The serval is a 25-40 pound wild cat that can be compared to the bobcat
of North America: they are not endangered, but need protection in their
home range countries if they are to continue to flourish. They do well
in many habitats, warm to cold, wet to dry grassland, but do not occur
in the deserts. In the United States they have been bred in captivity
for many years and there are probably about 5,000 in private ownership
in the US. However, they do not make good pets, as a rule. They
have special dietary requirements, do badly if they have to move once
they are an adult as they don't adjust to new situations well, and can
never be trusted around children or strangers. They are illegal to
possess in some states and in most urban cities.
Here is a link to a website with practical information about keeping a
serval as a pet: http://www.geocities.com/servalsite/
Here is a link to a website with more serval information: felidtag
Savannahs
History of the Savannah Breed
Hybrids have been created throughout history, often accidentally when
cats of different species were housed together. One of the best known
is the liger, the offspring of a lion and a tiger. Half domestic
hybrids from Geoffroy cats, Fishing Cats, and Caracals have been
recorded, and more well known, from the Asian Leopard Cat and the
Jungle Cat. The Bengal cat breed (from the Asian Leopard Cat) is well
established, and the Chausie (from the Jungle Cat) is not far behind.
The first recorded hybrid of a domestic with a Serval occurred in the
early 1980's. Judy Frank paired her serval with a domestic cat and had
a litter of kittens, and got even as far as a second generation. At the
time they were mostly thought of as a curiosity. Then in 1994 Joyce
Sroufe successfully bred her serval to a domestic and had a litter. The
kittens were so striking and well tempered that she has been breeding
them ever since. Many more people became interested, a few were
successful breeding their pet servals to domestics, and a few years
later the name Savannah was chosen to be the new breed's name. The
Savannah can now be exhibited at TICA (cat association) cat shows,
along with other new breeds.
Breeding Savannahs
Along the way we as breeders have learned some critical things about
breeding these cats. In the first generation, the match of serval to
domestic presents some problems. First of all, so far only male servals
have successfully been mated to domestic cats. Female servals so far
have either been disinterested in a male domestic or the male domestic
used has been unable to sense that the serval female is in heat and
will not breed them. So all current Savannah breeding programs use male
servals with domestic females. The serval, especially the male, is a
larger cat than the domestic, so both parties must be willing
participants in mating which can be tricky. In order to like eachother
usually the serval and domestic girls must be raised from a young age
together. If mating is successful, due to unknown probably genetic
incompatibilities, some domestic cats are better matches than others.
Domestic cats that are not good matches either will not get pregnant or
will miscarry anywhere later in the pregnancy. The normal length of
pregnancy in the serval is about a week longer than in domestics so
some kittens are premature when born and need assistance. Litters may
have a range of kittens in them from ones that are premature to ones
that are fully ready. Most breeders who are successful breeding F1
savannahs have lots of cat breeding experience and have the equipment
(incubators, precision scales, baby monitors) and know-how necessary to
tube feed and care for kittens that are weak, as well as facilities to
house an intact male serval. This is much of what makes early
generation Savannahs expensive cats. Anyone interested in breeding
should be aware of these difficulties. Later generations are much
simpler to breed and raise, but since Savannah males are infertile
until the percentage of serval reaches something close to just 3-5%,
much effort and ingenuity will be needed to make a domestic Savannah
cat that deeply resembles the Serval ancestor. This makes it an
exciting challenge to breeding any generation of Savannah The
goal of course is to retain the elegance, color, pattern and size of
the Serval and add a reliably domestic temperament.
Savannahs: Personality and Special Care of F1s
Under Construction (no pun intended).
F1s should never be let outside.
F1 savannahs should be able to get along with other cats even if they
are introduced as adults. Rarely one might grow to be so asocial as to
make it hard to get a new cat later on. But in general they can adjust
if there is plenty of space, if doors can be closed between them early
on to create safe havens, and if they are not forced to interact.
F1 savannahs will get
along with dogs, as well as any cat gets along with a dog, which is to
say they may toy with them by batting their tails and eating their dog
food in front of them and playing in their water dish.
F1 savannahs will use a litter box with no problems, and males should
not spray unless they are not fixed. I have heard of a unspayed female
that sprays, but this is not the norm.
F1s may need special attention when it comes to cat proofing your home.
Wild cats like servals are notorious for eating foreign objects like
toys, plastic bags, strings, etc. F1s and F2s may have this trait to
some degree and especially as kittens will need watching. Once they are
adults you will know what they like (I had a wild cat that particularly
liked men's sweat socks). Before your new kitten comes home please
crawl around and look under all the furniture for tempting objects. You
may also wish to install child safety latches on cabinets that contain
caustic cleaners, etc. This is always good practice for pets. In
addition make sure that toys for F1s are not generic domestic cat toys,
F1s will simply eat those fun little fur mice for example. Choose
sturdy small dog toys. Ferret toys are often very sturdy.
Please consider not only your current situation but your families plans
for the future before getting an F1 savannah. Most F1s will have
trouble adjusting to a new family if they have to change owners half
way through life.
Cats lower percentage than 50% (F2s and F3s etc) will in general have
personalities indistinguishable from the spectrum found in domestic
cats. They may range from allowing themselves to be dressed up to not
liking sitting in laps, but they will not act too aggressively even if
their personal rules are breached. They may have some traits as adults
that will remind you of a wild cat such as putting their toys in the
water dish or getting in the shower with you or balancing on the tops
of doors, they will need slightly sturdier toys and may need a little
extra training than usual in order to submit to being in a carrier,
etc, but in most respects they will seem domestic-like. They are
suitable for families with toddlers or even infants. (Families with
infants should always supervise interactions between the baby and any
cat, domestic or otherwise). F2s are larger than a domestic, taller and
slightly stronger, with a graceful walk and elegant manner of being.
F3s are usually 12.5 % serval and will be about the same size as a
domestic cat, though they will have slightly longer legs and bigger
ears that give them an exotic look. At this time F3s vary a lot, there
is not really yet a standard look. You will find the most exotic
looking F3s are those that are from a savannah to savannah breeding.
F3s should not require any special houseproofing or extra training as
some F2s do. They are perfect for a very busy family that wants an
exotic looking cat that will absolutely always act like a regular
domestic cat.
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Males About Servals and Savannahs
Past Kittens Available Kittens
Photos of Kita the serval.