Videos Savannah Breed Information
Country of origin -
United States
Breed standards -
TICA
The Savannah is a hybrid domestic
cat breed. It is a
cross between an African wild cat called the Serval and a domestic cat.
1. Physical features
Savannahs are considered one of the larger breeds of domesticated
cats. Their tall and slim build gives Savannahs the appearance of
greater size than their actual weight. F1 hybrid and F2 hybrids are usually the
largest, due to the stronger genetic influence of the African
Serval ancestor. Male Savannahs tend to be larger than females. On
average, early generation Savannahs may weigh 10 to 25 lbs. Average
size is also very dependent on generation and sex, with F1 male
cats usually being the largest. Later generation Savannahs are
usually between 8-17 lbs. Because of the random factors in Savannah
hybrid genetics, there can be significant variation in size, even
in one litter. Some breeders report Savannahs in excess of 30
pounds, with at least one breeder claiming an over 40 pound
male.
The coat of a Savannah
depends a lot on the breed of cat used for the domestic cross.
Early generations have some form of dark spotting on a lighter
coat, and many breeders employ "wild" looking spotted
breeds such as the Bengal and Egyptian Mau for the cross to help preserve
these markings in later generations. The
International Cat Association (TICA) breed standard calls for
brown spotted tabby (cool to warm brown, tan or gold with black or
dark brown spots), silver spotted tabby (silver coat with black or
dark grey spots), black (black with black spots), and black smoke
(black tipped silver with black spots) only. In addition, the
Savannah can come in nonstandard variations such as the classic or
marble patterns, snow coloration (Point (coat color)), and blue or
other diluted colors derived from domestic sources of cat coat genetics.
The overall look of an individual Savannah depends greatly on
generation, with higher-percentage Savannah cats often having a
more "wild" look. The domestic breed that is used will
influence appearance as well. The domestic out-crosses for the
Savannah breed that are permissible in The
International Cat Association (TICA) are the Egyptian Mau, the
Ocicat, the Oriental Shorthair, and the Domestic Shorthair. In
addition, some Savannah breeders use "non-permissible"
breeds or mixes such as Bengal (for size and vivid spotting) and
Maine Coon cats (for size) for the domestic parentage. A
Savannah's wild look is often due to the presence of many
distinguishing Serval characteristics. Most prominent of these
include the various color markings and tall, erect ears. The bodies
of Savannahs are long and leggy—when a Savannah is standing, their
hind-end is often higher than their shoulders. The head is taller
than wide, and they have a long slender neck. The backs of the
ears have ocelli, a central light band
bordered by black, dark grey or brown, giving an eye-like effect.
The short tail has black rings, with a solid black tip. The eyes
are blue as a kitten (as in other cats), and may be green, brown,
gold or a blended shade as an adult. The eyes have a
"boomerang" shape, with a slightly hooded brow to protect
them from harsh sunlight. Black or dark "tear-streak" or
"cheetah tear" markings run from the corner of the eyes
down the sides of the nose to the whiskers, much like a cheetah's. These tear marks also help reduce
glare from sunlight, which aids the Savannah's vision during
hunting.
Most F1 generation Savannahs will possess many or all of these
traits, while their presence often diminishes in later generations.
Being a hybridized-breed of cats, appearance can vary far more than
cat owners may be used to. Photos of different generations can be
found at the Savannah Cat Club and SIMBA websites.
2. Reproduction and genetics
As Savannahs are produced by crossbreeding Servals and domestic cats, each
generation of Savannahs is marked with
a filial number. For example, the cats produced directly from a
Serval/domestic Cat cross are the F1
generation, and they are typically 50% serval (although if a F1
Savannah is used as the domestic parent, the percentage of Serval
blood can jump to 75%). The F2 generation, which has a Serval
grandparent and is the offspring of
the F1 generation, is 25% Serval. The F3 generation has a Serval
great grandparent, and is 12.5%
Serval. Earlier generation Savannahs are typically more expensive
to purchase due to scarcity. A Savannah/Savannah cross may also be
referred to by breeders as SVxSV (SV is the TICA code for
the Savannah breed), in addition to the filial number.
Being Hybrids, Savannahs typically exhibit some characteristics
of hybrid inviability. Because
the male Savannah is the heterozygous sex, they are most commonly
affected, in accordance with Haldane's rule. Male Savannahs are
typically larger in size and sterile
until the F5 generation or so, although the females are fertile from the F1 generation and so on. As a
result, females are usually more expensive than males, especially
when sold for the explicit purpose of breeding.
3. Temperament
Savannahs have been described as friendly, assertive, active,
playful and interested in dogs and children. They are commonly
compared to dogs in their loyalty, and they
will follow their owners around the house like a canine. They can
also be trained to walk on a leash like a dog, and even
fetch.
Savannahs often greet people with head-butts, or an unexpected
pounce. Some Savannahs are reported as being very social and
friendly with other cats and dogs, while others may run and hide or
revert to hissing and growling when seeing a stranger. Exposure to
other people and pets is most likely the key factor in sociability
as the Savannah kitten grows up.
Owners of Savannahs say that they are very impressed with the
intelligence of this breed of
cat. An
often noted trait of the Savannah is its jumping ability. Savannahs are known to
jump up on top of doors, refrigerators and high cabinets. Some
Savannahs can leap about 8 feet high from a standing position.
Savannahs are very inquisitive, and have been known to get into all
sorts of things; they often learn how to open doors and cupboards,
and anyone buying a Savannah will likely need to take special
precautions to prevent the cat from getting into things.
Water isn't a fear of the Savannah cat; many will play or
even immerse themselves in water. Presenting a water bowl to a
Savannah may also prove a challenge, as some will promptly begin to
"bat" all the water out of the bowl until it is empty,
using their front paws.
Vocally, Savannahs may either chirp like
their Serval father, meow like their
domestic mother, or do both, sometimes producing sounds which are a
mixture of the two. Chirping, when present, is usually observed
more often in earlier generations. Savannahs may also
"hiss"—a Serval-like hiss is quite different from a
domestic cat's hiss, sounding more like a very loud snake hiss,
and can be alarming to humans not acquainted to such a sound coming
from a cat. Hissing, and even aggressive behavior which involves
hissing, is usually more frequent in F1 or occasionally F2
generations, and may subside or disappear as the cat is
socialized.
4. Health considerations
Savannahs are considered to have hybrid
vigor. Different individuals contain different amounts of
Serval and of varied domestic cat breeds, and there are currently
no established Savannah breed specific health issues.
Some veterinarians have noted that Servals have smaller livers
relative to their body size than domestic cats, and some Savannahs
inherit this. For this reason, care is advised in prescribing some
medications. Lower doses per weight of the cat may be necessary. In
addition, the blood values of Savannahs may vary from the typical
domestic cat, due to the serval genes.
There is much anecdotal evidence that Savannahs and other
domestic hybrids (such as Bengals) do not respond well to
anesthesia containing Ketamine. Many Savannah breeders request in
their contracts that Ketamine not be used for surgeries.
Some (but not all) experienced Savannah breeders believe
strongly that modified live vaccines should not be used on
Savannahs, that only killed virus vaccines should be used.
Some breeders state that Savannah cats have no known special
care or food requirements, while others recommend a very high
quality diet with no grains or by-products. Some recommend a
partial or complete raw food diet,
with at least 32% protein and no by-products. Servals often
require calcium and other supplements (unless fed a natural,
complete and raw diet), especially when growing, and some Savannah
breeders recommend supplements as well, especially for the earlier
generations. Others consider it unnecessary, or even harmful.
Issues of Savannah diet are not without controversy, and again, it
is best to seek the advice of a veterinarian or exotic cat specialist before
feeding a Savannah cat any non-standard diet.
5. Ownership laws
Laws governing ownership of Savannah cats in the United States vary according to state. Most notably, hybrid cats—defined
as a domestic / wild species' cross—such as the Savannah are
illegal to own as pets
in the state of New
York as of 2005. The majority of states, however, follow
federal and USDA code, which define wild /
domesticated Hybrid crosses as domesticated.
Other states known to have laws restricting hybrid cat ownership
include but are not necessarily limited to: HI, MA, and GA.
Savannahs more than 5 generations from the Serval are allowed to be
owned in NY state, but not in the city of New York.
6. History
Bengal breeder Judee Frank
managed to crossbreed a Serval and domestic cat, producing the
first Savannah (named Savannah) on April 7, 1986. Judee Frank’s
Savannah attracted the interest of Patrick Kelley, who had been interested in
exotic looking domestic cats for many years and purchased one of
Savannah's kittens in 1989. Patrick Kelley’s enthusiasm and
vision for establishing a new domestic breed based on the Serval /
domestic Cat cross prompted him to research what steps would be
needed to be recognized and accepted by an official feline
registry. Armed with that information, obtained from Leslie Bowers
at TICA , Patrick approached numerous breeders of Servals and
encouraged them to attempt the development of this new breed.
Initially, no breeders were interested. But Patrick persisted
and finally convinced one breeder, Joyce Sroufe, to join him in
founding the Savannah breed.
In 1996, Patrick Kelley and Joyce
Sroufe wrote the original version of the Savannah breed
standard, and presented it to the TICA board. However, in that same
year, TICA had placed a moratorium on new breeds. It was not until
2000, that the standard, with input from other breeders, was
accepted by TICA in a narrow 7-to-6 vote. At that same time, the
Savannah International Member & Breeder Association (SIMBA) was
formed, and reported just over 100 registered savannahs. As of
2001, the population of Savannahs was estimated to be over 200.
7. External links
* The International Savannah Cat Club
Largest Savannah breed club.
* Breed Profile - Savannah
* Savannah Cat Breed Section
* SavannahCat.com Oldest and largest group of
Savannah cat breeders in the world.
* Savannah International Member & Breeder
Association
* Savannah cat Discussion (Yahoo)
Group
* Hybrid Pride Information on state
ownership laws for hybrid cats like the Savannah.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
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