Savannahs (opinions, please)

nurseangel

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I know this has probably been asked before, but I would like some opinions on Savannah cats. I don't have any immediate plans to get one, but one of these days the opportunity may present itself.
 

goldenkitty45

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It took me a lot of years to be ok with Bengals. Personally we have enough domestic cats to work with that we don't need (and should not be) breeding to exotic wild cats to create another cat.

Savannahs are crosses with the Servel cats. I'm still not 100% comfortable with Bengals and using the Asian Leopard cat. I know there are several good breeders out there that know what they are doing, but still am not sold entirely on them. I think we really should stick to the breeds we have that are 100% domesticated.

IMO we have enough "exotic" looking cats now - Bengals, Ocicats, Maus are all spotted or marbled cats that look wild. Oci's and Maus are the only ones that are 100% domestic.
 

abbycats

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I love my Bengal cat and one day we would like to get a Savannah too. My household is full to the rim with cats, and my finances don't justify a Savannah at this time, but maybe one day.
 

missymotus

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

It took me a lot of years to be ok with Bengals. Personally we have enough domestic cats to work with that we don't need (and should not be) breeding to exotic wild cats to create another cat.

Savannahs are crosses with the Servel cats. I'm still not 100% comfortable with Bengals and using the Asian Leopard cat. I know there are several good breeders out there that know what they are doing, but still am not sold entirely on them. I think we really should stick to the breeds we have that are 100% domesticated.

IMO we have enough "exotic" looking cats now - Bengals, Ocicats, Maus are all spotted or marbled cats that look wild. Oci's and Maus are the only ones that are 100% domestic.
Pretty much agree with that
 

epona

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Originally Posted by missymotus

Pretty much agree with that
Me too.

Most of the Savannah info I have come across so far seems to be from people intent on making money by wild/domestic crossbreeds (some I have come across also keep a large number of other exotic animals in attempts to hybridise for pet retail, there is not necessarily a specific interest in cats - any species as long as it has potential to be sold at a high price!). I am fine with the Bengal, as both the ALC and domestic cat are around a similar size, but a Cerval is very large compared to a domestic cat, and I have concerns about the ethics of trying to hybridise 2 such differently sized species. I am not sure which way around it works - domestic male to Cerval female wouldn't be so bad, but Cerval male to domestic female I don't even want to think about the size of the kittens she might have to give birth to and the drain on her health that might cause.
 

cats4sky

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i think the savannas are quite interesting, and BF has become obsessed with them, and he wants to get an f1 savanna, those are the ones with the highest amount of serval in them. i said thats fine but it would probably be a terror in the house going crazy and jumping all over, but i said im still definetly down for it if he has 8,000.00.
 

carolina

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Oh boy - you DON'T want a F1 Savanna - get at the most a F3...
It is not going to be fair for you, or the cat... I don't think you will find many people who would sell a F1 to a first time owner... Hopefully not - I don't think a responsible breeder would.
Also, I think a F1 costs in between $10,000 and $20,000...
I love Savannas, but there is no way I could have a cat with that amount of energy
 

cats4sky

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Originally Posted by carolinalima

Oh boy - you DON'T want a F1 Savanna - get at the most a F3...
It is not going to be fair for you, or the cat... I don't think you will find many people who would sell a F1 to a first time owner... Hopefully not - I don't think a responsible breeder would.
Also, I think a F1 costs in between $10,000 and $20,000...
I love Savannas, but there is no way I could have a cat with that amount of energy
so you think an f3 would be better? prob more affordable too...me and BF are thinking about it but not until the future, and of corse we need to make sure that there will be no problems with the rest of our furbabies.
 

ferriscat

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This is just my opinion, so take it for what it is worth.

My greatest concern with the Savannah breed is that there seem to be a surplus of breeders whose only goal is to create a large hybrid to sell to pet buyers who want a flashy and exotic pet. So they breed mainly F1 and F2 cats and don't do anything futher with their lines. They are not working to create an actual breed, they are breeding to sell pets. This undermines all of the efforts of the real breeders who are working hard to establish type and temperament.
 

goldenkitty45

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Even tho the Bengals have a few decades of breeding - there are still a heck of a lot of backyard breeders of Bengals that are breeding bad tempered cats and selling them and causing a lot of problems with the legit breeders.

I see the Savannahs going down that same path too! I'll stick to my 100% domestic Ocicats who people say look like "leopards"
 

mews2much

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I was talking to our vet the othrday and they said they get a lot of Bengals there.
Some are very mean and some are nice.
I most live in a area where alot of Bengals are bred.
They said almost every purebred that comes there is a Bengal.
They have a few Persians,Rex,Russian Blue,Sphynx,Ragdolls and Siamese.
Thats about it.
 

abbycats

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Originally Posted by mews2much

I was talking to our vet the othrday and they said they get a lot of Bengals there.
Some are very mean and some are nice.
I most live in a area where alot of Bengals are bred.
They said almost every purebred that comes there is a Bengal.
They have a few Persians,Rex,Russian Blue,Sphynx,Ragdolls and Siamese.
Thats about it.
My bengal hates the vet just like 99% of my other cats! The only one who likes visiting the vet is Frankie and he loves everybody!! He would go get a shot if he thought he could smooze the vet techs!
 

kai bengals

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Isn't this thread a Savannah breed topic? I would appreciate it, if it doesn't become a bash the bengal breed thread.
Bengals have come leaps and bounds over the last decade. Temperament is no longer an issue.

Thanks,


ETA: Martice, the bengal breed was started in the late 60's. The Ocicat started in the mid 60's.
Both breeds started around the same time. However bengals have the ability to look like ANY leopard, jaguar, cheetah on the face of the planet. Clouded, Snow, Black, King Cheetah, etc.
The Oci's can't say the same.
 

goldenkitty45

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Wasn't sure when they started Nail - was guessing around 80's. Oci's didn't get championship status till in the 80's.

And yes, you guys have lots of variety in patterns. But I like our little leopard spots
Maybe we have a cross of leopard and cheetah spots - not too round .
 

celestialrags

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

It took me a lot of years to be ok with Bengals. Personally we have enough domestic cats to work with that we don't need (and should not be) breeding to exotic wild cats to create another cat.

Savannahs are crosses with the Servel cats. I'm still not 100% comfortable with Bengals and using the Asian Leopard cat. I know there are several good breeders out there that know what they are doing, but still am not sold entirely on them. I think we really should stick to the breeds we have that are 100% domesticated.

IMO we have enough "exotic" looking cats now - Bengals, Ocicats, Maus are all spotted or marbled cats that look wild. Oci's and Maus are the only ones that are 100% domestic.
I didn't think she was asking if it was ok to breed them, just an opinion on the "savannah" breed
Not sure why every thing becomes a debate about bengals and the oci?
I think if any one does enough research and is aware of the breed then they should get it if thats what they like, people are going to breed them even if some people don't like them, so if some one is ready to handle them, I wouldn't try and talk them out of what they like and persuade them to like what I like. That would be like me telling every person who asked about a persian, siamese, birman, or any other pointed cat that I think they matt too much or are too small, ect. but they should get a ragdoll, I like their points better, and they have better personalities, I think some loving persian and siamese owners/breeders would definately bite my head off, and rightly so!

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

Isn't this thread a Savannah breed topic? I would appreciate it, if it doesn't become a bash the bengal breed thread.
Bengals have come leaps and bounds over the last decade. Temperament is no longer an issue.

Thanks,


ETA: Martice, the bengal breed was started in the late 60's. The Ocicat started in the mid 60's.
Both breeds started around the same time. However bengals have the ability to look like ANY leopard, jaguar, cheetah on the face of the planet. Clouded, Snow, Black, King Cheetah, etc.
The Oci's can't say the same.
That is pretty interesting that the bengal, oci and ragdoll (just to name a few) were all starting out in the 60's
Mabey your right goldenkitty, if people just stuck with the original breeds and didn't create any of these hybrids since there are enough breeds already then we wouldn't have some of these wonderful breeds, like ragdolls, ect. and then again we wouldn't have the oci either. These threads would be so boring if we didn't get to listen about how great the oci is in every single thread.
 

goldenkitty45

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My point was to not be using the wild cats with domestic cats. Many new breeds are created using 100% domestic. The Ragdolls and Oci's were created from domestics - the other breeds decided to incorporate wild cats in the mixes. That was my objections.
 

ferriscat

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

My point was to not be using the wild cats with domestic cats. Many new breeds are created using 100% domestic. The Ragdolls and Oci's were created from domestics - the other breeds decided to incorporate wild cats in the mixes. That was my objections.
I agree with GK here. I also don't agree with risking the life of a tiny Mau or Oci to create a commodity. I'll be blunt, we already have a number of spotted breeds or breeds that come in a spotted pattern. I don't see where the Savannah fits in.

Spotted Breeds (or breeds in spotted patterns)
Bengal
Egyptian Mau
Exotic (spotted pattern)
Ocicat
Oriental Shorthair/Longhair - variety of spotted patterns
 

abbycats

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Originally Posted by FerrisCat

I'll be blunt, we already have a number of spotted breeds or breeds that come in a spotted pattern. I don't see where the Savannah fits in.

Spotted Breeds (or breeds in spotted patterns)
Bengal
Egyptian Mau
Exotic (spotted pattern)
Ocicat
Oriental Shorthair/Longhair - variety of spotted patterns
Maybe I am misunderstanding what your saying here but the Savannah has spots too.

Do you think that since we have those breeds of cats with spots the door should be closed to new breeds? If people had that attitude back when the Ocicats and Bengals were started I guess people wouldn't be enjoying their ocicats and Bengals right now.

My mother got her siamese cats from Virginia Daly(The breeder who created Ocicats) way back when I was a new born baby. My Mother lives in Michigan. That was a long time ago! If Virginia Daly were alive and were to post today that she wanted to start a new breed by mating siamese to abyssinian would you call her a BYB?

I would love to share my home with a Savannah after being blessed with the Bengal I have. She has found her way into a special part of my heart
 

missymotus

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Originally Posted by abbycats

Do you think that since we have those breeds of cats with spots the door should be closed to new breeds?
Surely there comes a point where we say there are enough breeds though, and don't need to create more especially those involving wild cats.
 

ut0pia

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If I could afford it, I'd get a F1 savannah...I'd also get a bobcat if I could afford it and had the space, time, money to take care of a bobcat. I love exotics...
 
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