For years I watched videos of Savannah cats. I read articles and followed Savannah cat breeders. I researched to make sure I could have one if I ever had the chance. Having a Savannah cat was a dream to me. I was determined to one day have one. My husband and I are definitely cat people. We already have 2 ten year old cats that were sisters from the same litter. How would a Savannah cat be around our cats we already had?
Why did I want a Savannah? I’m not going to lie, their exotic look is what drew me in and the fact that some are bigger than domestic house cats. Savannahs are bred by breeding an African Serval with a domestic house cat. This is how they get their size and patterning, among other traits. The more I read about them though, the more I was drawn in. They’re loyalty is compared to dogs and are said to be “exceptionally smart”. They can learn tricks just like dogs: fetch, walking on a leash, etc.
Savannahs go from F1 down to something like F7. This describes the amount of serval blood they have. An F1 will have the most having 50%+ serval blood. These are the largest with males being larger than females (normally). As I read more I found that F3 or lower were best suited for families since F1 and F2 still have wild traits to them. Not to mention that F1s are quite expensive and get less expensive down the blood line. In fact, Savannah’s are often #1 or #2 on most expensive cat breed lists.
I found a breeder in Pennsylvania. I followed them on facebook: Cutting Edge Cats. When they had a website I had read about them. There are not a lot of Savannah breeders and I wanted to make sure I didn’t get ripped off, and that the cats were taken care of.
Well, the end of October they listed an F3 Savannah girl. The last of an April litter. She was 6 months old. Best price I’d seen on a F3 Savannah. We tend to be partial to girl cats since they are hunters and don’t spray. I presented it to my husband. After minimal selling efforts on my part, he agreed to get me my Savannah.
Within 2 days I was driving to Lancaster to pick up my Savannah cat. I could not wait to get her home. Being 6 months old already, she did need time to adjust. She’s still adjusting to new people but she has been sleeping at the foot of the bed with my husband and I. She follows me to the door when I go to work and nuzzles me when she wants attention. Savannahs are naturally curious. We’ve already caught our Savannah checking out the fish, the hermit crabs, playing with my daughter’s barbie doll clothes, and climbing book shelves, to name a few things.
Before you run out and buy a Savannah cat there are some things you should know. Because of the African Serval blood line, some states ban Savannahs as pets. Still other states ban Savannahs of certain generations such as not being able to own one unless it’s an F5 or further removed. The state of Pennsylvania allows all Savannahs as pets but if you want to own a Serval for breeding you will need an exotic cat license.
If you get an early generation they need plenty of space to run, jump, and play. They are active and larger cats so a small apartment or small house is probably not the best setting for them.
As you might have guessed, the Savannah in the pictures is my F3 Savannah girl. Her name is Malkia. Malkia is Swahili for “queen”. A nod to her Africa Serval blood line.