average house
hold. The Savannah is however and still has many
of the Serval's beautiful qualities but with a
more amiable temperament and better house hold
habits.
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African Serval |
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The
Savannah breed is still very rare and has been improved
by crossing with spotted domestic shorthairs. Since
the Savannah cat has been accepted by TICA it can be
registered in the breed section Savannah (SV). TICA
allows third generation Savannah cats into cat shows for
evaluation by judges.
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The
Savannah is a tall lean cat with long legs and
a long neck. The head is smaller in proportion
to the body and longer than wide with large
ears. Similar to the serval, the coat shows
a spotted pattern with some bars on a golden
to tawny ground color with a light colored underside.
Savannah
cats appear to be smaller replicas of the serval.
This exotic impression is accentuated by light
ocelli markings on the back of the ears as well
as prominent tear duct lines in the face. F1
Savannah cats can weigh more than 20 pounds and
stand up to 15 inches at the shoulder. Later
generations are also showing considerable size.
Savannah males usually grow much larger than
their female litter mates. Due to the graceful
and long-legged appearance combined
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with
the movement of a big cat, these striking cats
are unlike any other breed.
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Savannah cats
are friendly and sociable cats, that can get along
very well with other household pets. They show their
affection by eagerly giving a welcoming "head-butt" where they literally bump heads with you
to say hello!. Most Savannah Cats are very outgoing
and like to be petted. Due to |
Photo by Deanne Rochester
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long legs the Savannah is an elegant jumper and
like the serval often performs high leaps straight
in the air. The Savannah loves water and enjoys
a bath. If given the choice, a Savannah might enjoy
a tub filled with water over the more usual cat
games. Just like other cats Savannah cats can get along
with young children and other household pets. |
Despite
their exotic appearance, Savannah cats do not differ much
from other other domestic cats in regards to care and
behavior. Generally, Savannah cats can be kept like
any other domestic cat but would also enjoy getting
a little fresh air from a safe enclosure or a walk on
a lead once in a while.
F1 Savannah 8 Weeks Old
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Savannah cats
can be fed with a high premium cat food, nevertheless
a more natural diet is beneficial in some breeder's
opinions. Make sure to discuss diet with your
kittens breeder well before he/she arrives in
your home. Because of the size and exceptional look of the Savannah cat, the Savannah enjoys a continuously growing popularity. Please read and learn as much as you can about this breed so you and your Savnnah will have many happy years together.
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