Savannah

What is a Savannah?

A cross between a domestic cat and the African serval, a long-legged wild cat of the sub-Saharan grasslands. The generations are numbered by distance from the serval: an F1 has a serval parent, an F2 a serval grandparent, and so on to F5 and beyond, where the cat is genetically almost entirely domestic.

The generation is the single most important fact about any Savannah, and it determines the cat's size, temperament, price and - in England and Wales - its legality.

The legal position in Britain

This is unusual enough to belong before anything else.

Under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, Savannah cats of the first four generations (F1 to F4) require a licence from your local authority in England and Wales. The licence involves an inspection, a fee, specified enclosure standards and public liability insurance. F5 and later are exempt and are kept as ordinary domestic cats.

Scotland operates a similar regime; Northern Ireland differs again. Keeping an F1 to F4 without a licence is an offence, and the animal can be seized.

Anyone selling you a Savannah should tell you the generation in writing. If a seller is vague about it, that is the end of the conversation.

History and origins

The first documented Savannah was born in 1986, bred by Judee Frank from a serval and a Siamese. Patrick Kelly and Joyce Sroufe developed the breed through the 1990s and TICA accepted it for registration in 2001 and championship status in 2012. The GCCF does not recognise it.

Appearance and size

30-43cm at the shoulder - noticeably taller than a domestic cat - and 4-11kg depending on generation. F1 males are the largest and can reach 11kg; by F5 they are within normal domestic range.

Long legs, a long neck, large upright ears set high on the head, hooded eyes and a short spotted coat in brown, silver, black or smoke.

Temperament and personality

Confident, curious and relentlessly busy. Savannahs are often described as dog-like: many fetch, walk on a harness, greet visitors and follow their owner from room to room. Several enjoy water, which is unusual in a cat.

Early generations are more reserved with strangers and more strongly bonded to one person. Later generations are generally outgoing and easier.

They are not lap cats in the usual sense. They are company, but active company.

Intelligence and trainability

Exceptional. They open doors, cupboards and fridges, learn routines and work out how to get things they want. They are trainable to harness, to cues and to fetch, and they need that outlet.

A bored Savannah dismantles the house. This is not a figure of speech.

Children and other pets

Later generations are generally good with children and with dogs, and many enjoy a dog's company more than another cat's. Early generations are less predictable and less tolerant of grabbing.

Prey drive is high. Birds, rodents, rabbits and fish are not compatible with a Savannah in the same house.

Health problems

Broadly a healthy breed, with the caveats that come from hybridisation.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, as in most pedigrees - echocardiogram screening in the line.

Blood type issues. Servals and domestic cats differ, and neonatal isoerythrolysis is a risk in breeding programmes. A buyer should know the cat's blood type in case of later transfusion.

Anaesthetic sensitivity is reported and it is worth telling any vet the cat is a Savannah and which generation.

Male sterility in F1 to F4 is near-universal, which is why breeding programmes depend on a small number of fertile later-generation males and why early-generation kittens are so expensive.

Some Savannahs have smaller livers relative to body size than domestic cats; this is usually incidental but can affect drug dosing.

Daily care routine

Play, climbing, and something to solve. Twice-daily interactive sessions with a wand toy are a minimum, plus puzzle feeders and a genuinely tall climbing structure.

Secure the house. A Savannah can clear two and a half metres from a standing start, and screens, windows and doors need to be thought about the way you would for a parrot.

Grooming and coat care

Minimal. A weekly brush keeps the short coat in order. Nails need regular trimming because they are strong and destructive. Teeth brushed if tolerated.

Exercise needs

The highest of any cat kept as a pet. They need vertical space, room to run, and daily active play with a person. A secure outdoor enclosure - a catio - transforms life with one.

Many owners harness-train them and walk them, which suits the breed and is safer than free roaming: a valuable, striking cat that approaches people is a theft risk.

Feeding and diet

A high-protein, meat-led diet. Early generations are often fed raw or a high-meat wet food, and breeders will give specific guidance that is worth following - the digestive tolerance of an F1 is not that of a moggy. Later generations do well on good quality commercial cat food.

Price

Enormous, and generation-driven. F1: £8,000-£16,000. F2: £4,000-£8,000. F3: £2,500-£4,000. F4: £1,500-£3,000. F5 and later: £800-£2,000.

Then add the licence for F1-F4 - typically £100-£400 a year plus inspection costs - the enclosure to the standard your council requires, and public liability insurance.

Buying advice

Get the generation in writing, with the registration papers, before any money changes hands. If it is F1 to F4, contact your council's licensing team first and find out what they will require. Doing that after you have the cat is how people lose both the money and the animal.

Ask for TICA registration and a pedigree. There are a great many spotted Bengal crosses and spotted moggies sold as Savannahs, and at these prices the paperwork matters.

Ask about HCM screening and blood type.

Then be honest about your house and your hours. This is the most demanding cat commonly available in Britain, and the mismatch between the photographs and the daily reality is the reason rescues occasionally have them.