One summer afternoon back in 1992, while walking through a flea market in Pennsylvania, I came upon a rather unusual but perfectly splendid opportunity to meet a serval. Until that day, I never even knew what a serval was, but here was a chance for me to not only touch one, but to have my photo taken with it as well…..this was something I couldn’t resist.

Little did I know then, that this photo would eventually lead me to the discovery of the Savannah Cat breed, which is the result of mating a serval to a domestic cat. My life has never been the same, I am happy to report.

Odo is a male F1 Savannah, with a serval father and a Maine Coon cat mother. Bred by Demdar Savannahs, VA

In my state it is not legal to own a serval as a pet, so I decided to look into the next best thing….a feline that I could legally keep and not worry about the authorities confiscating. Checking both your state laws and looking into your local municipal laws is strongly urged when considering the purchase of a hybrid cat.

So my search for Savannah Cat breeders began on the internet…..I visited every Savannah Cat breeder via cyberspace and read everything I could get my hands on about both servals and Savannah Cats.

Little did I know then how pricey these magnificent little creatures are. But as I continued to learn more about them, money became much less of a consideration and my desire to experience living with one of these cats almost became an obsession. I was hooked……my search went on from one breeder to another until one day I saw a photo posted of a several week old F2 Savannah male………he had to be mine…….just looking at him convinced me he would be worth every penny! And he was the first of my four Savannahs, two F1s and two F2s.

What are they like? I have heard it said that Savannahs are better than wild…..and I tend to agree with this completely, as I will explain. They are the most intelligent, self-confident and affectionate felines I have ever had the pleasure to know. First of all, no two seem to be the same…….especially mine, because they all carry different domestic heritage. Kito, my first Savannah, is the grandson of a serval, having a Bengal father and F1 Savannah mother; Milo, my second Savannah, is the result of a serval grandfather, an oriental shorthair mixed father and an F1 mother; Odo, my red F1 savannah has a serval father and a Maine Coon cat mother; and Omar has a serval father and a Bengal mother.

Odo is a male F1 Savannah, with a serval father and a Maine Coon cat mother. Bred by Demdar Savannahs, VA

Each and every one of mine look and act differently, although they all faithfully use the cat boxes (of which there are 4 available at all times and picked clean daily), have a very high energy level, a high degree of intelligence, and an unquenchable desire to be part of all that is going on. In addition to these qualities, most Savannah Cats are amazingly self-confident and willing to make friends with other animals.

Both of my F1s adore me, but only tolerate most other people. The only one that is at all adverse to having strangers in his territory is my red F1, Odo…..he is in no way aggressive to intruders, but if someone he doesn’t know well tries to pet him, he will hiss and make it quite clear that he prefers not being touched by strangers. In fact, both of my F1s, Odo and Omar, are not at all interested in being handled or petted by anyone but myself and my neighbor and best friend, Samantha, Sam for short, who visits them almost daily.

Needless to say, it’s rather noisy (with hisses and growls) whenever it’s time to go visit the Veterinarian with either of my F1s, but I was careful to choose a Vet team that understands and has experience with hybrid animals (this is something that is necessary to find, even before you purchase a Savannah).

Savannahs need all the same veterinary care that domestic cats require, but it is imperative that one scout the breeder information sections on the internet to learn what not to have administered in the way of medications to a hybrid.

Kito and Milo are my F2 boys…..Kito is ultra affectionate with only myself and my neighbor…….but he is also the most moody one of the bunch. If either of us gives too much attention to the others and not enough one-on-one attention to Kito he shows his displeasure by ignoring us or making some of those semi-unfriendly little sounds that Savannahs make from time to time. As kittens, some of the earlier generations make a “chirping” sound, much like the serval. They learn how to meow as they get older. All of them purr like crazy when they are happy….puff out the hair on their tails when they get excited, and seem to use several different hissing sounds to convey their messages. I have heard some growl and others don’t growl at all……..for a long time, I was beginning to think that Milo could only make one sound….purring……he’s never hissed or growled at anything. Milo turned into my “talker” once he started to meow, but is still the one purring up a storm at every possible opportunity.

Some Savannahs are extremely vocal….trying to talk to you about everything….especially if they want something…..Milo is the only “talker” in my household! Friend or stranger, Milo welcomes everyone, rubs against them, jumps onto their laps, and purrs his little heart out. If they pet him it seems to signal a game of fetch….he’ll run off to find his toy and rub against their legs until they understand he wants to play.

Kito, Omar and Milo all love to play fetch….Odo has never had any interest in this game….but loves to watch the others. Odo seems to make up his own games….like snatching the smooth stones from the tops of my silk plant containers (which I use to weight down the pots so they are not so easily knocked down) and batting them all around the floor. Another game of Odo’s is to knock down anything left unattended containing a liquid (glasses and cups) and watch it drip to the floor……where I find him rolling around in the liquid as I return to clean it up. I’m not sure why he enjoys this so much but I can tell you that orange soda seems to be his all time favorite beverage to roll around in……..for Odo (who doesn’t seem to be affected by cat nip at all, while all the others love it) orange soda makes him act silly…...too funny, if you ask me.

F1 Savannah, Omar, has a serval father and a Bengal mother, making him 50% serval. Breeder: Wagati Savannahs, Oklahoma

Savannahs don’t spend a lot of time lying around the house, like regular domestic cats. They are far more active and interested in everything that goes on around them. They are easy to teach when young. Walking outside, on a leash, with a special fitting walking jacket (next to impossible to escape from when put on them correctly) is especially looked forward to by Savannahs….not only for the new sights and smells, but for the opportunity to be with you.

In addition to being wonderful to look at (their fur is just magically marked and textured) they are fun to watch…..they love to wrestle together, chase each other full speed around the house, ambush and pounce on one another….all except for Kito, my first one…..he will not play with the others at all, he’s only interested in playing with me….after all, he was here first, and the others must respect that! (None of the others show any jealousy at all……only Kito is the slightest bit possessive).

They do establish a “pecking order” to some degree between themselves. And from my own experience and observations with my four fur boys, intelligence seems to have more to do with who is alpha cat than size does.

I would say that the my F1s display more of the typical feline independence and dislike being restrained in any way…while the F2s are much more willing to snuggle and be held. The F1s will gladly drop themselves down on your lap, as they so desire, but will not “stay put” for any length of time. The least little sound is a distraction to an F1…..ears constantly moving to catch each and every sound.

One thing that all of my savannahs seem to share in common is their “almost dog-like” behavior……they all come as fast as they can when called, walk on leashes, faithfully use their litter boxes (I only use natural litter, like Swheat Scoop (never clay), because it is made of wheat husks and won’t clog up their intestines if they need to clean it off their feet), they are more of a companion animal than regular domestics and also far more active, as I have already mentioned.

F2 Savannah Kito is the grandson of a serval, having a Bengal father and F1 Savannah mother. Breeder: Select Exotics

Savannah cats, especially the earlier generations, love to play in water….so indoor fountains, open toilet seats, and running faucets, as well as water dishes, immediately become the focus of their play. I have even had one jump into a tub full of bubble bath with me. Many I know have Savannahs taking showers with them every chance they get. They are all such individuals and such funny characters, without meaning to be.

All of my Savannahs have their claws, and all have been taught to use the multiple scratching posts that grace nearly every room in my house. My furniture is well protected by just laying jute throw rugs over the love seats, chairs and couches while I am at work all day…..yes, indeed, they have free run of my house at all times. Live plants and flowers are no longer part of my decorating scheme…..I’ve had to go to silk, and even with the silk must be careful that the artificial berries are not eaten off. I provide dehydrated chicken breast slices daily to curb their natural urges to chew…..and so far, I have not had any problems with cords, furniture, etc., being chewed on.

None of my male Savannahs spray….not even the F1s, but they were all neutered at 5 months old (which my own Vet recommended). I understand that once spraying starts it’s extremely difficult to stop and I honestly feared one may decide to start marking his territory as I added each new one to our family…but luckily, it’s not a problem that I’ve had with my Savannahs.

Because they are so highly active, houses need to be “savannah proofed”….anything that can possible be knocked down needs to be fastened with museum putty, even heavy stained glass lamps (3) have been knocked down and broken during rough playtime in my home.

F1 Savannah, Omar, has a serval father and a Bengal mother, making him 50% serval. Breeder: Wagati Savannahs, Oklahoma

Most people find their Savannah kittens to be very well socialized by the time they are ready to go from the breeder to their forever home….and having a forever home is something much needed for these cats……they bond strongly with their humans and rarely do as well when placed in a different home….with new people.

The closest experience one can have to living with a semi-wild animal is the F1 generation, of course……and I would not recommend parents getting an F1 for small children to play with….not because the feline is vicious or nasty, but because small children rarely understand and remember how important it is to play gently and carefully with young animals and when “overly stimulated” the early generation kitten may play rougher than most other generations and unintentionally, hurt a small child.

My own opinion with regard to any young animal is to remember that what ever behavior is encouraged when small will follow through into the animal’s adulthood……in other words, I would never recommend rough playing or teasing Savannahs (or any other animal, for that matter)….not as kittens and not as adults either…..They must learn early on that hands are for loving and giving food……toys are for scratching, biting and chasing. Remember, what you establish while they are kittens only grows with them…as either good behavior or bad behavior….just like children.

Savannahs are great jumpers……although, my Milo would have to be described more as a climber than a jumper….the others go from floor to cat tree top in one leap……Milo always jumps to the first level and climbs the rest of the way up…rather comical to watch, I must admit.

Milo, my second Savannah, is the result of a serval grandfather, an oriental shorthair mixed father and an F1 mother. Breeder: JoyKatz Savannahs, Texas

Savannah cats do well on a higher than usual protein diet and should have some supplements, such as taurine and calcium, added. Many Savannah lovers feed their cats a special high protein dried cat food diet along with raw chicken legs or wings (never cooked, as it changes the texture of the bones and causes the bones to become brittle and easily caught in the digestive tract). Your Savannah breeder is very knowledgeable with regard to proper diet and should be your first to contact with questions relating to anything about your Savannah kitten.

In general, one could consider the Savannah cat to be a super companion animal, with above average intelligence and energy…they are just fascinating creatures….can be highly affectionate (tend to become most affectionate after they mature) and extremely demonstrative in expressing it. Beautiful to watch move….fascinating to observe their interaction with other members of your household, both animal and human…..worth every penny spent on them, and more……..BUT BEWARE!!!……Savannahs have been known to be addictive…..and one never seems to be enough!!!