F1 Savannah cat ‘Magic’ – indeed, a magical cat

Introduction Jan 2022

This is a page which celebrates the superb, and at the time in 2009, famous Savannah cat Magic (full name: ‘Scarlett’s Magic’). She was perhaps the most impressive domestic cat in the world at that time. Today, on January 23, 2022, I don’t know whether she is still alive. A quick search did not produce current information about her. It is certainly likely that she is but is now an elderly lady. At the time she was a superbly athletic, majestic creature who became the Guinness World Records tallest domestic cat at the shoulder. That is how they decided upon the biggest domestic cat at that time. I don’t know the current rules.

She was bred at A1 Savannahs, which in 2009 was owned and managed by Kathrin and Martin Stucki. They were highly successful. Martin is a great businessman; a dynamic man. Kathrin is an equally talented person. They eventually sold the business and I believe that they now run a hotel in Montana.

They are a great couple and they invited me to their farm, A1 Savannahs, where their bred their Savannah cats. That’s where I met some F1 and F2 Savannah cats and kittens. I stayed in the guesthouse. At that time Magic was not living on the farm. I guess she had been sold but Kathrin had taken many excellent photographs of her and recorded some video material. The video below shows the living room with the cats playing and us talking.

We worked in partnership and I produced some videos for her and Martin and she provided me with some of photographs. It was a good partnership. It very much helped to promote my website and it helped to promote A1 Savannahs. It was, and probably still, is a highly successful business. They sold it to a man who is a trophy hunter. I could not work with him as I hate trophy hunting with a vengeance.

Magic ended up being owned by Lee and Kimberly Draper of Bella Gattini Cattery. They opened a shop where the public could interact with their cats. I believe that it was a different concept at the time because rather than going to a breeder somewhere perhaps in the country you could have easy access to the cat breeder and their cats in what we call, in the UK, the ‘high street’.

The record of the biggest domestic cat that Magic held for quite a while passed to another high filial Savannah cat named Trouble who was sadly killed in a road traffic accident after he escaped the confinement of his owner’s home. Beyond that recordholder I don’t know the current recordholder. It’s ironic actually that back in the day F1 Savannah cats were always the biggest domestic cats but today the massive Maine Coons are larger. One of these caps is called Figaro which you can read about by clicking on this link. Another is Omar living in Australia.

F1 Savannah cats are very rare because they are very hard to breed. You have to mate a serval which is a medium-sized wild cat species with a tabby domestic cat, usually a Savannah cat. There is a huge size difference and I believe that it is technically quite difficult to produce F1 Savannah cat offspring. Male F1 Savannah cats are, I believe, sterile. In 2009 you could expect to pay US$20,000 or perhaps more for an F1 Savannah cat. I would guess that the value of Magic was perhaps twice that. Perhaps she was the most valuable domestic cat in the world at that time. She had some records as you can imagine.

I have said it before, it takes a special person with the right facilities and the right amount of time available to take proper care of a cat like magic. And she is a great commercial asset so you have to be careful not to exploit her. This is a very desirable and rare cat. Such a creature can tempt people to misbehave. Comments below indicate a concern as to whether she got enough exercise; a good point. They are active and intelligent animals. They need the space and the stimulation to live enjoyable and full lives. This comes from an adequate amount of input from their human caregiver. Not everybody can dedicate the time to do this or neither do they have the required commitment to deliver the effort.

Leash training is perhaps a necessity. But then you have a glamorous and exceptional cat in a public place. That too can create problems.

RELATED: Lots more on the Savannah cat.

THERE IS SOME MORE BELOW THE ADVERT AND LINKS

This section was written in 2009

Update 22-9-09: Guiness World Records™ has confirmed, I am told, that MAGIC is the tallest domestic cat at 43.43 centimeters (17.1 inches) high, toe to shoulder. Watch this space to find out if she is the longest and therefore the biggest too…update: Magic is described as the “largest pet cat in the world” on the A1 Savannahs website. A1 Savannahs, as you might know, raised Magic. What an achievement.

MAGIC is a 16-month-old (at the date of this video 6th Sept 2009) spayed female Savannah cat. Her father is a Serval. Her mother is a Savannah cat. She now lives with Kimberly and Lee Draper who own and manage Bella Gattini Cattery.

They also own and manage The Savannah Cat Shoppe where you can see MAGIC.

See more of Magic and Titan:

My great thanks to Martin and Kathrin Stucki of A1 Savannahs who bred this awesome cat. My thanks also to Kathrin Stucki for entrusting me with the video material. This video is a team effort. There are three parties: MAGIC, me and Kathrin. Magic is the main player, obviously. F1 Savannah Cat MAGIC to Savannah Cat.Leonie, the daughter of Matrin and Kathrin Stucki and MAGIC an F1 female Savannah cat from A1 Savannahs

3 thoughts on “F1 Savannah cat ‘Magic’ – indeed, a magical cat”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. I just worry that a cat as large as that needs to have a lot of exercise and is not getting it . I could be wrong , I hope I am

    Reply
    • You are right Martin. I too have concerns that large cats bred from half wild/half domestic cats don’t get the freedom they need. These cats should never have been bred to be pets, there are millions of small domestic cats being killed for lack of homes. It’s not ideal for any cat to have no freedom but smaller ones can surely adjust better than large ones with wild in their ancestry.

      Reply

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