www.olivebranchvet.com
olivebranchvet@gmail.com

Internet search engines appear to think that hybrid cats should be powered by electricity instead of cat chow.

However, hybrid animals are created by breeding animals of different species. A Savannah is a hybrid cat created by breeding a male Serval with a female domestic cat. A Serval is a medium-sized wild cat from the sub-Sahara region of Africa.

Servals usually weigh between 25 and 40 pounds and can live up to 20 years. They eat small animals such as rodents, frogs, and birds. Servals have very large ears and the longest legs in proportion to their body size of any cat. To create the Savannah breed, Servals are often bred to the domestic cat breeds; Egyptian Mau, Siamese, Bengal, Oriental Shorthair, Main Coon, and Serengeti as well as domestic cats without a pedigree (i.e. mutts.)

The offspring of a Serval and a domestic cat is called F1. F stands for filial generation. These cats can weigh as much as 20 pounds. They retain the long legs and large ears and some of the exotic coat pattern of their Serval father. The tallest domestic cat in the world is a F1 Savannah named “Scarlett’s Magic.” She is 42.7 inches from nose to tail. However, usually the male Savannahs are larger than the females. The males are also usually sterile until the fifth generation.

So the F1 female is bred to a domestic cat male to produce the F2 generation. These cats usually weigh 10 to 15 pounds, but still have the large ears and long legs. Savannahs are able to jump from the floor to the top of an open door.
The first Savannah was created in 1986. In 2001, the breed was recognized by the International Cat Association. Savannahs are not currently recognized by the Traditional Cat Association, North American Purebred Cat, or The Cat Fanciers’ Association.

The Savannah breed was created with the goal of finding a purrfect solution for people who would like to own an exotic looking cat without the drawbacks of owning an actual exotic cat. F1 Savannahs retain more Serval-like characteristics than the later generations. They bond closely to one or two humans for life and don’t handle change well.

A commitment to own a F1 Savannah is a commitment to own that cat for the rest of its life. They are not good pets for homes with children. F2 generations and later still bond closely to one or two people, but are a little more flexible than F1’s. They like to be petted but usually don’t like to sit on laps or be restrained. They are active, athletic and intensely curious.

If you own a Savannah, you need to have child locks on your cabinet doors to prevent a catastrophe.
Because this is such a recently developed breed, the lifespan is not known yet and breed specific health problems (other than early generation male sterility) haven’t been reported yet. This is a rare breed, not only because of its recent development, but because of the challenges of breeding the larger Serval to smaller domestic cats. Also the Serval gestation period is 65-77 days compared to the 65 day gestation of domestic cats.

This results in a high percentage of premature births. Because of the breed’s rarity, F1 cats cost between $6,000 and $22,000. F5’s run $950 to $6,000.
Because Savannahs are hybrids, they aren’t legal to own as pets in all states. At this time, they are illegal to own as pets in Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland and Nebraska. In New York only F5’s and later generations can be owned. F4’s and later can be owned in Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Individual counties and cities may be stricter than state law.

In Indiana, you can own a Savannah that is a F2 or later generation without a permit. You need to get a permit from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in order to own a F1 Savannah. Indianapolis and Greenwood follow the same guidelines as the state. Strangely, if you have a DNR permit (and your home owners’ association and home insurance allows it) it appears that you could own a Serval or even a lion as a pet within Indianapolis or Greenwood city limits, but you couldn’t own a chicken.

Chickens are categorized as livestock and are specifically legislated against.
F5 and later generations of Savannahs may be a safe way to bring a beautiful, exotic looking animal into your life without worrying about it eating your children and neighbor’s small dogs.