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I Love Savannah Cats

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I Love Savannah Cats

 

The Assertive and Intelligent Savannah

Savannah Breed Description 

The savannah cat is a new and still fairly rare exotic cat breed that is the result of a cross between an African Serval and a domestic cat. Savannah cats typically grow to weigh 25-30 pounds, which makes them as large as many domestic dogs, if not larger. Their slim build gives them the appearance of even greater size. Average size is also very dependent on generation and sex, with F1 male cats usually being the largest. Some breeders report savannahs in excess of 30 pounds, with at least one breeder claiming a 38 pound male, although such claims have not been verified, and may even be the result of overfeeding or a hybrid growth disorder.

The coat of a savannah depends a lot on the breed of cat used for the domestic cross. Early generations always 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 preserve these markings in later generations. The savannah can have a tan coat with black or brownish spots, or a silver coat with dark spots, a marble (also called classic) pattern, and many other patterns and colors, although The International Cat Association (TICA) breed standard calls for black, brown spotted tabby, silver spotted tabby and black smoke types only.

The overall look of an individual savannah will depend greatly on generation, with higher-percentage serval cats often having a more "wild" look. Almost all savannah breeders use a Bengal for the domestic parentage, but if a different domestic breed was used, it will affect appearance as well. 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 longer than wide, and they have a long slender neck. The back of each ear has a light band borded by black stripes, which are called ocelli. The short tail has black rings, with a solid black tip that extends several inches. The eyes are blue as a kitten, and usually green as an adult. Black "tear-streak" markings run from the corner of the eyes down the sides of the nose to the whiskers, much like a cheetah's. The black tear marks help reduce glare from sunlight, which aid the savannah's vision during hunting.

Most F1 generation savannahs will possess many or all of these trait

Savannah Videos 

Savannah Cat Nursing on a Male Bengal 2 0 points

f-1 Savannah Cat in the Bath Tub 0 points

My Savannah Cat 0 points

Savannah kittens playing 0 points

HP Savannah Kittens 0 points

Savannah Blog Posts 

Popular Cat Breeds
The next 4 making up the top 10 most popular cat breeds are the Norwegian Forest cat (NFC), the Egyptian Mau, the Savannah and the Himalayan. The NFC has a long and distinguished history in Norway as a working mixed breed cat (a Moggy) ...
Importation of Savannah Cats Under Review
Environment Minister Peter Garrett has initiated a review of the potential impacts of hybrid Savannah Cats. The Savannah is a hybrid domestic cat breed. It is a cross between the serval and a domestic cat (image here). ...
Top 12 Most Expensive Pet in the World
Due to these factors, the Savannah is a more expensive and rare breed of cat. 7. Mona Guenon Price Tag: $6000 The Mona Guenon's natural habitat is within the Western African tropical forests, however this animal is capable of adapting ...
savannah cat
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 ...

Feline Selections at Amazon 

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Savannah Temperament 

Savannahs have been described as friendly, assertive, active, 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. Savannahs 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.

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Savannah News Posts 

Cat lovers debate new cat breed
... watched a serval make a kill on the plains of Africa and thought; "Hey, that'd make a great pet!" The new hybrid breed is called a "savannah cat". ...
Now a super-sized cat: is this armageddon for Aussie wildlife?
... the Australian government is considering allowing the import of the Savannah Cat ? a cross breed between the wild African Serval and Domestic Cats. ...
Hybrids will destroy our wildlife
For those unfamiliar with savannah cats, they are a cross between an African wildcat, known as a serval, and a domestic cat. They are double the size of ...
Giant pet cat not welcome: WoolProducers
Savannah cats are subject to hybrid vigour and are claimed to reach weights equivalent to the wild Serval. Hamblin says Federal Environment Minister Peter ...

Genetics and Reproduction 

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 a hybrid, 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 on. As a result, females are usually more expensive than males, especially when sold for the explicit purpose of breeding.

Savannah Videos 

Ayanna (F2 Savannah Cat) and lizard part 1 041107 0 points

Savannah Kittens 0 points

Savannah kittens eating chicken 0 points

Savannah Cat Jumping 2 0 points

savannah kittens boy 1 & 2 0 points

Savannah Health Considerations 

Because the breed is an emerging one and different individuals contain different amounts of serval and of other domestic cat breeds, if there are particular health issues that will be common in the Savannah breed, they are not yet known.

Savannah cats have no known special care or food requirements.

Savannah cats do not require a special diet, although some breeders and owners recommend premium cat foods. Others recommend a partial or complete raw food diet,with at least 32% protein and no by-products. Some will also recommend a calcium supplement, while 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.

Savannah Cat Stuff on eBay 

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Savannah Videos 

F-1 Savannah vs. Bengal Cat 0 points

Savannah Kittens in tub 0 points

KissyFit's Savannah kittens-12 days old 0 points

Savannah kittens playing 0 points

Ayanna, F2 Savannah Cat chasing lizard 0 points

Savannah Legal Considerations 

Laws governing ownership of savannah cats in the United States vary according to state. Most notably, hybrid cats-defined as a domestic to wild 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 to domestic crosses as domestic.

Other states known to have laws restricting hybrid cat ownership include but are not necessarily limited to: MA, GA, CT. Savannahs more than 5 generations from the serval are allowed to be owned in NY state, but not in the city of New York.

Savannah Selection from Amazon 

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Savannah Breed Origins 

In 1980, Bengal breeder Judee Frank managed to crossbreed a serval and domestic cat, producing the first savannah. 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.

Savannah Links 

Savannah (cat) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The savannah cat is a new and still fairly rare exotic cat breed that is the result of a cross between an African serval and a domestic cat. ...
The International Savannah Cat Club, Breed Club for the Savannah ...
An organization dedicated to the promotion of the Savannah cat.
Savannah Cat Breed Section ~ Home
Some breeders said the company appears to be serving up a rehash of an existing breed known as a Savannah, a cross between a wild African serval and a ...
SIMBA The Savannah Cat Breed Association and Club
The Savannah Cat Association that we call SIMBA is the original and largest Savannah cat-dedicated association in the world boasting 97 breeder members, ...
Breed Profile - Savannah Cat
Breed information about the Savannah cat breed, its standards, profile, history, and personality traits.

Savannah Breeders 

Savannah Cat .com : Patrick Kelley 's Savannah Cat .com , Savannah ...
Patrick Kelley 's SavannahCat.com is the oldest and largest group of Savannah cat breeders in the world. Members are dedicated to the preservation and ...
Savannah Cats, Bengals, Safaris, Habaris and Servals at Select ...
Located in Illinois, breeding exotic cats, also breeds Bengals, and Servals.
F1, F2, F3 Savannah Cats Photo Gallery from Select Exotics Cattery
Mojo ~ Owner of the Nowicki's Photos posted 3-06 ~ F1 Savannah Male Cat. Sabre ~ Owner of the O'Dell's Photos posted 11-05 ~ F2 Savannah Male Cat ...
Savannah Cats and Savannah Kittens of Marechal Cattery
Marechal Savannah Cats and Savannah Kittens. Offering for sale Savannah Cats and Savannah Kittens.
Jewels of the Nile Savannah Cats Gallery Studs Queens African ...
Generation cat Breeding females available breeding males available Shipping · Home · What is a Savannah Cat ? Serval Cat ...
Savannah Cats and Kittens - Avalon Savannahs Cattery
Savannah cats and savannah kittens, breeders present cattery information and Savannah cat and kitten pictures.
Savannah cats and kittens by Lorre Smith.
Afrikhan Savannah Cats provides Savannah cats and savannah kittens for breeding or simply as a big domestic house cat. F1 Savannah cats and f2 Savannahs for ...
SAVANNAH CATS, BENGAL CATS, OCICAT, SAFARI CATS, EGYPTIAN MAU CATS ...
CAT BREEDER OF THE SAVANNAH CAT, BENGAL CAT, OCICAT, SAFARI CAT, EGYPTIAN MAU CAT and KITTENS at SPOTTEDKITTENS EXOTIC CATTERY.
Savannah Cats: EVERYTHING You Want to Know from HDW and Foothill ...
Savannah Cats and Kittens from Foothill Felines Savannahs - Photos and Articles From HDW Enterprises.
::: A1 Savannahs ::: Savannahs, Bengals & Servals
Joyce started breeding Savannah Cats in the late 1980s but waited to register any kittens until 1994. She is well known among exotic cat owners and breeders ...
Savannah Cattery Breeder of Savannah Kittens
These beautiful Savannah Cats make a wonderful addition to the right family. ... Now, after owning and being owned by several Savannah Cats and Kittens, ...
Exotics. ~ Savannah Cattery ~ Breeder of fine Savannah Cats and ...
Savannah Cat Breeder Amiri Exotics. produces Savannah kitten hybrids resembling the spotted African Serval. Savannah kittens from Amiri, with exotic looks ...
SIMBA The Savannah Cat Breed Association and Club
The Savannah Cat Association that we call SIMBA is the original and largest Savannah cat-dedicated association in the world boasting 97 breeder members, ...
Exotic Serval Cat Studs for Breeding Savannah Cats at Select ...
In order to maintain the highest possible standard in terms of the health of our cats we do not offer stud services at this time. In the future if we expand ...
PatzMeow Cattery African Serval Bengal Savannah Hybrid Pet Cat ...
Breeders of African Serval Cats. Breeders of Hybrid Cats: Savannah Cats and Bengal Cats. Fig growers, fig trees for sale, homemade fig preserves for sale.
Sanura Exotics Bengal and Savannah cats
Breeder of Savannah & Bengal Hybrid Cats. We striving to produce the most exotic looking healthy,loving pet for your family.A small Savannah & Bengal ...
Savannah Cats and Kittens at Select Exotics Cattery - 75% Serval ...
The Savannah cohabitates well with other pets although they seem to quickly take on the roll of the Alpha cat, it is without much trouble. ...
Savannah Kittens and Cats: Respected California breeder Foothill ...
Savannah cats and kittens available from Foothill Felines. Thinking about adding a unique and gorgeous Savannah kitten to your family?
Savannah Cat Breeders,Savannah Cat Sales,Savanna Cats,Savannahs
Savannah, Chausie and Serval cat breeders and cat sales located in Queen Creek, Arizona. Savannah, Chausie and Serval catteries, breeders and sales of the ...
Savannah Cats from Foothill Felines: Black Spotted Cats and ...
Savannah Cats and Kittens from Internationally Renowned Breeder, Foothill Felines, in Sacramento, California.
Savannah Cats, Savannah Kittens--Absolutely Cats
Information about Savannah cats, Savannah kittens for sale, Savannah breeders websites and photos of Savannah cats and kittens and more.
Savannah Kitten Savannah Cat Breeders Savannah Kittens Sale ...
Savannah Kitten Savannah Cat Breeders Directory: Savannah Cat and Kitten Central showcases Savannah Kittens For Sale by Responsible Savannah Cat Breeders.

New Cat Lenses 

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New Guestbook 

bdkz

What a neat breed! I've left you 5 Stars and a Squid Angel Blessing!

Posted March 28, 2008

PetBedCity

Wow. Savannah's are beautiful. You've opened my eyes to a new breed. Great lens. Thanks for sharing.

Posted August 18, 2007

bfiori

Very cool Lens. 5 Stars!
You are invited to visit us : )
Roscoe

Posted August 06, 2007

Gayle10

Thanks for this important info! 5 stars to you!
Gayle, author of How to Stop a Dogs Barking.

Posted June 14, 2007

GabrielOBrien

Not much of a cat's kinda guy, since I am allergic to them. But it was a good read!

5 Stars

Creator of the Everything About the Apple iPhone lens.

Posted June 05, 2007

Great page about Savannah cats, I had one growing up. 5 stars!

Posted June 02, 2007

 
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Copyright (c) 2007 Cinnamon.
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