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History
Bengal
breeder Judee Frank managed to crossbreed a Serval and domestic
cat, producing the first Savannah (named Savannah) on April 7,
1986.Judee Frank’s Savannah attracted the interest of Patrick
Kelly, who had been interested in exotic looking domestic cats
for many years and purchased one of Savannah's kittens in 1989.
Patrick Kelly’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 Kelly 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
Temperament
Savannahs have been described as friendly, assertive, active, playful 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 new people, and 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. An often noted trait of the
Savannah is its jumping ability. Savannahs are known to jump up
on top of doors, refrigerators and high cabinets. Some Savannahs
can leap about 8 feet high from a standing position. Savannahs
are very inquisitive, and 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
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 behaviour which
involves hissing, is more frequent in F1 or occasionally F2
generations, and may subside or disappear as the cat is
socialized.
Savannah
Personality
The
Savannah
cat is said to make an excellent companion, sociable with other
pets, and always willing to greet their owners with friendly
"head-bumps." Their long legs and athletic grace will
often find them in high places, (more convenient for
head-bumps), and like the serval, they love to play in water.
Chris
Winchester
Savannahs
Australia.
Phone:
613 5978 6962
Photos
throughout this site courtesy of
A1 Savannahs. USA |
