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I am going to be upfront–this article is as much a PSA as it is a breed profile. I do not support the breeding of hybrid cats, including the Savannah, and I will explain the reasons in the latter portion of the article. That being said, I do think everyone should have access to good information, whether it supports my opinion or not, and I have done my best to gather everything I could on these cats. I readily admit that it was a difficult process, as hybrid cats are very controversial, and there is a lot of contradictory information out there. If you know anything I have written to be demonstrably incorrect, please let me know.
Savannahs are a very new breed of cat, first created on April 7th, 1986 when a female kitten named Savannah was born to a successful mating of a female Siamese and a male serval. Servals are a species of African wild cat, significantly larger than a domestic cat but small as wild cats go. They’re pelts are typically golden yellow to beige with dark black spots, and Savannahs inherited a similar patterning as well as the exotic morphology of their wild parentage.
Since the first breeder of Savannah cats became established in the 1980s, they gained popularity quickly. The International Cat Association began registering Savannahs in 2001 and gave the breed championship status in 2012. The Cat Fanciers Association does not recognize any hybrid cat breeds (except the Bengal, which was grandfathered in), so Savannahs cannot be shown at CFA events. That has not slowed the breed down, however. For many people, the appeal lies in having a domestic pet that looks like a wild animal. And they certainly do look wild and beautiful.
Savannahs are about half the size of servals but are large for domestic cats. A Savannah that has a serval parent, known as an F1 (filial generation one), can reach 30 pounds (13.6 kg), but they get smaller with successive generations (F2, F3, etc.). After F1 the parents are all Savannahs or sometimes other domestic cats. The males are usually larger, but in the later generations, about F4+, the average size evens out to 12-18 pounds (5.4-8.2 kg). They look larger, however, because Savannahs are so tall and long. An F2 is 14-17 inches (35.6-43.2 cm) tall, with the height decreasing somewhat until F4. Savannahs are the tallest breed of cat. A Savannah holds the last two Guinness word records for tallest cat, at 19 inches (48.3 cm) and just over 19 inches. Non-hybrid cats are usually around 9 inches (22.9 cm) tall.
A breed standard Savannah has a pattern of spots similar to a serval, with rows of dark spots along their body and smaller spots on the head and extremities. They are permitted to come in four colors, but alternative colors and patterns are sometimes sold by breeders. The most common coat color is brown spotted tabby, which is most similar to the coloration of a serval. The base color of the coat is golden brown with black spots. The second most popular is silver spotted tabby, with a gray/silver base and black spots. Black and black smoke Savannahs may appear solid black from a distance, but they actually have darker black spots on a somewhat lighter base coat. Black smoke Savannahs have a white undercoat, giving them a bit of a smokey appearance.
Savannahs have large, almost bat-like ears, perched high on the head, like their serval parents. They also inherited light-colored ocelli marks on the back of these huge ears (see serval picture above). Ocelli marks, also called eye-spots, are found in many species, including some butterflies and fish as well as wild cats, and they are believed to be an adaptation to deceive predators. They may draw attention away from the real eyes or make the animal seem larger and more threatening. Tabby cats sometimes have these anyway, but they are characteristic of Savannahs. The large ears combine with a wedge-shaped head and long muzzle to really emphasize the jungle-cat look of Savannahs. Dark tear-stain markings around the eyes are reminiscent of wild cats as well.
The personality of Savannah cats is influenced by their filial generation. F1, F2, and F3 cats tend to exhibit more wild behaviors while F4 and later act more like typical domestic cats. In general, Savannah enthusiasts and breeders describe the breed’s personality as similar to that of a working dog. They are high-energy, very intelligent, and very affectionate. They are known for enjoying playing fetch and a propensity for learning tricks.
Savannahs tend to bond strongly with their people and want to be with them and involved in what they are doing at all times. Many Savannahs like water, so that can include bath time! Due to their activity level and intelligence, Savannahs can become bored easily and get into mischief if not provided with enough attention and stimulation. They love jumping and climbing, so they need enough space and appropriate surfaces for them to explore. These cats can jump up to eight feet (2.4 m) high, so keep that in mind when cat-proofing for them.
Whether or not Savannahs are generally healthy cats seems to be a matter of much debate. Some sources mentioned only a slightly higher risk of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease where thickening of the heart muscle can lead to heart failure. It was almost universally acknowledged that male Savannahs prior to F4 are usually sterile due to genetic incompatibility between domestic cats and servals, a phenomenon known as hybrid sterility. However, rescue organizations mentioned other health problems that they have come across, the most common being irritable bowel disease/chronic diarrhea. There are suggestions that raw diets or diets without corn may alleviate IBD in hybrid cats, but it’s unclear.
Savannah cats are a very expensive breed, with the cheapest going for around $1,000 (USD) but some fetching as much as $35,000. Lower-numbered filial generations, females, and rarer colors and patterns garner higher prices. Much of the hefty price tag is attributed to the difficulty of breeding savannahs. As mentioned earlier, servals and domestic cats are partially incompatible, leading to male hybrid sterility, among other problems. Even convincing the two parties to mate can be difficult. There are differences in behavior, and servals are much bigger and more aggressive. The servals often kill the domestic cats, perhaps seeing the smaller feline as food rather than a possible mate (1).
Even if physical and behavioral limitations do not get in the way, Savannah breedings are often unsuccessful. Many result in miscarriages or premature births (1). Servals have a gestation period of seventy-five days, but domestic cats have a gestation period of sixty-five days. Male servals are usually mated with female domestic cats to produce F1 Savannahs, so the kittens may be born small and/or underdeveloped (1).
You might think that someone who has spent that much money on a cat would never give it up, but Savannahs and other hybrid cats are frequently given up to animals shelters or wild cat rescues, or simply set loose. Animal shelters have started refusing to take hybrid cats due to liability concerns or because they doubt they can find homes for them. If they do take them, they may put them down immediately. Wild cat rescues are often the best hope for hybrid cats that owners want to surrender, but both Wild Cat Sanctuary and Big Cat Rescue say on their websites that they cannot accommodate the deluge of requests to take hybrid cats. Neither sanctuary takes surrendered hybrid pets, although WCS says they will consider F1 cats.
Why are so many Savannahs and other hybrid cats being abandoned? Some people have excellent experiences with their Savannahs. Unfortunately breeding a wild animal with a domesticated one does not always achieve the advertised wild look and domestic behavior. Genetics does not work that way, and so it is that Savannahs frequently exhibit wild cat behaviors as well as exotic looks.
One of the most common problems is spraying. This is a common problem with cats, but it is on another level with a cat that has wild genes. Wild cats have to mark miles of territory, and so Savannahs, even when neutered, male or female, may feel compelled to do the same, spraying all over the place, sometimes even on the people they consider theirs.
Savannahs can also be very destructive with tooth and claw, sometimes aggressively and sometimes in play. They tend to be biters, and with a cat that big that can be a serious issue. They also tend to scratch or chew up their environment as a wild cat would tend to do. Giving them plenty of exercise, walking them on a leash, or providing them with an outdoor enclosure (with a roof) to let off steam can help with destructive tendencies.
Aggressive tendencies may be more difficult to deal with. Savannahs can be very affectionate, but they usually bond to one or a few people, and even then they are sometimes unpredictable. Some Savannahs are very aggressive. Although they are marketed as getting along well with children and other pets, sometimes they do and sometimes they really, really don’t. They’re strong prey drive can be particularly troublesome if there are small pets in the house. That high intelligence may be directed toward learning how to open the hamster’s cage.
Savannahs of earlier filial generations tend to display more of these undesirable wild behaviors. For this reason, some breeders only sell cats of later generations, but that leaves the earlier ones in the lurch. We shouldn’t blame the cats for acting in ways we don’t appreciate. It is in their DNA, after all. Cats domesticated themselves thousands of years ago. A couple generations of breeding the domestic form to a wild animal cannot make a new domestic creature. Wild Cat Sanctuary suggests that anyone who has bought or adopted a savannah or other hybrid cat and regrets it try building an outdoor enclosure with a heated den (https://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/education/species/hybrid-domestic/what-is-a-hybrid-domestic/). They keep their small wild cats and hybrids in the same set-up. This puts a Savannah in an environment where it can be as wild as it wants and cause no trouble.
If you would like a Savannah, whatever your reasons, I strongly recommend adopting one. As a rule, we should all adopt, not shop, but especially in this case. Buying these cats encourages breeding more, but adopting them gives homes to the many who have been abandoned without supporting the problematic Savannah breeding industry. Two organizations I came across during my research were Savannah Cat Rescue (http://svrescue.com/) and Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue (https://www.purebredcatrescue.org/). There are probably others, and you could always try contacting your local animal shelter and letting them know of your interest. Make sure to look up your local regulations on exotic pets first, because some places have bans or restrictions on savannahs.
Works Cited
- Seder, R.A. (2017). AAFP position statement: Hybrid cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 19(3), 312-313.
Published March 21st, 2020
Updated March 12th, 2021
