In the hot climate of Africa live amazingly beautiful cats - servals. Local residents have long learned to tame these wild animals and often keep them either in their homes or in specially equipped aviaries. However, agree that living with such cats is not a good idea. In addition, in most countries the keeping of predatory animals at home is strictly prohibited. Therefore, an alternative solution was found: in the mid-80s of the last century, the first savannah kitten was born. His parents were a wild serval and an ordinary domestic cat.
New breed
The first generation of savannah cats is denoted by the index F1. Animals related to it are considered the most expensive, as they are half serval. All subsequent generations are formed by crossing savannah cats with cats of similar breeds. For example, these include Bengal, Egyptian Mau and the like. Thus, the higher the generation index, the more animals resemble ordinary domestic cats, rather than servals. Because of this, their value is much reduced.
As mentioned above, the cat of the savannah breed, belonging to the first generation, is very expensive. And this is not surprising, since such animals are almost the rarest in the world. Although the savannahs were valued extremely highly from the very beginning of their appearance, their official registration took place only in 2001. As for the breeding of this relatively young breed, this is a rather difficult matter, therefore it has not yet become too widespread.
Cats Savannah: breed description
These beautiful animals inherited from their wild relatives a lot of features unique to them: an elongated body, strong legs, a long neck, a short and fluffy tail with a black tip. But perhaps the most characteristic features of this breed are extremely large and erect ears, unusually beautiful eyes, as well as a very attractive “leopard” color.
The savannah cat, a photo of which is posted in the article, has a short, thick and very soft coat. The size and location of dark spots on it is arbitrary. However, they can vary from brown tones to deep black. The color can be the most diverse: silver, chocolate, golden, brown and even tabby cinnamon (light brown with dark stripes). What the kitten’s coat will be depends on the appearance of the domestic cat mated to the thoroughbred savannah.
The size of each animal is determined by its class. The heaviest and largest savannah cats can belong only to the first or second generations (F1 and F2), while their growth reaches 50-60 cm, and weight - 14-15 kg. Females are slightly lighter and smaller in size. All other generations of animals are even more different from the above norms. It must be said that savannahs reach their maximum sizes by the age of three, and this parameter, along with weight, depends precisely on the breed of the male.
Savannah cats: description of the general breed standards
- Large animals with a slightly elongated slender body.
- A small wedge-shaped head, planted on a long neck.
- Wide at the base, large and pointed at the tips of the ears.
- Long, strong and slender limbs.
- The almond-shaped eyes are copper, yellow or green, as well as any of their shades.
- Short, soft and rather thick coat of the so-called "leopard" color.
- The spots are black or brown, the rest is the wool of chocolate, silver, brown, golden or tabby cinnamon color (photo savanna cat).
Adults and their nature
The behavior of these animals is completely unlike the wild nature of their relatives - servals. Savannahs quickly become attached to a person, seeing him as their companion, and in this they are very similar to dogs. In addition, they can demonstrate the same loyalty to their master, as well as dogs. However, despite being attached to a person, they easily endure loneliness. Savannah cats are very curious and courageous animals. They prefer active games, but if the owner has no time to bother with them, then they will occupy themselves - for example, they will be a bit foolish, restoring their order throughout the house.
Their favorite pastimes are games that mimic hunting. For cats, the main thing is the process of chasing prey, so that they can run into and jump in plenty. Most likely, such preferences came to them from their wild ancestors - servals. Sometimes, some savannah cats can be quite aggressive, but this is very rare. It happens that during the game animals can somehow injure or scratch a person, therefore they are not recommended to be left alone with young children.
Animal care
Despite the fact that the savannah cat breed is exotic, it does not require any special care. Since these animals belong to the shorthair, all attention to their coat comes down to combing and bathing. The first of the procedures is done once a week, and the second - no more than 4 times a year. Savannah cats love outdoor walks and for this it is best to use a leash.
For thoroughbred animals, experts always recommend using an exceptionally balanced diet, which is easily provided with the help of special feeds belonging to the premium class. They differ slightly from each other depending on the age of the cat. At the same time, breeders strongly recommend avoiding feeds with a high grain content. In addition, from time to time it is advisable to add special cat treats, which include taurine, as well as agents that help remove wool from the stomach.
As for natural products, it is necessary to add small pieces of raw meat to the feed, since it is believed that this product prolongs the life of savannas by about 5-10 years. Do not give them dairy products that are recommended for cats of other breeds, because this can lead to an upset stomach. The feeding regimen and portion size should be checked either by the breeder or read the instructions on the packaging with the feed. Most often, kittens are fed at least 3-6 times a day, and adults - no more than 3 times a day.
Content Features
Before such a savannah cat appears in the house (the photo shows its external features), it is necessary for all family members to gather and discuss the rules for handling the animal in order to develop a unified principle of its upbringing. If there are a lot of rooms in the house, then you should keep the kitten first in one or two, and eventually introduce it to the rest of the rooms. In this case, it will be advisable to place several trays at once in different corners of the house.
If savannah cats are kept in an apartment above the second floor, then all mosquito nets should be strengthened as much as possible. The fact is that both the base and their mountings are made of plastic, so if the animals show excessive interest in birds, insects, etc. flying outside the window, then they can fall out and, planning on it, get various kinds of injuries .
Do not forget about poisonous indoor plants. They will need to be removed as far as possible from an overly curious kitten. In addition, at least seven months will have to fix or hide the wires of electrical appliances, because at this time the savannah can use them as teething teeth. Do not underestimate the usual safety measures: be sure to close containers with water, packs of washing powder and other household chemicals, and to remove valuable and easily breakable items.
Optional equipment
Savannah cats love to jump and climb, so you need to take care of at least special multi-level shelves on the walls. In private houses, for them, you can equip a safe and spacious aviary. In it you can put not only shelves, but also a whole tree. It is worth noting that the constant maintenance of the animal in the aviary is simply unacceptable. Such cats need daily one- or two-hour walks. It must be remembered that their free range is extremely undesirable.
Usually, a claw-tip is also placed near the food site. It is not so important what configuration it will be, but most often it is a high pole with a small platform at the top. It will be useful to ask what claw-point the kitten is already used to. As a rule, the savannah cat (photo) is very smart, so it’s easy to retrain it: you just need to use a spray containing valerian or catnip.
Animal breeding
As mentioned above, the savannah cat, the mating of which is associated with certain features, was obtained by mating a serval and an ordinary pet. As you know, the representatives of this breed, belonging to early generations, there is a certain level of the so-called hybrid non-viability. It manifests itself in the sterility of male serval hybrids up to the fifth generation. They are given to new owners already castrated.
Most often, savannah cats are knitted with F5 males, i.e. the fifth generation. In addition, mating of females of this breed with ordinary short-haired purebred cats, as well as with Egyptian Mau, Ocicats, Bengal and Oriental Shorthair, which are spotted, is allowed.
Development features
It is known that the gestational age in ordinary domestic cats is about 65 days, and in the serval up to 77. As a result of this difference, hybrids of earlier generations are often born prematurely, therefore they are in urgent need of additional nursing. The litter of hybrids of the first two generations usually consists of 1-2, and the subsequent ones of 3-5 kittens. Savannah cats are able to become pregnant already 4 weeks after giving birth, however, the breeders themselves limit the number of breeding to two or three per year.
These animals feed their kittens milk for 8-12 weeks. At first, babies will almost always sleep. In this state, their body is aimed at maximizing the production of growth hormone. That is why it is not recommended to wake up or somehow disturb kittens during this period. Once they reach the age of 10-12 weeks, they are sterilized or neutered in order to soon transfer them to new owners.
Medical problems
When deciding to get such a cat, one must take into account that walking in an aviary or on a leash requires additional financial and time costs: getting used to the street, keeping an aviary, preventive examination by a veterinarian, deworming, additional vaccinations, etc. A trip to the veterinarian with The savannah of the first two generations often turns out to be a problematic event both for the animal itself and for its owner.
Representatives of this breed did not reveal any special health problems, with the exception of those that are inherent in other domestic cats. Usually, all the difficulties that arise are solved by regular veterinary examinations, timely vaccination, good balanced nutrition and good care.
Owner reviews
The happy owners of the savannah are sure that this is almost the most intelligent and curious cat of all breeds that exist today. They themselves easily open not only the doors of the rooms, but also the cabinets, while pulling out all the drawers. They are completely not afraid of water and take baths with pleasure. These animals jump very well to a height of more than 2.5 meters.
Savannah cat (photo), in particular belonging to the first generations of hybrids, can sometimes show its wild temper, which is expressed in a growl and hiss in the presence of strangers. In addition, it can make special chirping sounds inherent to the servals. Such a pet will not even sit on the owner’s hands and does not like being patted on the head. But the fourth generation savannah practically does not differ in its behavior from other domestic cats.