Savannah
A serval cross, and the tallest of the domestic cats: an early generation clears eight feet from standing. The generation number says how much wild cat is left.
Overview
The Savannah is a serval crossed to a domestic cat, first produced in the 1980s, and it is the tallest domestic cat there is. Early generation animals can stand well over a foot at the shoulder and jump extraordinary heights.
The legal position is the first thing to establish rather than the last. Restrictions vary by state and by locality and are often written by generation: Massachusetts, for example, treats a Savannah as domestic only if documented as F4 or later, and some jurisdictions prohibit them entirely.
Temperament
Athletic, intelligent and demanding. Savannahs are loyal and dog like with their own people, they walk on a lead readily, and many of them love water.
Early generation animals are a genuinely different proposition. The Feline Veterinary Medical Association discourages ownership of F1, F2 and F3 hybrids on the grounds of unpredictable behaviour, and that is a professional body's position rather than an opinion.
Care and grooming
A weekly brush for the short spotted coat and very little else on the coat side.
Earlier generation Savannahs are commonly reported to need a higher protein diet than an ordinary cat and to cope poorly with plant heavy foods. Pyruvate kinase deficiency has been found in the breed and has a DNA test.
Living and exercise
Serious space, serious height, and enclosures built for a cat that can clear eight feet from standing. An ordinary flat is not a suitable home for one.
Ask the generation, get it documented, and check local law before any money changes hands. A later generation Savannah is a large active domestic cat. An early generation one is a wild hybrid with legal status attached.
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