The Savannah is a breed of hybrid cat developed in the late 20th century from hybridisation of a serval (Leptailurus serval) with a domestic cat (Felis catus). This hybridisation typically produces large and lean offspring, with the serval's characteristic large ears and markedly black spotted coats. F1 and F2 male Savannahs can be very large, and in 2016 an F2 male attained a world record for tallest cat at . However, show-eligible F4–F5 cats range from , and therefore comparable in size to other large domestic cat breeds such as the Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest cat.

History

On 7 April 1986, Judee Frank hybridised a male serval, belonging to Suzi Wood, with a Siamese domestic cat to produce the first Savannah cat, a female named Savannah. That first Savannah was bred with a Turkish Angora male and gave birth to viable F2 kittens in April 1989. In 1996, Patrick Kelley and Joyce Sroufe wrote the original version of the Savannah breed standard and presented it to the board of The International Cat Association (TICA). In 2001, the board accepted it as a new registered breed, and in May 2012, TICA granted the Savannah with championship status (for F4 and later generations). Like most cat breeds, males tend to be larger than females, and as with other hybrid cat breeds such as the Chausie and Bengal, most F1 Savannah cats will possess many of the exotic traits from the wild (serval) ancestor, which recede in later generations.

left|thumb|200x200px|Close-up showing [[Eyespot (mimicry)|ocelli behind the ears and tear-stain markings below the eyes on a four-month-old F1 kitten]]

Distinctive features

The Savannah cat's appearance is influenced by specific serval characteristics. These include the distinctive colour markings, the large and erect ears, long body and legs, wide noses and hooded eyes. The standard also allows four colours: black spotted tabby (cool to warm brown, tan or gold with black or dark brown spots), black silver spotted tabby (silver coat with black or dark grey spots), black (black with black spots), and black smoke (black-tipped silver with black spots).

Savannahs, particularly the earlier generations, can sometimes exhibit undesirable wild or territorial behaviours, and in males, aggression and marking. Problems with litter box training are a common cause of owners abandoning or surrendering them to rescue centres.

Reproduction and genetics

Hybridisation

thumb|left|F2 "B" kittens at one week of age

As Savannahs are produced by hybridisation of servals and domestic cats, each generation of Savannahs is marked with a filial number (F#). For example, the cats produced directly from a serval × domestic cat hybrid cross are termed F1 (50% serval), of which the males are sterile.

F1 generation Savannahs are very difficult to produce, due to the significant difference in gestation periods between the serval and a domestic cat (75 days for a serval and 65 days for a domestic cat) and incompatibilities between the two species' sex chromosomes. Pregnancies are often resorbed or aborted, or kittens are born prematurely. Also, servals can be very picky in choosing mates, and often will not mate with, or will even attack, a domestic cat. The Savannah Cat Association recommends cats are screened for HCM, as well as progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and pyruvate kinase deficiency (PK-Def), which can cause blindness and anaemia, respectively.

thumb|12-year-old male F1 cat. Like a serval's nose, the nose leather wraps from the front to the top.

Laws governing ownership of Savannah cats in the United States vary according to state. While most states follow the code set by the USDA which defines hybrid cross cats as domesticated, some states have set more restrictive laws on ownership, including Hawaii, Massachusetts, Texas and Georgia. Additionally, municipal laws can differ from the state; for example, Savannahs (F5 and later generations) are allowed by New York state, but not by the city of New York.

The Australian federal government has banned the importation of the Savannah cat into Australia, as the larger cats could potentially threaten species of the country's native wildlife not threatened by smaller domestic cats. A government report on the proposed importation of the cats has warned the hybrid breed may introduce enhanced hunting skills and increased body size into feral cat populations, putting native species at risk.

For similar reasons Savannahs cannot be imported into New Zealand, which has banned importing any hybrid dog or cat other than Bengal cats.

Savannah cats are legal in every province of Canada, although some provinces have restrictions on the ownership of F1 and F2 generations, and importing Savannahs from the United States requires rabies vaccination and special permits.

In the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders and Brussels) it is illegal to own or breed Servals and also their F1–F4 generation hybrid Savannah offspring.

Many other nations have few or no restrictions on F2 and later generations.

See also

  • Other felid hybrid breeds of domestic cat:
  • Bengal cat
  • Chausie
  • Kanaani cat
  • List of experimental cat breeds

References

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  • TICA's Official Savannah Breed Section
  • Savannah Cat Association