Mary Allen
The elegant Savannah cat is not only one of the largest house cats, it is also the most expensive cat breed in the world. This special cat was created by mating a domestic cat with a serval.
Large and long-legged with a characteristic spot pattern, the Savannah cat already captivates with its unmistakable appearance. In addition, the Savannah is the most expensive breed of cat – the beautiful house tiger can cost several thousand euros. There is a reason for this, the cat breed, which was only established in the 1990s, was bred under very special conditions.
Siamese & Serval: Origin of the Savannah Cat
The first Savannah cats emerged in the USA in the 1980s as a cross between a Siamese cat and a serval – a medium-sized African wildcat species. The tomcats of the first branch generations were sterile, so domestic cat breeds such as the Bengal cat had to be crossed again so that today’s Savannahs could develop.
By the late 1990s, these hybrid cats were gaining popularity, and in 2001, TICA finally recognized the Savannah as a separate breed. The breeding goal of the Savannah is branch generations in which the cats look as similar as possible to the Serval, but it is still a cat with a friendly, balanced temperament suitable for living in an apartment.
Why is the Savannah Cat so Expensive?
It is not without reason that the Savannah cat is considered the most expensive cat breed in the world. Since it is still a very young breed, there are not as many breedable specimens as of other cat species. In addition, the breeding of Savannahs is very expensive – especially when servals are crossed, which need a large outdoor enclosure and are not always willing to cover a domesticated cat.