savannah_cats - Profile (original) (raw)
This community is for people who have Savannah and Bengal Cats and would like to post pictures and recount their Savannah's and Bengal's exploits and crazy adventures. This community is also for folks who admire Savannah's and Bengal's or are considering acquiring one.
Please post pictures that are moderate in size (400 pixels max) on the community page itself otherwise please post multiple pics and larger pics behind a cut.
Please exercise common courtesy towards each other as you interact within this community. Rudeness and trolling will not be tolerated.
Also, here are some sites to check out pertaining to Savannah's and Bengal's as well as pure-bred cats in general:
http://www.savannahcatclub.com/
http://www.hdw-inc.com/savannahhome.htm
http://www.savannahcat.com/savannah.htm
http://www.breedlist.com/breeders/sav.html
http://www.tica.org/html/english/home/
http://www.bengal-katz.com/savannah_history.htm
Pat Killmaier gave us 4 of our wonderful cats!!
http://www.aluren.com/ We have Neo,Zowie and Batman.
Other wonderful breeders we have cats from!!!
http://www.cahabacats.com/ This is the breeder that we got Kimba and Mya from.(Our Sv's)
http://www.medoz.addr.com/aboutus.htm We have Leeloo Blue from her.
History of the Savannah Cat
African Tiger Cat
Savannah is a relatively new cat breed that is somewhat-rare. They're tall and golden with large black spots and have the appearance of a wild African tiger cat called serval.
Like the serval, Savannahs are alert, intelligent and move with clever ease at the same time they charm their owners with their affectionate sweet nature. Savannahs are very personable and easy to handle.
Description
The Savannah is the product of a cross between a Bengal cat and a Serval. These cats have a wild look with their large black spots. Savannahs have tall slender muscular body with long neck, ears and strong legs. They also have thick tail and little feet.
Temperament
They are warm, friendly, affectionate and sweet-tempered cats. They are also "dog-like" because of their eagerness to retrieve items, do tricks, following people and enjoying walking on a harness. These cats are energetic but not overly so and they don't require any additional space.
Savannahs make an excellent pet for families. They enjoy playing with members of the family along with other animals. They adapt quickly and become an adored member of any household.
Care
Savannahs are easy to care for. Little or no grooming is usually needed and as they shed very little. This cat breed enjoys being petted and groomed and their coats are very soft and velvety to the touch.
They do not require a special diet or health regimen and are easily litter-trained.
Some special terminology is used when referring to Savannahs, as a measure of how many generations removed they are from their Serval ancestors.
F1= First Generation, has an African Serval Parent
F2= Second Generation, has an African Serval Grandparent
F3= Third Generation, has an African Serval Great-Grandparent
(and so on through subsequent lower generations)
While all generations of female Savannahs are fertile, males are sterile until the fifth generation (F5) and should be neutered and placed as pets. Savannah females are typically bred to F5 Savannah males (termed Savannah to Savannah breeding) or to domestic outcrosses. Oriental Shorthairs, Egyptian Maus, and Domestic Shorthairs are recognized as Permissible Outcrosses by TICA, but some beautiful cats have also been bred using Serengetis, Ocicats and Bengals, just to mention a few.
F1 Savannahs are rare and expensive. The initial cross between a Serval and domestic cat is very difficult, due to the vast size differences between the two cats and also because of the variances in gestation periods between exotic and domestic cats (65 days for domestics, 66-77 days for Servals). Consequently, kittens are frequently born premature and require special around the clock care.
I found this on a Savannah Breeder Website and thought I should post it here..........................
SAVANNAHS ARE EXPENSIVE!!!!
My favorite way to describe the cost of a Savannah is to liken it to flying you and your favorite companion to Paris (from San Francisco in my case) for a week in May staying at a 3 star hotel (minimum). Of course you get to have the Savannah for years so it is much better value :)
History of the Bengal Cat
The Bengal Cat originates from a domestic cat (Abyssinian, American Shorthair, Burmese, or Egyptian Mau) and a Asian Leopard Cat (ALC). During the 1960's researchers such as California's Jean Sugden (now Jean Mills) were studying cat related diseases such as leukaemia and other cancer related viruses. It was noted that wild cat types such as the lion and tiger were immune to some of these diseases. The wild Asian Leopard Cat was bred to the common house cat in an effort to study the immune defences of the wild cat family to these diseases.
In 1963 Jean Sugden (Mills) crossed a female ALC and a male black domestic cat, the results were a mixture of solid and spotted kittens. One of the spotted female offspring was then mated back to the father and the resulting litter had spotted kittens. This was the beginning of the Bengal, but didn't progress as Jean Sugden had become a widow.
In the 1970's Jean Sugden acquired 8 female ALC/Domestic offspring from the University of California. The cats were the result of a project to investigate the ALC's natural immunity to Feline Leukaemia. It was from this moment on that the Bengal was established and the Bengal Breed was finally registered with the TICA (The International Cat Association) in 1983, with the first to be shown in 1985 in the New Breed/Colour Class.
The Bengal is a unique breed of cat in that it is the only spotted breed which is directly descended from a wild ancestor. This gorgeous ancestor is the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC). The domestic Bengal gets its name from the Asian Leopard Cat's scientific name (Felis bengalensis). The goal in producing the Bengal is to recreate the look of its wild ancestor the ALC in a domestic cat.
Bengals do not have fur but more of a pelt coat, this is a lovely soft coat that came from their wild ancestors. At around seven weeks the kittens will begin to get what is called the fuzzies, this is something else that is past down from their ancestors providing them with a camouflage in the wild. The fuzzies is when a kitten begins to grow longer guard hairs which disguise the spots from a front view, but the beautiful markings can still be seen from behind.
Glitter Coat - Most Bengals are bred with a glitter coat which looks just like someone has got a handful of gold glitter and sprinkled it over. The glitter gene is said to have come from a foundation cat called "Millwood Tory of Delhi" which Jean Mill found in India. The same effect appears on snow Bengals looking more like a pearl dust.