Anyone have a Savannah?

I really love the look of these cats. I have been doing some research and I think I would like to have one in the future. I am thinking maybe a year or 2 from now. Infact I know I want one of these cats. The price tag is high but I think with some coaxing and sweet talking I could get my DH to allow me to get one if I gave up Christmas, our Anniversary and birthdays for a few years

So I am wondering does anyone have one?
What do you love about it?
What do you find the most challenging part of owning one?
Are you sorry you got it?
How do they get along with other cats/animals? I do have other cats which I want to take into consideration both for the Savannahs sake and my cats sake.

I would like to get a F1 if possible as I prefer one closer to the foundation look of the serval as opposed to the more domestic cat look. I would like show quality. Do you think it is possible now a days to get a true F1?

I have been doing a lot of reading up on them and plan to grab a few books to educate myself on the breed more before I make a true commitment to get one. Can anyone suggest any good breeders who I might be able to contact just to ask questions? Any good books or web sites I might check out would be a big help too.

Thank you for your time

I don't believe anyone here owns a Savannah. Could be wrong, maybe someone is lurking.

Contact my friend, Doreen at Drinkwater Cats. She has 2 Servals, so you are assured to get an F1, when you're ready. She is in Florida and is a reputable breeder of Bengals and Savannahs. Expect a high price and remember, "you get what you pay for"

Tell her that Nial of Meridian Bengals refered you.

http://www.drinkwatercats.com/

So I am wondering does anyone have one?
I have an F3 8-month old Savannah named Samson.

What do you find the most challenging part of owning one?
Nothing different from my other cats

Are you sorry you got it?
Yes and no! Unfortunately my baby has F.I.P. and probably won't be around very long. As far as the breed is concerned I feel it is a breed I will always have, I love him and the breed.

How do they get along with other cats/animals?
He gets along great with our other cats. We have a 10 month old Bengal, 12 year old Calico and a 13 year old Abby. Our Savannah and Bengal were absolute best friends until the FIP really got Samson down.

One thing I must say is that Savannahs are ridiculously athletic. Samson runs and jumps circles around our Bengal, and that’s saying a lot. I find him to be less aggressive than our other cats, except maybe our Abby. He is very affectionate and a true lap cat. I would highly recommend the breed.

Thank you both very much for your replies.

To Nial: Thank you for the referel. I believe in doing my research I have actually seen a few of their cats. I totally know about getting what you pay for and doing my homework on the breeding. I am fortunate that I have bred and shown horses most of my life so I understand the value of good research and good breeding. I am prepared to pay any where from $5,000-$8,000 for a non breeding cat. I would like to get show quality. I am by no means experienced in cat showing but I would like to option to show if I decide too. I have done some research on that as well and find it interesting about the
F1s and showing. I have read that to show a Savannah of more than a certain percentage of Serval you must obtain permission from the show its self and you are still at the mercy of the judge as to whether or not they will actually really look at your cat. That I will be looking into more at a later time though as showing is not my true reason for getting this breed of cat. It is just an option that is something to consider incase later down the road I would like too.

In reading a lot of the contracts I have read about getting permission from the breeder to show a cat that you have purchased. Is that standard in the cat industry? In the horse industry we don't have clauses like that but do like to be notified if the purchaser decides to show so that we may monitor the progress of one of our offspring.

I have also seen a few contracts that ask for yearly Christmas pictures. Is this standard as well? All of my cats are stray/ferals that I have rescued. This will be my first venture into the purebred cat world.

Michael: Thank you very much for answering my post. It is so very nice to hear from someone who owns one. I am very sorry to hear your baby has FIP

You say they are very athletic and that I can believe. One of the reasons I am waiting a year or two is the fact we are in the process of building a new house which would give me more room for a more active cat. I have Greyhounds as well and though for the most part they aren't hyper when they wanna play they need lots of room to stretch those long legs. That is one of the draws for me with the Savannah is their long, lean athletic build. They almost remind me of the Greyhound of cats.

Again thank you both for your replies.

I know the CFA would not allow them to be shown or even in the showhall as they have "wild" cat in them. ACFA doesn't accept them for showing. Does TICA accept them for showing?

Originally Posted by Meowmmy_Aprile

In reading a lot of the contracts I have read about getting permission from the breeder to show a cat that you have purchased. Is that standard in the cat industry? In the horse industry we don't have clauses like that but do like to be notified if the purchaser decides to show so that we may monitor the progress of one of our offspring.

I have also seen a few contracts that ask for yearly Christmas pictures. Is this standard as well? All of my cats are stray/ferals that I have rescued. This will be my first venture into the purebred cat world.

Click to expand...

Many breeders do want to know before you show a cat for the simple reason they want to make sure you have a cat worthy of showing. If they sell someone a pet quality and that person shows it, it will not look good for their cattery.

As for the Christmas pictures I have never even heard that before.

It looks like they are shown through (TICA)

From The Savannah Cat Club site:

Club members are also TICA Savannah breed section committee members and TICA Exhibitors -- attending many shows across the nation and contributing their time and effort in endeavors such as rewriting the Savannah TICA Standard and compiling statistics (such as litter registrations, shows attended, etc.) for TICA that will help move the breed closer toward championship status.

The International Cat Association (TICA) considers the SBT Savannah eligible for competition
in the championship show ring and a fully accepted domestic breed of cat.

NOTE: High percentage Savannahs may not be shown or exhibited at TICA shows, despite their later generational qualifications (F3 and later),
without permission first from the show manager, full disclosure of their high percentage ancestry to both show manager and to each TICA judge,
and if the show manager accepts the high percentage cat into the show hall, the handling is fully at each judge's discretion.


So in looking at that a F1 would not be able to shown. That answers my questions lol

They are not currently allowed to be shown in championship - only working on it, so I'm not sure if its a wise thing to be looking for a show cat if they don't have everything set yet.

Hi,
I don't own a serval but my aunt owns a hybrid (chausie) and a relative used to breed Savannahs. Should I ever choose a second breed, Savannahs are on my list.
So here is what I think, annual pictures from a pet family to breeder are pretty standard for most of us. Most of my families send more pictures and I love it. Pics are how we judge our lines.

So as to showing, the Savannah o ramma has been here in Toledo 2 years in a row and F1 were only allowed to be education only, none were shown.
F3 or later (and yes you can get wild looking) will be best if you want to show.
Daisy

Good luck, it sounds as if you're doing everything right, i.e lots of research and not running straight into getting a cat like the early gen savannahs are.

As for the yearly christmas pictures that's probably the breeder basically wanting yearly proof that you still have the cat. I.e some breeders have been burnt by kittens they've sold then being later sold again or rehomed and ending up badly treated by the now second owners that weren't vetted by the breeder.

I'm still in touch with the breeder of my bengal and I send her pictures around 3-4 times a year, it's no hassle and it's good to keep in touch.

My husband and I have been talking about getting a Savannah. We would be interested in a a f3 or f4. This is a few years down the road for us. Right now I can't justify another cat until the economy settles down.

I really love our Bengal cat. She has really added a lot of enjoyment to our home. She is so outspoken. I think a Savannah cat would be a wonderful addition to our home.

I am on e-mail list for Savannah rescues.

My Ringo is a Savannah. We aren't sure what generation as we rescued her from a shelter. I spoke with a breeder shortly after we got Ringo because I was intrigued by her wild, unusual appearance and behavior and she confirmed that Ringo is, in fact, a Savannah. She had been neglected before the shelter got her, so I really can't be sure how much of her behavior issues can be attributed to that rather than her breed. But, I will answer your questions based on our experiences with Ringo in the event that I can be of at least SOME help.

What do you love about it?
She really is the most beautiful cat I have ever seen. People always comment on her wild cat face. Also, those big Savannah ears are so endearing! Ringo is very active and curious, much more so than other cats I have ever known. She is always entertaining us! She is very playful and very interactive if you want to play.

What do you find the most challenging part of owning one?
Ringo is VERY vocal, which doesn't really bother us too much, but we are often a bit sleep deprived after her 3 am rants! Her vocalization is much different from other cats, which startled me at first. She has a wide range of vocal sounds and she can throw them all out there in one long stream. It is quite amusing, but it really can be a bit scary if you aren't prepared for it! Haha!! Our biggest challenge with Ringo is that she is not especially sociable. She will rub on us when she wants petting and will sleep with us sometimes, but she is definitely not a lap cat and hates to be held. She wants to play and watch birds and doesn't want to hang out with boring mommy and daddy all of the time. This is difficult at times as we just want to cuddle her, but she's just not having that!

Are you sorry you got it?
NO! She is perfect and wonderful...we are beyond in love!

How do they get along with other cats/animals?
We have never had the opportunity to see how she interacts with other animals as our apartment complex only allows one cat per unit. I would be a bit apprehensive about introducing another cat in her environment as she can be quite aggressive and is VERY territorial.

Ringo is the most amazing cat I have ever known and owning her has really been the best experience imaginable. I love her active, playful nature - she can go for HOURS, literally! We were so fortunate we found her at the shelter. She picked us, really and it was just meant to be. We knew nothing of Savannah cats when we adopted her, but she has educated us verrrrrry quickly!