Mary Allen
The Savannah cat is beautiful and truly exotic. However, you can only keep the cat under certain conditions.
As one of the most expensive hybrid cats in the world, the Savannah embodies luxury and elegance. The trusting cat of the special breed has a high proportion of wild heritage and is surprised with its athletic achievements.
That’s how big the Savannah is
The Savannah tops the list of the largest cat breeds in the world. The slender cat reaches a shoulder height of up to 45 centimeters and a maximum length of 1.20 meters.
The tomcats of the F1 generation weigh an average of 10 kilograms. A cat weighs about 2 kilograms less.
In general, the cats of the F1 generation are usually larger because the proportion of wild blood is particularly high here. In general, most of the animals in this breed grow larger than the average house cat, even in the F5 generation. The Savannah usually grows until it is three years old.
The fur of the Savannah
Most Savannah cats have a coat similar to that of the serval. The basic tone is usually gold or beige, the underside is light. The fur is adorned with dark spots.
Depending on the crossbreeding, the nuances of the Savannah vary. The colors Silver Spotted Tabby, Brown Spotted Tabby, and Black/Black Smoke are allowed. Only spot and smoke coat markings are allowed.
The attitude of the Savannah
As short-haired cats, Savannahs require relatively little grooming. They keep their fur nice and clean themselves.
However, due to their wild ancestors, keeping them is often a bit difficult. This can cause problems, especially for beginners. You’re better off limiting yourself to cat breeds for beginners.
The nature of the cats depends primarily on the number of generations that separate the cats from the wild serval.
However, the Savannah is always very intelligent. It is one of the most intelligent cat breeds.
Where and how can you keep the Savannah?
Depending on the federal state, different regulations apply to the keeping and housing of the Savannah. Here it depends on the generations of the cat.
Animals of generation F1 or generation F2, for example, need an outdoor and a heatable indoor enclosure. Before you buy a cat, you have to prove that it is kept in a species-appropriate manner.
The size of the outdoor enclosure must be at least 15 square meters. Strict requirements also apply to cats of the F3 and F4 generations. As a rule, the attitude is notifiable.
It is forbidden to let Savannahs out into the wild because the cats are too good hunters and the protection of the local wildlife has priority.
F5 generation kittens are genetically more distant from the serval and generally more sociable. But here, too, the wild heritage shows through again and again. However, the Savannahs of the F5 generation are no longer hybrids.
Savannah cat in an apartment keeping
Since the laws of the elegant cat forbid the freedom to go outside, many Savannahs of the generations F3 to F5 spend their lives in the apartment. Most cats are very affectionate and like to cuddle with their humans.
Do you love cuddling with cats? These cat breeds are particularly cuddly.
Especially when playing, wild nature comes to the fore again and again. Savannahs are very lively cats. It’s important to show kittens their limits from the start so they learn to behave responsibly.
Hardly anything is safe from the curious animals. Savannahs love toys more than anything and, if they like them, will also make do with the decoration of their home.
The exotics are very happy about a playmate and quickly make friends with other cats, but also with dogs and children. Due to their rough handling, however, small cat breeds, in particular, are only suitable as partner animals to a limited extent.
How old does the Savannah cat get?
At the age of 15 to 20, the exotic beauty reaches an old age for cats.
Where does the Savannah cat come from?
The Savannah is a cross product of
- domestic cat and
- Serval is a long-legged African wildcat.
What is the serval?
Adept hunters, the athletic beasts catch birds in the air and leap more than 10 feet. Since the serval is an animal of the open savannah, the breeders named the new domestic cat breed “Savannah”.
What is striking about the Serval is the small head with the large ears and the relatively short and thick tail. Despite its weight of up to 20 kilograms, it is one of the small cats. Its fur is orange to yellowish in color, similar to that of a cheetah, and has black spots and a few stripes.
Servals feed mainly on smaller animals such as reptiles, amphibians, birds, and rodents, they rarely kill antelopes or fish.
The other part of the Savannah cat: is the house cat
In order for the Savannah breed to emerge in the first place, a second partner was required: the domestic cat. The male kittens resulting from the direct cross between a serval and a domestic cat are sterile. However, the females can be fertilely crossbred with domestic cats as well as with the serval.
In the beginning, breeders mated male servals to female domestic cats of the Egyptian Mau, Oriental Shorthair, Maine Coon, Bengal, and Serengeti breeds. Today only the cat breeds Ocicat, Egyptian Mau, Domestic Shorthair, and Oriental Shorthair are allowed according to the guidelines of the TICA.
However, most breeders now cross Savannah with Savannah in order to obtain the type kittens of the breed.
The Story of the Savannah
The serval is relatively easy to tame small wild cat. So it was common practice to keep servals in enclosures from time to time. So also in the USA. In 1986, Judee Frank borrowed a hangover from Suzi Mustascio. This should cover their serval lady. However, the cat had other plans and had fun with Judee Frank’s Siamese cat.
Although the meeting was not planned, it was fruitful nonetheless. The flirtation produced a little cat girl. Cat owner Suzi Mustascio happily accepted this. In 1989 the first F2 hybrids were born.
This is how high the proportion of wild blood is in the Savannah:
- F1: at least 50 percent, one parent is a serval
- Q2: at least 25 percent, one grandparent is a serval
- F3: at least 12.5 percent, one great-grandparent is a serval
- F4: at least 6.25 percent
- F5: at least 3 percent
In many cases, the Savannah is mated with a Savannah, resulting in cats with a relatively high proportion of wild blood.
The Savannah is something very special
The fact that the Savannah is a very special cat is shown by its very special behavior. So she often completes high, vertical jumps in the air like her wild ancestor. She was one of the most active breeds of cats. In addition, the pretty hybrid cat loves water. She enjoys splashing around.
In many ways, she sometimes resembles a dog. Most Savannahs also get used to being on a leash quickly and can be taken for walks outside. Many cats even learn to fetch. So they can be wonderfully busy.