Savannahs-Dangerous?

white cat lover

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OK, stupid title, right? Apparently not....I picked up a copy of Cat Fancy today...there was an article or letter written in by someone who said they found a kitty & brought it home. Well, they determined the cat to be a Savannah....and that the person would never have the cat around kids or babies. They made it sound like because this cat is a Savannah, it is dangerous? There was something about "wild" behavior in the letter, too.

Is it just me or is that ludacris? It's like all Pits being killer!

Is there a valid reason to not want a Savannah around kids?
 

sharky

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I read that tooo

I would use caution with the early generations .. like F1 and F2 just like with bengals they can be a bit harder to handle
 

denice

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Savannahs can get much larger than ordinary domestic cats, 30 to 35 pounds is not at all unusual. They are also very strong cats. Someone posted a link to a video awhile back showing one jumping seven feet straight up after a teaser toy. I would be very careful having one around small children because of their size and strenghth.
 

kai bengals

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The fact is, that ALL cats can be dangerous around kids. Cats have the ability to cause serious damage with their claws and kids can be very persistant in provoking a cat to defend itself.

A cat that is provoked in this manner isn't going to distinguish between slashing at a childs face or their arm. It will just scratch or bite when it feels threatened enough.

We all love our cats, but I think most of us will agree that cats in general have a lower tolerance for the antics of kids than dogs do.

Parents need to educate their kids and then supervise. A Savannah, being a bigger breed will cause more damage if it is provoked to lash out, but it is no more likely to attack than any other breed of cat.
 

kitytize

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What Cat Fancy month? And what page? I get Cat Fancy in the mail and don't remember reading that? I suspect that the cat is not a Savannah at all and is probably a feral or close to feral domestic.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by kitytize

What Cat Fancy month? And what page? I get Cat Fancy in the mail and don't remember reading that? I suspect that the cat is not a Savannah at all and is probably a feral or close to feral domestic.
they had a BIG BIG article and Savannahs on the cover either last month or the month before( I have it somewhere) ... It did paint a more " dangerous " light
 

panther pride

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I personly think... yes they are dangerous, much more so then a bangel, This is a new breed with lots of wild blood they can get so big and they need speical diets like the cats in the zoo..
 

kai bengals

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Originally Posted by Panther pride

I personly think... yes they are dangerous, much more so then a bangel, This is a new breed with lots of wild blood they can get so big and they need speical diets like the cats in the zoo..
Where do you get this information? Have you ever been around a Savannah or cared for one?

What is a zoo cat diet?

Are you suggesting that BENGALS are dangerous as well, just to a lesser degree?
 

panther pride

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Bangals although stemed from ALC's are MUCH less dangerous IMO then a cat whose blood, in a F1 can be 50% wild and the cats a serval. They can get up to 30lbs, leap over 6 feet in the air and if that wasn't creepy enough. I visted a wildcat rescue site that reported a Serval growng up wth a couples baby, ( talk about a stupid idea
)) when the baby turned three the cat turned adult and the baby became prey, For that his ower put him in a crab trap and when he got the rescue center he was skin and bones, nearly dead
, Why he wasn't put to sleep for attacking a child is odd to me although good, in my opinion, he did nothing wrong its the stupid people who thought a serval is a good playmate for an infent that are twisted
) The center saved him though. Sense the serval IS the wild forunner of this breed I'd be wary, I wouldn't expect a full blood ALC to do this mainy bcause they are smaller and more shy. but who knows



The bangal breed however I see safe and accpetable because of the breeding away from ALC's and the very nature of the wild cat used to create the breed, Servals are not good pets, nither are ALC's but if you had to pick between theto I bet most would go ALC.
 

panther pride

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PS, Zoo cat diets are (from what I've sen on TV nature shows) manly roadkill, fresh, horsemeat, they also get beef and other meats from buchers and then they aid powders and vitamans to it, Its probably similar to a very fancy raw diet that I'll bet Sharky would understand more then most of us on here.
 

cata_mint

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Maybe its because I'm a...
Meat is just meat. Its not like they are fed on live animals or anything. A raw diet is used by several breeders, for one thing, you know Exactly what you're feeding your cats, but unless you're willing to invest serious time with a vet and money its just not worth it.
And serval's aren't That big. The child was probably left unsupervised and teased the cat or something. Tbh if you're going to have a large and less-domesticated cat why on earth would you do so with a small child, if only for how likely the child is to tease it. I bet most peoples sweet good-natured cats would lash out when grabbed by a kid.
Bengals are still bred to ALCs and F1s etc, I believe Nial has a beautiful foundation Bengal girl he just added to his flock.
Most wild cats feed on creatures Much smaller than themselves, which is why cats are so willing to eat insects, its doubtful that a 3 year old would be small enough for the cat to consider it prey. Servals scare more easily than domestics I think, but not more than the ALCs, its just no-one really tries to own ALCs.
 

catsarebetter

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It's my understanding, and I may be wrong about this, but from talking to my Bengal breeder, she actually has said that Servals are supposed to be better socialized than ALCs, although, that being said, they have to be constantly socialized, daily, and the effort *has* to be made or they revert. My understanding of ALCs is that they're not easily socialized, and Servals are better suited to that but if you leave them alone, the socialization is undone.

I think the case of the baby and the Serval may have been a case of people not doing what they should have been doing in order to keep that animal socialized. I don't know if it would have been better or worse with an ALC, but you know, there's always an idiot somewhere that doesn't handle an animal properly... just as there's always an animal somewhere that is handled properly and something happens... take the white tiger and Sigfried (sp?) and Roy..

Anyway, I think there's a balance... somewhere between "they're a dangerous animal" and "Oh, there's absolutely no potential for danger .."
 

goldenkitty45

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The biggest problem is people jumping on the "wild cat" bandwagon without doing research and not knowing HOW to properly socialize/care for these types of cats. Its a status symbol - "hey look what I HAVE!"

There are good and bad breeders out there. The bad breeders/owners give the good ones (and the breed) a bad name so people get freaked out to much and label all of them as "bad".

I've met Bengals now at the shows, but for me, I still do not agree in breeding domestic cats to the wild cats - no matter how big or small they are.
 

kai bengals

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Panther pride, I know I'm being really picky, but the breed is "bengal", not "bangal"
Since this is the breed I work with, it bugs me when people mispell the name. I'm being anal retentive here, but please...........and thanks.

I would like to clear something up. Neither the ALC nor the Serval make a "good" pet. Pets are domesticated animals that don't need extraordinary care.
Both of these wild species of cat need special care in captivity and neither of them do well in a normal household.

My personal opinion is that these cats should no longer be taken from the wild and kept in captivity. The ones whom are already in captivity should be given the best care possible and live out their lives in the environment they have been accustomed to.

In regards to the bengal breed and ALC's, we breeders have a finite number of ALC's still in the breeding pool. I don't think more should or need to be added.
Yes, I'm acquiring several EG Bengals, F2's. I'm doing this to enhance 3 features in my lines. Whited tummies, small ears and convex profile.
I have not lost sight of the original goal, which is to emulate the ALC as closely as possible.
Many bengal breeders are focusing on the "paint", which to be honest is not an ALC feature. ALC's don't look like ocelots or clouded leopards. They don't have huge pancake rosettes.
Don't get me wrong I like these features about the bengal, it makes them look amazing, but that shouldn't be the most important thing to concentrate our breeding efforts on.
 

panther pride

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Yes, I d like the breed, its very attractive and I admire whats being done to recreate the leopard-look. But I'm wary of cats created from wild orgins, to each there own


When people make up strong opinions and toss them around things can get heated and that IMHO, is how wars get started.


I like bangals and sannvahs appearance ( the bangals temperment is great and your cats are cool examples of how the breed is shaping) but I dont see myself getting one.
 

catsarebetter

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Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

Arrrrrrgh! Ok, I give up.
:chuckles: I lub my Bengals.. BTW, off topic but..I read a study the other day that you might be interested in, Nial.. a study on Bengals and the ALC.

I am actually interested in the Savannah too, I just can't take on any more kittyqwats.
 
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white cat lover

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Well, to me....saying Bengals, Savannahs, of a Longhaired kitty are dangerous is like saying all Pit Bulls are evil.
Generalizations harm the breed. There are legit breeders out there(like Nial) who are doing everything & anything possible to get to the goal. But for every good breeder, there seem to be dozens who just churn out kittens.
Which is why we get things like "Savannahs are dangerous".
 

kai bengals

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Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

:chuckles: I lub my Bengals.. BTW, off topic but..I read a study the other day that you might be interested in, Nial.. a study on Bengals and the ALC.

I am actually interested in the Savannah too, I just can't take on any more kittyqwats.
I'm absolutely interested. PM me with the info when you get a moment. Thanks!
 

amberthe bobcat

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Originally Posted by Panther pride

I personly think... yes they are dangerous, much more so then a bangel, This is a new breed with lots of wild blood they can get so big and they need speical diets like the cats in the zoo..
They are not dangerous, no more so than any domestic cat. But, as with any animal, people should do the research before getting a cat.
I visted a wildcat rescue site that reported a Serval growng up wth a couples baby, ( talk about a stupid idea)) when the baby turned three the cat turned adult and the baby became prey,
Oh, this is just plain ridiculous. A Serval would never think a human baby was prey. Servals, compared to regular domestic cats are larger, but they do not get so large, as to view a human baby as food. This is 100% false. I am sure this was a story made up by the owner, just so they could get rid of the Serval, since they never did the proper research before hand. However, I do agree that having a Serval in the house with a baby, is not exactly the best thing to do. However, if the Serval is brought into the home as a very young kitten, has been socialized around the child as it is growing up, the Serval will get along fine with the child. However, these cats do play hard, so there should be constant supervision at all times. Would I recommend a person to own a Serval if they have small children? The answer is no, I would not. Owning these types of cats takes a tremendous amount of work and with having small kids, I doubt a person would have the time or energy, to properly care for a Serval. I have no kids and would never have the time for any, even if I wanted them. Having bobcats in my home, is like having kids with the terrible twos that never let up. But, I love these cats, they can do whatever they want
 
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