An Owners Guide to Savannah and Bengal Cats

By Robert Thomson

For thousands of years people have revered the wild cat for its physical beauty, graceful strength, power and mystique. There is nothing as adorable as an exotic cub, however, these cubs grow into full size exotic cats and it’s simply not practical to have a pure exotic in the common household. The goal of our breeding program is to produce the exotic look of the wild cat with the gentle nature of the domestic. Breeding Bengals and Savannahs is not just a business for us, it is a passion. It is about a love for the breed understanding of the genetics, physiology, and temperament. It is also about a sense of satisfaction of creating a certain look within each individual cat. Most of all, it is about nurturing a litter of kittens then seeing the joy they bring into people’s lives.

The Savannah Cat is a smaller replica of the African Serval. The Savannah Cat is a tall, lean, graceful cat with bold black spots against a luxurious background coat of golden, silver, smoke, or melanistic (black). They are tall, with erect ears or with ocelli or ‘night eye’ markings, a light band of color with dark borders giving an eye-like effect. The tall, slim build of the Savannah gives these cats the appearance of being larger than their actual weight. The Savannahs have extremely long legs, which contribute to their amazing jumping ability. The eyes are shades of green, gold, and brown with a slight ‘boomerang’ shape and are often adorned with ‘tear stains’ that run from the corner of the eye down the sides of the nose much that of like a cheetah. The early generation Savannahs, F1 and F2, are usually the largest, due to the strong genetic influence of the African Serval ancestor and may weigh as much as 25 lbs.

Savannah Cats are unlike any other breed. They are often described as being very ‘dog like’ in behavior. They are very outgoing and active, loyal, and get along well with both children and dogs. They are easily leash trained and often do very well with clicker training. They show their affection by giving a “head-butt” where they literally bump heads with you. They are also extremely intelligent and curious. Savannah Cats quickly learn to open doors and cabinets and make a game of finding the hiding place of their favorite treats. Another unique trait of the Savannah is their love of water. They find great delight in splashing in their water bowl or in the tub. All Savannahs have very high energy levels and are extremely curious and playful. These traits are exaggerated in the earlier generations due to the inheritance of size and wild traits from their ancestor, the African Serval. They require a lot of attention because they have a tendency to get into mischief when bored. They are also very vocal with a wide range of chirps, trills, and hisses.

The Bengal cat is a medium to large cat with a long, muscular body. Females are generally in the 7 to 10 pound range and males fall between 12 – 16 pounds. There has been the odd male that reaches 18 – 20 pounds but this is rare. They are large-boned, well-muscled cats with the male in particular being extremely muscular. Non-altered males often continue to put on muscle mass up to two years of age. The head is broad modified wedge with small round ears

Urban Safari Cattery.com is home to the finest savannah cat breeding with information regarding the history and development of this beautiful breed. Visit them online today.

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