Cats of savannah: a description of the breed, photos and reviews

In the hot climate of Africa live amazing beauty cats - serval. Local residents have long learned to tame these wild animals and often keep them either in their homes or in specially equipped enclosures. However, you will agree that living next to such cats is not the best idea. In addition, in most countries, the content of predatory animals at home is strictly prohibited. Therefore, an alternative solution was found: in the mid-eighties of the last century the first kitten of the savannah was born . His parents were a wild serval and an ordinary domestic cat.

New breed

The first generation of savanna cats is designated by the index F1. Related animals are considered to be the most expensive, since they are half serval. All subsequent generations are formed by crossing cats of savannah with cats of similar breeds. For example, they include the Bengali, Egyptian mau and the like. Thus, the higher the index of the generation, the more animals resemble ordinary domestic cats, rather than the servals. Because of this, their value is much reduced.

As mentioned above, the cat of the savanna breed, belonging to the first generation, is very expensive. And this is not surprising, since such animals are almost the rarest in the world. Although savannahs have been highly valued since the very beginning of their appearance, however, their official registration was only in 2001. As for the breeding of this relatively young breed, this is quite a difficult matter, therefore it has not yet become too widespread.

Savannah: a description of the breed

These beautiful animals inherited from their wild relatives very much only their inherent features: oblong body, strong legs, long neck, short and fluffy tail with a black tip. But perhaps the most characteristic features of this breed are extremely large and erect ears, unusually beautiful eyes, and also a very attractive "leopard" color.

Cat of the Savannah breed, the photo of which is placed in the article, has a short, thick and very soft coat. The size and location of dark spots on it is arbitrary. In this case, they can range from brown tones to deep black. Color can be the most diverse: silver, chocolate, golden, brown and even tabby cynamon (light brown with dark stripes). What will be the hair of the kitten, directly depends on the appearance of the domestic cat, paired with thoroughbred savanna.

The size of each animal is determined by its class. The heaviest and largest savannah cats can belong only to the first or second generations (F1 and F2), while their growth reaches 50-60 cm, and weight - 14-15 kg. Female is slightly lighter and smaller in size. All other generations of animals differ even more from the above standards. I must say that the savannahs reach their maximum size by the age of three and this parameter, along with the weight, depends on the breed of the male.

Cats of the savannah: a description of the common breed standards

• Animals are large, having a somewhat elongated slender body.
• A small head is wedge-shaped, planted on a long neck.
• Broad at the base, large and pointed at the tips of the ears.
• Long, strong and slender limbs.
• Almond-like eyes of copper, yellow or green colors, as well as any of their shades.
• Short, soft and rather thick wool of the so-called "leopard" color.
• Spots of black or brown colors, the rest of the wool is chocolate, silver, brown, golden or tabby cynamon color (photo of savanna cat).

Adult individuals and their nature

The behavior of these animals is quite unlike the wild nature of their relatives - servalov. Savannah quickly fastened to a man, seeing in him his companion, and in this they are very similar to dogs. In addition, they can demonstrate the same loyalty to their master, as dogs. However, despite attachment to a person, they easily tolerate loneliness. Cats of savanna are very inquisitive and brave animals. They prefer active games, but if the owner does not have time to mess with them, then they will take care of themselves - for example, they will fool around a little, guiding their orders around the house.

The most beloved of them are games that mimic hunting. For cats, the main thing is the process of chasing the prey, so that they can swing and jump. Most likely, such preferences have got to them from their wild progenitors - servalov. Sometimes, some savanna cats can be quite aggressive, but this happens very rarely. It happens that during the game, animals can somehow injure or scratch a person, so they are not recommended to leave them alone with young children.

Caring for an animal

Despite the fact that the breed of savanna cats is exotic, it will not require any special care. Since these animals belong to short-haired, then all attention to their hair is reduced to combing and bathing. The first of the procedures is done once a week, and the second - not more often than 4 times a year. Cats of the savanna are very fond of walks in the fresh air and for this it is best to use a leash.

For thoroughbred animals, experts always recommend the use of an exceptionally balanced diet, which is easily provided with special premium-class feeds. They differ somewhat from each other depending on the age of the cat. In this case, breeders strongly recommend avoiding fodder with a high content of cereals. In addition, from time to time it is desirable to add special cat delicacies, which include taurine, as well as the means that help to remove hair from the stomach.

As for natural products, small pieces of raw meat should be added to the feed, since it is believed that this product extends the life of savannas by about 5-10 years. Do not give them sour-milk products that are recommended to cats of other breeds, because this can lead to stomach upset. The feeding regimen and the size of portions should be specified either by the breeder or read the instructions on the packaged food. Most often, kittens are fed at least 3-6 times a day, and adults - no more than 3 times a day.

Features of the content

Before such a cat appears in the house (photo demonstrates its external features), it is necessary to gather all the members of the family and discuss the rules of handling the animal in order to work out a single principle of its upbringing. If there are many rooms in the house, then it is necessary to keep the kitten in one or two at first, and in time to introduce it to the other rooms. In this case, it will be advisable to place several trays at once in different parts of the house.

If the cows of savannah are kept in an apartment above the second floor, then all mosquito nets should be maximally strengthened. The fact is that both the base and their fastenings are made of plastic, so if the animals show excessive interest in flying birds, insects, etc., they can fall out and, having planned on it, get various kinds of injuries .

Do not forget about poisonous houseplants. They will need to be removed as far as possible from the overly curious kitten. In addition, a minimum of seven months will have to fix or hide the wires of electrical appliances, because at this time savannahs can use them as teethers for teeth. Do not underestimate the usual security measures: always close containers with water, packs with detergent and other household chemicals, remove valuable and easily beating objects.

Optional equipment

Cats of the savannah are very fond of jumping and climbing, so you need to take care of at least a special multi-level shelves on the walls. In private houses they can be equipped with a safe and spacious aviary. It can be placed not only shelves, but also a whole tree. It is worth noting that the constant maintenance of the animal in the enclosure is simply unacceptable. Such cats need daily walks for one or two hours. It must be remembered that their free-riding is highly undesirable.

Usually close to the place of food is placed and scratching. It's not so important what kind of configuration it will be, but more often it's a high pillar with a small platform at the top. It would be superfluous to ask what kind of kittens the kitten has already got used to. As a rule, the cat of the savannah (photo) is very smart, so retraining it is easy: just use a spray containing valerian or catnip.

Animal breeding

As already mentioned above, the cat of savannah, whose binding is associated with certain features, was obtained by pairing the serval and the usual domestic python. As you know, the representatives of this breed, related to the early generations, there is a certain level of the so-called hybrid non-viability. It manifests itself in the infertility of the male-hybrids of the Serval up to the fifth generation. They are given to new owners already neutered.

Most often cats savannah knit with males F5, ie, the fifth generation. In addition, it is possible to pair the females of this breed with ordinary short-haired nonbreeding cats, as well as with Egyptian mau, ocicets, Bengal and oriental short-haired, which have spotted color.

Features of development

It is known that the gestation period for ordinary domestic cats is about 65 days, and for serval - up to 77. As a result of such a difference, hybrids of earlier generations are often born prematurely, and therefore need additional nursing. The litter of hybrids of the first two generations usually consists of 1-2, and subsequent - from 3-5 kittens. Cats of savanna are able to get pregnant within 4 weeks after birth, however, the breeders themselves limit the number of matings to two or three per year.

These animals feed their kittens milk up to 8-12 weeks. At first, babies will almost always sleep. In this state, their body is directed to the maximum production of growth hormone. That is why it is not recommended to wake up or somehow disturb the kittens during this period. After reaching the age of 10-12 weeks, they are sterilized or neutered in order to soon transfer to new owners.

Medical problems

Deciding to get such a cat, it must be taken into account that walks in an open-air cage or on a leash require additional financial and time costs: accustoming to the street, keeping the cage, prophylactic examination with a veterinarian, de-worming, additional vaccinations, etc. A trip to a vet clinic with Savannah of the first two generations is often a problematic event for both the animal itself and its owner.

There are no specific health problems among the representatives of this breed, except for those that are inherent in other domestic cats. Usually, all the difficulties encountered are solved by regular veterinary examinations, timely vaccination, quality balanced nutrition and good care.

Owner feedback

Happy owners of savannahs are sure that this is almost the most intelligent and inquisitive cat from all existing breeds to date. They easily open themselves not only the doors of rooms, but also cabinets, pushing all the boxes. They are absolutely not afraid of water and take baths with pleasure. These animals very well jump to a height of more than 2.5 meters.

The cat of the savanna (photo), especially belonging to the first generations of hybrids, can sometimes show its wild nature, which is expressed in growling and hissing in the presence of strangers. In addition, it can produce special tweaking sounds inherent in the serval. Such a pet will not sit on his hands even with his master and does not like it when he is patted on the head. But the savanna of the fourth generation by its behavior is almost the same as the other domestic cats.