What You Need to Know About the Savannah Cat

Hey there, Pawsome readers!

Today's topic is all about — yep, you've read the title right! — the Savannah cat!

If you have been considering getting this furry baby, you’ve landed on the right spot. We have compiled some juicy information regarding this breed and we can’t wait to share them with you, fellow cat lovers!

History of the Savannah cat

Known to be a cross between a domestic siamese cat and a serval (a wild cat native in Africa), the Savannah cats became popular among breeders in the late 1990s and was accepted as a new registered breed in 2001 by TICA (The International Cat Association). In May 2012, this uniquely beautiful breed achieved the championship status.

What do Savannah cats look like?

The Savannahs are often described as medium-sized breed.

With their cheetah-looking exterior, spotted coat, hooded eyes, huge sonar-like ears, long legs — any cat lover can be easily captivated by the stunning beauty and unique characteristics of a Savannah cat.

Colors are usually brown, silver, black and smoke.

Weight ranges from 12 to 25 pounds, or sometimes more. Males are typically larger than females. So if you are leaning towards getting a smaller version, get a female one.

 Interesting facts about the Savannah cat

• Two Savannahs have made it to the Guinness Book of World Record for being the tallest cat ever! The first one was a Savannah cat named Trouble who measured 19 inches in height. He died when he was 4 years old and was later on replaced by another Savannah cat from Michigan named Arcturus in 2017. Unfortunately, Arcturus was killed in a fire along with Cygnus, a fellow feline housemate and also a Guinness Record holder for having the longest tail at 17 inches.

• The Savannah cats have a lifespan of 12-20 years and are best suited for pet owners with an active lifestyle due to their high intelligence, energetic vibe and natural curiosity (which often leads to mischief). They like to jump — and when we say jump — oh boy do they jump! The Savannahs are known for their jumping ability that can go as high as 11 feet. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

• Playing with water is something that the Savannahs love to do, so giving them a bath should be easy peasy. A bit of friendly reminder though, don't ever be surprised if you find them playing with the faucet in your kitchen or swimming in your bath tub! LOL.

•  The Savannahs come from many generations and this information is very important to breeders. Each generation is marked with a filial number which describes the generation an individual cat comes from. For example, F1 (F stands for Filial) means first generation and is produced directly from a serval-domestic cat cross, which makes the cat 50% serval. F2, on the other hand,  is the offspring of the F1 female generation and has a serval grandparent. F3 has a serval great grandparent, while the F4 generation is considered "purebred".

How about you?

Would you consider getting a Savannah cat? Why or why not? Let us know what you think!