F4 vs F5 Savannah Cat: Which Generation Should You Actually Buy?

We breed two generations on purpose: F4 and F5. Both are SBT, both are TICA registered, and both are raised underfoot in our home. The question we get every week is which one a family should reserve.

The F4 SBT Savannah

F4s are four generations from the serval — roughly 8 to 13 percent. Expect a taller, longer cat, usually 13 to 17 pounds for a male, with a more dramatic profile: bigger ears, longer legs, deeper spotting, and that stretched "walking on stilts" look people recognize from photos.

Temperament is still fully domestic. Ours climb into laps and sleep with kids. What you are paying extra for is structure and presence, which is why our F4s start at $3,000.

The F5 SBT Savannah

F5s are five generations out, around 4 to 7 percent serval, and typically a little smaller and stockier than an F4. They keep bold spotting and the athletic body, and they are the most flexible generation legally — permitted in nearly every state that allows Savannahs at all.

F5s start at $2,000 and are what we recommend to most first-time Savannah families, apartment dwellers, and anyone in a state with generation limits.

Side by side

• Size: F4 runs larger and longer; F5 is closer to a big domestic cat.
• Look: F4 is more exotic in structure; both hold spotting and large ears.
• Legality: F5 is legal in the widest range of states and cities.
• Price: F4 from $3,000, F5 from $2,000 at LVHYBRIDS.
• Personality: functionally the same — loyal, busy, water-curious, dog-like.

What actually predicts a good match

Honestly, generation matters less than lifestyle. Savannahs of both generations are active, intelligent cats that get destructive when bored. If you want a decorative cat that sleeps 20 hours a day, neither generation is right. If you want a cat that greets you at the door, learns fetch, follows you room to room, and plays in the sink, either will do it.

Tell us your household — kids, dogs, hours away from home, apartment or house — and we will point you to the litter that fits instead of the one that costs more.