What Is a Savannah Cat?

A FULLY DOMESTIC BREED WITH A STRIKING, SPOTTED EXOTIC APPEARANCE INSPIRED BY THE AFRICAN SERVAL, HIGH INTELLIGENCE, AND DOG-LIKE PERSONALITY TRAITS. 

THEY ARE INCREDIBLY ATHLETIC, CURIOUS, AND AFFECTIONATE, FORMING DEEP LOYAL BONDS WITH THEIR HUMANS.

SAVANNAHS ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR LONG LEGS, LARGE EARS, TALL SLENDER BODIES, AND DISTINCTIVE SPOTTED COATS THAT RESEMBLE THEIR AFRICAN ANCESTOR THE SERVAL CAT. 

UNLIKE MOST DOMESTIC BREEDS, SAVANNAH CATS LOVE WATER, ENJOY FETCH, AND CAN BE LEASH-TRAINED FOR SUPERVISED OUTDOOR ADVENTURES. THEIR INTELLIGENCE AND ENERGY LEVEL MAKE THEM BEST SUITED FOR OWNERS WHO CAN PROVIDE ENRICHMENT, ENGAGEMENT, AND TIME.

A SAVANNAH CAT IS AN EXOTIC HYBRID BREED CREATED BY CROSSING A WILD AFRICAN SERVAL WITH A DOMESTIC CAT. THIS UNIQUE COMBINATION PRODUCES THE SAVANNAH CAT — A FULLY DOMESTIC BREED WITH A STRIKING, EXOTIC APPEARANCE INSPIRED BY THE AFRICAN SERVAL, HIGH INTELLIGENCE, AND DOG-LIKE PERSONALITY TRAITS.

INTEREST IN THIS HYBRID CAT BEGAN TO RISE IN THE LATE 1990s AS MORE BREEDERS STARTED WORKING WITH EARLY GENERATIONS. IN 2001, THE INTERNATIONAL CAT ASSOCIATION (TICA) OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED THE SAVANNAH AS A REGISTERED BREED, AND IN 2012, TICA PROMOTED IT TO FULL CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS.

THE FIRST RECORDED SAVANNAH KITTEN WAS BORN ON APRIL 7, 1986, WHEN BREEDER JUDEE FRANK SUCCESSFULLY PAIRED A SERVAL OWNED BY SUZI WOODS WITH A SIAMESE. THAT KITTEN, NAMED “SAVANNAH,” INSPIRED THE NAME OF THE ENTIRE BREED.

ABOUT A DECADE LATER, BREEDERS PATRICK KELLEY AND JOYCE SROUFE CREATED THE FIRST FORMAL BREED STANDARD AND PRESENTED IT TO TICA, LEADING TO THE BREED’S OFFICIAL RECOGNITION.

TODAY, SAVANNAH CATS COME IN A VARIETY OF COLORS AND PATTERNS, BUT TICA’S STANDARD SPECIFICALLY FOCUSES ON SPOTTED COATS IN APPROVED COLORS, REFLECTING THE WILD LOOK OF THE AFRICAN SERVAL.

GENERATIONS ARE CLASSIFIED BY THEIR DISTANCE FROM THE ORIGINAL SERVAL ANCESTOR —
HP F1 BEING CLOSEST TO THE SERVAL, FOLLOWED BY F 1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7 AND F8 EACH GENERATION MORE DOMESTICATED WHILE MAINTAINING THAT BEAUTIFUL, WILD LOOK.

AT LVHYBRIDS, OUR GOAL IS TO PRODUCE EXCEPTIONAL HEALTHY, WELL-SOCIALIZED, AND ETHICALLY BRED SAVANNAH CATS THAT CAPTURE THE MAGIC OF THE WILD WITH THE HEART OF A COMPANION.

WANT TO BUY A SAVANNAH KITTEN OR  CAT?

EMAIL, CALL OR TEXT TO  LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SBT SAVANNAH CATS.  ANDREA@LVHYBRIDS.COM - 702 918 6979