↓
 
Home→Cat Breeds→Savannah Cat→I Think I Have a Savannah Cat

I Think I Have a Savannah Cat

PoC avatarPosted on by

by Abby
(GA)

Savannah cat?

Savannah cat?

I think I have a Savannah cat… He is only 5 months old but has exhibited odd behaviors and is large for his age. He is very wild like, loves water, and has hissed before. His meow is also odd. He looks just like one but I guess I just can’t believe that I got him from a pet store in Georgia for free!

Hi Abby: Thanks for sharing. He could well be a Savannah or a mixed Savannah/moggie. He’s almost certainly a tabby random bred cat (a moggy).

However, sometimes people give up the wildcat hybrids because of perceived behavioral problems. Another lady picked up a stray cat that has all the appearance of being a Sokoke a rare purebred cat. Or the cat she found and now cares for might be a Bengal or Savannah mix (this is her submission). It is not, it seems that rare for this too happen. There is also such a thing as purebred rescue as I am sure you know….Michael (P.S. I changed the title so Google might find this page better. Hope you don’t mind).

Comments for
I Think I Have a Savannah Cat

Click here to add your own comments

Dec 27, 2010 i cant tell if my cat is a savannah cat or bengal
by: Anonymous

hello i just got this cat for free he thinks a bengal but im not sure so here is some pictures and she does kind have that wild side you can tell she is not your typically cat but she is very loving and jumps into your knees and a very loud meow and hisses alot for no reason… i hope you can tell me what i have

Comments

I Think I Have a Savannah Cat — 168 Comments

  1. Hey there,

    I see that this thread is still active, which is awesome.

    I got a kitten a few weeks ago who was sold as an F5 Savannah. I kind of feel like either the lady was not doing a good job of breeding, or completely ripped me off. Either way he was $400- cheap for a Savannah or expensive for a tabby.

    As far as personality, I’ve never had a cat like him. At about 10 weeks he pulls on his toys and shakes them like a dog. He does make odd sounds now and then, but mostly meows constantly. He’s very vocal. I have heard him chirp. He has started to jump, a lot. Straight up and then back down, either for no reason it seems, or to get his toys. He will also leap into me and climb the rest of the way up me, to my arms. He often hops around like a baby deer.

    He was tiny when I got him at 8 weeks, at 1 pound. I think he has about doubled in size within the last two weeks.

    Markings? I’m not so sure about. I’ll post pics. No pedigree, and I was only able to see pics of the parents as apparently one buyer a while ago got all her cats sick and she didn’t want to chance it again. I also saw pics of her with her serval.

    I commend you for keeping this thread up for so long. And so appreciate your thoughts. The curiousity is killing me.

    Reply ↓

    • I got a kitten Saturday from a lady in West Seattle same story kitten is small and does look Savannah
      How big is your kitten now ?

      Reply ↓

      • Hey there,

        I hope your kitten is doing well. I’m sorry that I didn’t see this until now. The lady I got mine from was also in W Seattle, and her name was Chris. She was a lot of talk, but now that I’ve had more time with mine and time to research him, I’ve found out that she was almost entirely full of crap. Raj was under a pound when I got him – so small that my vets were concerned, based on his reported breed, that he had a liver shunt. Lots of expensive testing later, come to find out that he’s just a small cat.

        He still looks kind of like a Savannah, and certainly acts like one, but is by no means the typical Savannah. To answer the other question, no, he did not come with a pedigree. The lady who sold him had picture of him with a cat that was very obviously a Savannah, there was no mistaking that, so I am fairly certain that it was just extremely poor breeding. She was also probably breeding her cats with tabby cats, and not other Savannah cats – so by the time she hit F5, genes were way diluted.

        I’ll post an updated pic if possible, not sure if I can.

        Thanks!

        Reply ↓

    • Hi Chris. I am not sure if I have responded. If not sorry it took so long. The trouble with providing a good answer is hinted at by you. A spotted tabby random bred cat looks like an F5 Savannah cat. Your boy is not spotted. He’s tabby with what appears to be a ticked coat. He acts like a Savannah cat (but this is imprecise as Savannah cats behave like random bred cats!) but does not look like one but as mentioned they are hard to differentiate. The only way to know is through a pedigree – documented pedigree. Do you have papers authenticating that he is a pedigree cat?

      Reply ↓

  3. Oh, and my besides greeting me at the door he also loves greeting visitors. He doesnt really like to be stroked on the back nor does he sit on my lap. But he loves rubbing his head against people’s legs and lying near my feet every eve on the couch. He is very affectionate in his own way.

    Reply ↓

    • Kim. he is a wonderful looking cat. He looks very similar to my cat. My cat is a tabby rescue cat. Mine is a spotted tabby while yours is a mackerel tabby. He has a pronounced belly flap just like mine. A touch of the wild. They say the belly flap helps a cat run faster. The Savannah cat and random bred tabby are similar in many ways. Thanks for posting.

      Reply ↓

      • Hi Michael, thanks very much for your kind reply. He is wonderful indeed. I had no idea about the belly flap! Haha, I learned something new. And you are very right. It is hard to know for sure what mix he really is. The lack of spots don’t help. I do think he is definitely a mix (not with a bengal as he is not fierce enough), but good to know there could be a possibly it may be savannah. The mysteries of rescue cats 😉

        Reply ↓

  5. Hello, I have a super sweet Tabby cat named Odin. I adopted him from the shelter when he was three months old. When he was little he had a very long pointy face and ears way too big to suit the rest of his face. Now, at one and half years old, he is quite slim, has very high legs, has a loooong body and neck, greets me when I come home and follows me (my other black and white cat totally ignores me, haha!), loves to climb when on the balcony ever, jumps high, has a very good playful energy level and makes a prrrrt sort of sound (I always thought he was part alien). Could he be a distant part Savannah? He seems behaviour and looks wise too different from standard tabby cats. Oh, and he is almost 15 lbs in weight and his back comes up to the bottom of my knee caps. Last week I took him to the vet for a yearly checkup and the new vet gasped “He looks like a panther! I have never seen a cat like him before with his size. He seems part wild cat”. What do you think? Thanks in advance.

    Reply ↓

  6. Thanks for your observation. The ONLY think Savannah about him, I thought may be his ears. Even my sister’s Siamese’s ears are not this big! Haha! I noticed they sit rather close together on the TOP of his head. They are much closer than other pictures of people who think they may have Savanna cat in their pet. That is the main reason I posted. Plus he THRIVES on routine (typical of a Savannah cat I hear)…. to the point of insanity! NEVER had a cat remotely this stuck on routine! I have to mix it up every day or he gets stuck. Lately I have been giving him a treat before bed and now if I am NOT up there by a certain time, he has a COW!!! Like right now he is pacing and meowing at me. He gets so over joyed about a silly little treat that he cant help but grab it from my hand with his paw. He also likes to knock stuff off counters or anything if he wants attention. Funny but annoying! haha Oh and this cat can catch pretty much anything I toss to him mid air with HIS PAWS! The treats are too small so he does a paws and mouth combo grab. They are like 3 mm in size so that is pretty darn good sight this boy has!

    Reply ↓

  7. One more shot….. did I mention he watches TV? Interacts as well! He watched th entire CGI Jungle Book movie with me and when the monkeys chased Moglii, he ran after our Ragdoll and came and sat down and resumed watching with me when the scene was over!

    Reply ↓

    • Hello, thank you for commenting and showing me your beautiful cat. I must say that he is genuinely very handsome and an impressive looking cat. He is a tabby cat. He may be a random bred tabby cat with a particularly high intelligence or he may be a Bengal cat. These markings are not those of a Savannah cat by the way. His markings are really those of a Bengal cat.

      His character is very much that of a wildcat hybrid as you indicate. As is character is so prominent it would indicate a relatively high filial purebred Bengal cat if he is a purebred cat. You simply cannot tell for sure by appearance alone. You’ll need some documentation showing pedigree.

      It is genuinely foolhardy to try and state with any certainty that he is purebred but of all the things which indicate that he might be is his beautiful bullseye tabby coat and his very sharp, intelligent wild cat hybrid character which indicates a third filial from the wild Bengal cat. His face though indicates a random bred cat (non-purebred). He may be a purebred/random bred mix as you hint.

      His bullseye tabby coat is diluted. Very beautiful.

      Reply ↓

  8. Oh and the base of his tail is tufted? Not sure if that is anything. His color is washed out in the sun but I assure you TVs swirl and bullseye are still there. People who see him for the first time ask if he is “one of those wild breeds” and a vet pointed out his long body as a kitten and said Bengal. Who knows, I just love my puppy cat!! This picture shows how he jumped into the ceiling that was being repaired from the counter. Really???!

    Reply ↓

  11. Here in Las Vegas there are a few Savannah/Bengal breeders. As in purposely breeding the two and selling them as better than the breed alone. Whatever! Anyhow, I adopted what I thought was a normal cat with huge ears and a long body and “ugly fuzzy” coat. This kitten was only 6 weeks and adopted as 8 weeks because he was 2 lbs. his weight jumped consistently until about 7 months. Here is a chart
    6 weeks 2 lbs
    10.5 weeks 3# 9 oz
    3.5 months 5# 5 oz
    5 months 7#
    6 months 7# 14 oz
    6.5 months. 8# 2 oz
    7 months 8# 6 oz
    8 months 8# 8 oz
    9 months 9# 2 oz
    10 months. 10# 4 oz
    18 months 10#

    2 days after I got him he jumped from upstairs to the tile below for a balcony. Hmmm…. then I noticed this kitten had the beat “eye paw” coordination of any 6 week old I have EVER seen. You know how you move a toy and kittens just lose it? Haha…. no he is more like Tom when he is chasing Jerry, the mouse…. dead on and reactive to every movement. He trills, talks back at me…. like my friends all laugh at his mouthiness and he likes water. One side of his body is a swirl and the other is a bullseye. He has a few rosettes on his hips. He is insanely smart (he is trained to do a bunch of tricks and gets stuck into routines I do VERY FAST! He is a constant companion, more like a dog and oddly…. loves to roll in the dirt outside. His coat is more like a pelt and doesn’t shed near as much as other short haired domestics. His back legs are long and hips are very large. At 3 months he outran an adult cat that was in the backyard to chase him out. (I let him outside when I can watch him and trained him to stay in the back as best I could! Lol. Lots of treats! He is very attached to me, nothing like any cat I have had in the past. As a kitten he broke, destroyed and mangled everything. Grew out of that around 2 years old. A Bengal breeder swears there is Savannah and Bengal in him. I dunno, I just have been around cats from my gramma to my mom to my own cats and this one stands out. The color is blonde so I wonder if mama was just a domestic and a male Savannah/Bengal Mix escaped and knocked her up! Oh and he likes a neighbors Germain Sheppard, not even running from it when it barks since he knows it’s on a leash. Owner of the dog said he has never seen such a fearless cat with his dog before. I guess a few times my cat was out, he would go for a walk with him and his dog!! We were in the front yard gardening (my cat likes to climb the tree while I work) and I was amazed that this loud giant barking dog wasnt making him run. At one point he charged the dog! I keep him 99% inside now because he is so friendly and fearless! Oh and he comes to the door when the bell rings, attack’s the printer when it is on and ALWAYS comes when I call…… unless he has not had enough dirt rolling Time! I wonder if this asymmetrical body pattern is a clue to anyone. This is a pic of when he was about 3 to 4 months old. I can upload his adult photo too

    Reply ↓

  12. Hi

    I’m wondering what kind of cat my aunt’s cat is? His tail is super short with a black stub at the end. She found him in the woods when he was a baby.

    Reply ↓

        • Hi Lulu, I asked where you were because this cat does not look typical of cats that you see in America. The first thing is that he has not been neutered which gives him that wild, heavy appearance. I’d have him neutered as soon as possible. He is likely to be a random bred, ticked tabby cat. He is a tabby cat. He is not a purebred cat. He is not a wild cat hybrid. A ticked tabby is one where the cat carries few tabby markings. In this case the markings are on the legs and tail. These are tabby markings. Thanks for sharing and showing me.

          Reply ↓

  14. HEY! I rescued an astray kitten about three months ago. He’s now 4 months old and I think he’s a Savannah SBT F9 mixed with a tabby because his fur pattern goes from stripes to spots to stripes. He also has the exact personality of a wild cat. Though I have some doubt about it since he doesn’t have big ears or visible spots. I was then thinking he may be an Ocicat or an Ocicat Tabby Mix. He also does this.. weird meow purr thing. Very weird sound.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Priscilla. He’s a super looking cat. He could be a Savannah mix as you say. But it is more likely that he is a random bred mackerel/spotted tabby. But the sounds he makes may indicate Savannah. That said individual random bred cats can make some weird sounds all of their own. Mine does for example. Thanks for sharing and showing.

      Reply ↓

  15. Just thought I’d bump Angelas old thread. Not only do her two cats look identical to ours but so does her loving room LOL. These two act just like she said and are larger for their age. They are feral barn cat rescues so my bet is that’s where the wild attitude comes from. When I saw her photo I was like who uploaded my Loghee to the Web 😂

    Best to all,

    Chris

    Reply ↓

    • Nice comment, Chris, and I definitely agree with you about where their inherent wild attitude comes from. My cat was feral until 7 weeks of age and he has a wild side.

      Reply ↓

      • We rescued these two at about 3 or 4 weeks old. I was amazed at 1. How crazy mean they were when trying to pick them out of the box and 2. How quickly they changed. It was like the first bath we gave them once home they were almost instantly tame afterwards. However theyvery maintained enough wild side to be the best hunters I’ve ever seen.

        Reply ↓

  16. I think my female tabby may have mated with a Savannah cat or some exotic breed because her kittens are wild looking, they grow unbelievably fast, and I’ve so many kittens before to know they don’t grow that fast. My cat looks like a tabby but instead of stripes he’s spotted with a speckled belly, and his ears don’t look like normal cat ears, they’re so long and point out ward instead of upright. He’s so cute but I want to know what kind of cat he is. He is a real wonder.

    Reply ↓

  17. I’ve become quite curious about the breed of my rescue cat. For one thing, since I’ve gotten her, she’s grown to the size of my half-Main Coon kitty (26 inches long!). She never meows, just mrrrrs. Her hind legs are larger than her front, and she has what appears to be embryonic rosettes on one side of her fur. Meeka also has the black paws and facial characteristics of a Bengal. I’d be happy to provide more pictures if necessary.

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you, Julia, for showing us your beautiful, handsome cat. He looks just like my cat actually. And I have a rescue tabby cat.

      I hope that you will not be upset if I tell you that I believe that your cat is a beautiful tabby cat and a random bred cat. He appears to be a spotted tabby which makes him very close to the original North African wild cat, the ancestor of the domestic cat.

      Black paw pads are quite normal for any type of cat. I don’t think the spots are embryonic rosettes but that is quite nice thought you had.

      He is quite large but the size of cats vary tremendously and size alone does not dictate whether a cat is a Savannah cat or not. Indeed, some Savannah cats are smaller than random bred cats. It is only the high filial Savannah cats who are larger on average.

      As for cats sounds, once again individual cats vary in the sounds they make. They make individual sounds other than the classic meow. My cat makes all kinds of sounds that I had not heard before and he hardly meows at all if ever.

      Thank you once again for showing us your beautiful cat.

      Reply ↓

  20. Hi there, my co-worker brought me my adorable little Kitten and It seems that he may be part Savannah. He is extremely enenergetic and very loving when he is sleepy. He is spotted all over his body with stripes on his legs. He is also very leggy. His back legs are much longer than his front. He is very lean and lanky. Please help.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Angela, do you know where she bought your adorable cat? If you want to be certain about buying a Savannah cat you have to buy from a breeder and get a pedigree (a family tree) with the cat and a certificate of some sort to verify he is purebred. That said your super looking cat might have some Savannah cat in him but he is more likely to be a mackerel brown tabby random bred cat. As you say his character is like that of a Savannah cat. But then again his character is that of a young tabby cat (they are energetic). I’d say he’s a random bred tabby but I could be wrong. Thanks for showing us.

      Reply ↓

      • The kitty was a gift that she could not keep. She is not sure where he was purchased from. Maybe one day I will be able to purchase a Savannah from a breeder but in the meantime I will enjoy my little Loki!! Thank you so much!

        Reply ↓

  21. I got this cat from a shelter in February. He talks a lot, loves water and is very jealous. If I give my other cats attention he will head butt them. I never had a cat like this before. What kind of cat is it? He also likes to urinate on my bed. I took him to the vet to be treated for a UTI and he did have one. I then kept him out of the room for the duration of the antibiotic and the very first day I let him in the room he did it again. He does not urinate anywhere else in the house.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Barbara, your cat is a tabby cat. He looks like a mackerel tabby cat. My guess is that the reason why he is urinating on your bed is because he is still somewhat stressed and is not settled into your home yet. In my opinion he is marking territory and masking the smell of your scent. Beds have the scent of the cat’s human owner all over them.

      Do you have other cats in the household? If so then he may be stressed because of territorial issues and is trying to establish his own territory. He may be marking to reassure himself. I would do your best to settle him in. Play with him and spend more time with him. Be patient too.

      If there are other cats it may take a while for him to establish his space. If there are other cats there may be one who is bullying him. Or dominating him. You might provide extra places for your cat to hide. If a cat has a place to hide he will feel better. This may prevent him urinating on your bed. Good luck.

      Do you spend all day away from home? If so that may be another issue. What I mean is it may increase the stress levels in your cat.

      Reply ↓

      • I work part time. I try play time every evening. When I attempt to hold him and cuddle him he resists, it’s on his time only. He loves water so I fill kitchen sink with 2 inches of water and he gets in the sink and plays. Is it possible he will grow out of this? My husband doesn’t want me to keep him but it will break my heart. Do those plug ins work? They supposedly release pheromones and are calming. They are costly though and I think 1 covers 200 sq ft and I have a 2600 sq ft home.

        Reply ↓

        • Hi Barb, I sense that he is a little nervous still for whatever reason. It may be because he has not fully settled in as mentioned. It can take time. Patience is required. Cats are naturally quite cautious and defensive. Don’t forget that people are much bigger than cats and therefore automatically we can look inadvertently threatening even when we are being friendly.

          The fact that he likes water so much indicates by the way that he might have some wild cat in him and therefore he could be a Savannah Cat but that is unlikely in my opinion. He doesn’t look like one. It looks like a standard mackerel tabby to me.

          Your husband appears not to like him. Is your husband at home all day? What or how is the interaction between your husband and your cat? That may be a factor. I’m not criticising your husband at all. It just may be that his presence may make him a bit nervous.

          Feliway is expensive as you say but I think it does help. My neighbour has several cats and she swears by it. I have used it myself and I’m not so sure that it is value for money or that useful but I would certainly try it once to see what happens. It may calm him down. Place it where he normally frequents.

          Your cat also may be naturally a bit timid and cautious. Cats do have different personalities. Some cats are more confident than others. This just means it will take longer for him to settle in and become relaxed provided the environment is relaxing. I presume by the way that there are no other cats in the household and no dogs or other pets.

          Think about how your husband interacts with him. Is he friendly towards your husband? Good luck.

          Reply ↓

      • Thanks, I think he is beautiful too.

        I think he is feral born, a guy took them in a few weeks ago then put them up on Craigslist. I think his wildness comes from feral beginnings.

        Reply ↓

        • This is exactly how my cat is. He has the same wild look when he is in the enclosed garden. He carries it into the house for 15 minutes.

          Reply ↓

  24. Ok, since we are all posting tabby pics. I just picked up a little tabby boy. The man who resuced the litter thinks it is egyption mau mix or bangel. I would love to think he is some exotic breed of wild cat of course. But he is very affectionate, loyal, long lanky legged with big feet. If he isn’t some exotic breed doesn’t matter cause he is beautiful and looks wildish to me. (: And theonly one of his kind in my neighborhood so he is rare in this hood.

    Reply ↓

    • Looks more like a Bengal mix but is probably a very nice looking random bred tabby. The face and body is too solid and square for a Savannah. Savannahs are more slender with longer faces. The coat color is different.

      Reply ↓

  28. What kind of kitten is this? I know her mother is tabby but mixed with something else. Help plz. She is entergetic. She is tan on stomach with spots. Tip tail and bottom feet black

    Reply ↓

    • Elizabeth, I would love to see your tabby cat but it seems that your photograph failed to upload. Could you please try again? If not you can contact me by email by clicking on the link in the right-hand column of the website about halfway down. You can then attach a picture to your email. Thanks for visiting and commenting.

      Reply ↓

  29. Hi!

    We recently were given an 8 week old kitten – the woman giving him to us claimed that he was a Savannah cat bred in Texas and that she had him shipped to Washington. She decided that she couldn’t take care of him so we adopted him. When we met him, we did not think he looked like a Savannah cat (he has more tabby markings – some spots but mostly stripes). I wanted to check and see what you think! He is very active and playful and doesn’t mind getting wet.

    Reply ↓

  30. I have the same type of cat I am really sorry that you cat is not savanna but he is a pi i on cat a mix between a bob cat and house cat

    Reply ↓

  32. Hi! 🙂

    I´m sorry I´ll just jump on the train here and ask about my cats, I think there could be some Savannah in them.
    They´re both 7 months old, siblings and we got them from a shelter.
    The people there told us the cats are “european short hairs” but they aren´t sure about them either because of their size.
    Luna and Thorin are really energetic (could also be due their age :D), bigger than a normal cat in their age, can jump rather high, really like to destroy stuff and love it to use their voice 😉
    They also have these kind of ears: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_cat#/media/File:Savannah_Cat_closeup.jpg

    I´d love to hear your thoughts on them:)

    Here are some pics ^^

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Sesil, Thank you for showing us your cats! They are beautiful of course. The top picture shows a beautiful spotted tabby cat. The background is grey/brown. He is slender. He’s like my cat actually.

      In my opinion, their size does not have any relevance on assessing whether they are purebred or purebred mix. Some random bred cats are very large. In fact I think we see more large random bred cats than we do purebred cats. Yes, the Savannah cat is very large provided they are first or second filial cats. But these are very rare cats.

      The other two cats are also domestic short hair random bred cats. In my opinion, they are neither European nor American. There are simply what is called domestic shorthaired cats. They are not a member of a cat breed as far as I can tell.

      That does not mean they are any less valuable from an emotional standpoint than any other cat including purebred cats. I hope this helps. And thanks once again for commenting.

      Reply ↓

  33. Interesting thread. I see I’m not the only one to wonder if a bit of Savannah is in my kitty’s background. I adopted Abby from a rescue society – all I know is she was found outside, so no papers. Like others, I note a high level of energy, an amazing ability to jump, etc. I have looked at photos of Savannahs, Egyptian Maus and ocicats and can “see” her in all of them, aside from her lack of spots (although she has some broken spotting on her tummy). I think it is likely that somewhere in her background, several generations back, one of these breeds is a factor. Of course, it doesn’t matter if she has any of them, I still love her (and she still drives me crazy).

    Reply ↓

    • Hi, it is certainly possible, as you say, that there is some Savannah cat blood in your Abby. Thanks for commenting and uploading your photograph. Abby is a gorgeous looking cat.

      Reply ↓

      • Yes, she is a lovely girl, fearless, friendly and very good natured. She is also super energetic and a little destructive as a result (that’s the driving me crazy part). I was demonstrating her jumping ability to someone yesterday and was told it reminded her of video from the San Diego Wild Animal Park of a serval jumping. I’ve looked at the video and she’s right. The sort of half back flip that the cat in the video does is exactly how Abby goes after her bird wand toy. That’s what made me do a little internet searching, which is how I found this site.

        Reply ↓

  34. My cat was dropped off at my vets office with the only information as Savannah, which the vets said was her name she has really unique coloring and everyone tells me they think she’s got something exotic in her. I know you can’t tell by just a picture but I was wondering about your opinions on what breed she is? I think she might be a Savannah mix

    Reply ↓

  35. Hi,

    Any thoughts on my cat? His ears are quite large 🙂
    He’s also a chirper…when he does decide to speak…and a fan of playing in the shower, going on walks, & destroying everything if he doesn’t have enough playtime.
    He’s 4.5mo old and almost 8lbs.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Tayler. His character as you suggest is Savannah and his appearance is spotted tabby and white Oriental SH almost. He has that Oriental SH look but the Savannah is quite rangy too. The only sure way you’ll now what he is, is to know his pedigree. He is probably a random bred cat with an interesting appearance which resembles the Savannah or tabby Oriental SH – or he is a purebred mix. You can’t tell just from photos. Thanks for visiting and showing us. He is an impressive cat.

      Reply ↓

  36. Here is one more pic. It’s very hard for me to capture her true coat colour because the lighting is terrible in my apartment but she has a real cream colour in her coat 🙂

    Reply ↓

  37. Is there really such thing as Savannah mixes? We rescued a cat recently from a shelter and she is like no cat I’ve ever had. Her markings and face shape are beautiful. She acts like a wild cat. We thought she may be a Bengal mix but she really resembles a Savannah. I have also had someone say she looks like a pixie bob mix which I have never heard of. I would love to know your thoughts

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Liz. Excellent photos by the way. There is such a thing as Savannah mixes but we don’t know how many or where they are. The trouble with cat breed mixes is the outcome is uncertain so the cat will retain some physical characteristics of the breed but we don’t the outcome. Your cat could be a Savannah mix perhaps even a Bengal mix but no one will know unless a person witnessed the mating and history.

      Sometimes random bred cats are born with what I call special physical characteristics just like people. Some people are very attractive but that does make them a certain sort of person. They are just better looking. Your cat is like that. She has a superb tabby coat – spotted/stripped. I’d call it a mackerel tabby but no doubt someone will say otherwise.

      She is just a superb example of the mackerel tabby cat coat. That is my bet: a random bred mackerel tabby but a very special one nonetheless. Thanks for visiting and showing us your cat.

      Reply ↓

  38. She has a personality comparable to a dog , loves water , jumping , playing and wrestling with dogs .. She has so much life to her , have never had a cat like this ! She is such a joy …

    Reply ↓

  41. Hello, I am curious on opinions of my kittens breed ? So you think there is savannah in her genes ? A breeder of Savannah’s said she is for sure a f1 or f2.

    Reply ↓

  42. We found this cat out in the wild she is beautiful and we’ve never seen anything like her. we rescued her, so she is very loving and appreciative. She has the long pointy hair from her ears like a lynx she is grey in color with black stripes she has a thin tail short to medium hair very exotic looking help identify her please

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Jody. You may well have a wild cat hybrid. Perhaps an escaped cat. They are often very domesticated. The fact that you describe her as “exotic” points to that. The short tail indicates a Savannah cat as they are serval hybrids and the serval has a short tail. Savannahs though should have spots not stripes as the serval has inky spots.

      Can you upload a photo using the button below this comment? I’d love to see a photo. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply ↓

  43. Angela__Just.get the cat dna tested then. It seems that no matter what people are saying to you you refuse to listen. I also have a tabby,YES TABBY , who has a long tail, jumps over 5 feet, and weighed in at 6 lbs at 7wks old. He makes chirping noises all.day, loves water, and has the same color and spots. At this point Angela, your cat is whatever you want it to be. Why does it matter? Just love him/or her and move on!!!

    Reply ↓

  45. I understand you must call her a tabby due to the lack of papers, however, she is NO tabby cat. She is simply too big now. Even the local vet noted her size as being unusual. And her ears are simply not right with the Main coon. We thought she might have been one of them at first too, but it was ruled out quickly. When laying down, her tail can completely wrap around her WITHOUT her curling her body. I would say that it is nearly longer than her body, at least a little over half her body length. WAY too long for a Main Coon. When I looked up the Ebony silver Ocicat, I was shocked to find NO difference in them and the way she looks now that she’s a bit older. I know that Ocicats may be rare, but you must first understand where I live. I live thirty minutes away from town and have a secretive neighbor that has a wide variety of pets(Even I don’t know what all pets she has). She is eccentric, so I wouldn’t put it past her to have one. I understand that there is no way to receive papers and whatnot, but constantly telling me what she is clearly not doesn’t help either. I KNOW that she must be called that simply due to the lack of papers, but it is for that reason alone. I have owned Tabby cats before, and so have my parents. These are NOT tabby kittens. Maybe for the name sake alone, but that is not what they really are. I know what they are clearly NOT: Tabby, Main Coon, Savannah Cat, etc.

    Reply ↓

  46. With that face and those paws, and a long tail, she may well have a dash of Maine Coon somewhere in her family tree 🙂 That doesn’t make her a “Maine Coon” breed cat but she could grow up into a “Maine Coon lookalike”. In any case, Maine Coons were developed from rugged non-pedigree longhair cats.

    Reply ↓

  47. I found this little guy abandoned in a trailer my father bought off the neighbor. We originally thought that they may be a Savannah cat due to the similarities of behavior and largeness for their size. I thought she was a little boy until the recent trip to the vet. I have done excessive research of various cat breeds to find out what she might be. I recently remembered a breed of cat that I had yet to do research on: the Ocicat. I became introduced to the breed when I noticed that both of the kittens I found had freakishly long tails. Their tails are over half their body length, dragging the ground when they walk. Could they very well be an Ocicat? The above picture was taken when she was a month old.

    Reply ↓

    • Angela, Ocicats are extremely rare. Nearly all domestic cats in the USA are freeborn or random bred cats (“mixed breed” if you like).

      She is a pretty grey tabby cat, with medium long hair. To be a cat that is part of a cat breed the cat has to have a pedigree – a documented family history of four generations to prove the cat is “purebred” and registered with a cat association.

      That is the situation in the West (N. America and Europe).

      She is a beautiful tabby cat. Thanks for visiting and showing her to us.

      Reply ↓

    • His sister seems to be tricolor (calico) – see the orange fur behind the ear. Add white and grey. His sister has random bred cat written all over her. My personal bet is that he is a nice example of a spotted tabby moggie.

      Reply ↓

      • I would agree, however, they are simply much too large. Everyone I’ve talked to that raises cats and has kittens the same age as them have noted three things off about them: 1. They are much, much larger than kittens of their age, 2. Their ears are far larger than kittens of their age, and 3. Their jumping ability is MILES ahead of kittens their age. I just don’t know. I only know that they are simply not normal kittens. I can’t keep them off my high counters anymore(A good 4-5ft high). They jump up in one bound and I end up having to chase them off, only for them to come right back again. They have exhibited extreme intelligence as well.

        Reply ↓

  50. I think I may have a Savannah cat kitten. We found him in a trailer my dad bought off the neighbor, but she claimed not to own any cats, so I adopted the little guy. He was jumping a height of 3ft when he was just 6 weeks old. Now he is three months old, and he can jump even higher than that. He makes very odd chirping sounds, and has a very deep loud purr. I would appreciate any input. I would just really like to know if he really is what I think he is.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Angela, you are not going to know for sure the “pedigree” of your cat. I am referring to the family tree. It is most likely that he is a spotted tabby random breed cat (moggie) but like I say, who knows for sure. A certificate saying that your cat is purebred would confirm what he is or registration at TICA.

      Without this evidence you have to say he is spotted tabby domestic shorthaired cat. He is a handsome cat. The sounds that cats make vary a lot amongst random bred cats and is not evidence alone that a cat is a purebred pedigree cat.

      That said, it is possible there may be some Savannah cat genes in him.

      Thanks for visiting and showing us your cat and well done in rescuing him.

      Reply ↓

      • Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. I am just deeply curious, because of his odd behaviors and sounds(Not to mention his size for his age). Like my parents said when he jumped up on the high counters yesterday(four feet high), that’s just not normal. I have noticed, as he gets olde, he seems to be getting more and more spots.

        Reply ↓

        • that’s just not normal

          That bit of what you state indicates some wild blood in him. Good cat owners know what in normal domestic cat behavior. If something stands out it is noticeable.

          He could well have some wild cat in him for any number of reasons. He could be fourth generation Savannah on an informal basis (no record).

          His spots are very clean, which is unusual for a spotted tabby moggie.

          Reply ↓

          • I really appreciate all the information you’ve given me. I am just at my wits end with him really. He is VERY energetic(Climbing on top of counters, getting in the sink and bathtub to play in the water, and he has virtually destroyed every plant inside my home by leaping into them). That said, I do love him dearly. He is very affectionate, and chirps and purrs a lot. I have noticed that he seems to be getting more vocal as well as he gets older. I’m really thinking about maybe having a DNA test done on him. He is only three months old and already feels like he weighs(at least) 6 or 8 pounds. Is this even normal? I had a tomcat that was a good 3 years old and he was only about 9 pounds or so. I have researched several breeds that he may possibly be, and the only two breeds that I came up with are the Savannah and the Maine Coon. However, his mannerisms do not fit the Maine Coon personality. Unfortunately, there would be no way for me to get any documentation on him, due to the way in which I found him. I’m beginning to wonder if I may have a Savannah cat moggie breeder nearby.

            Reply ↓

              • Hahaha! That’s kinda what I thought when my father brought him to me. I had to bottle feed him. The vet determined that he was only 2 weeks old when I got him.

                Reply ↓

            • There’s no way a vet looked at those cats and decided they were maine coons. Your cats are just regular ass American domestic short hairs. If you want advice, then don’t try to argue with everybody who doesn’t tell you what you’re hoping to hear. Sorry to say, but you have normal house cats, not special or rare or even especially sought after ones. They’re not all the same, mind you, so good job finding a big one I guess. I hate to be so harsh but damn, don’t ask others for help if you’re just gonna shoot down everything they have to say because you didn’t get the attention you wanted.

              Reply ↓

    • The spots and conformation are not right for any current generation of Savannah (legs too short, head and ears wrong shape, conformation generally too thickset). It is also too fluffy to be a Savannah. However, the alighnment and style of spots are consistent with later generations of Bengal or . The fluffiness suggests possibly a Bengal outcross or a longhaired Bengal (these are bred as the Cashmere). It might have come from a legit breeding program, but sadly there are BYBs crossing Bengals to domestics so they can sell Bengal knock-offs.

      There are not many abandoned Savannahs at present as the breed is relatively uncommon, but there are plenty of Bengals and Bengal crosses ending up abandoned because these were a victim of their own huge popularity in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

      Reply ↓

      • I thought that he might be a Bengal when I first got him, but now I know that he is no Bengal. He is much too large, for one. The angle of the camera really doesn’t do his size justice. Both he and his sister have very long legs(especially their front legs). His personality, according to all the Bengal profiles I have read, does not match at all. He is not tame enough to be a later generation Bengal. I am, however, wondering if it is possible that he is a Bengal/Savannah cross. This is another picture I got of him. The lighting isn’t the best, but it does provide a good view of his facial structure. I have actually found pictures of several later generations of savannah that look just like him(Specifically the F3).

        Reply ↓

        • Tameness is related to socialisation, not just to hybrid origin. I’ve come across pedigreed Persians that were effectively feral due to poor socialisation when young.

          His conformation, facial shape and set of ears still aren’t consistent with Savannah. To have that fluffy hair, both parents would need to carry longhair as a recessive gene, which counts against a Savannah as a parent. Also the white spotting of his sister could not come from either a Bengal or a Savannah. I think plenty of people would like their cats to be something exotic.

          Both pretty cats, but definitely not Savannahs or Savannah mixes.

          Reply ↓

          • Well, I appreciate the information, but with all due respect, you do not live with them. There is NO way they are simply normal tabby cats(If that’s what you’re trying to tell me). Their mannerisms and abilities are far beyond any domestic cat I’ve ever seen, or even heard, of. Not only that, but he actually caught a mouse(and killed it) when he was only five weeks old(Which everyone told me was impossible). There is a lot about cats that I don’t know, however, no one can convince me that these two demons with fur are simply normal, run of the mill, tabby cats. I know I owned a tabby cat, and he was absolutely nothing compared to them. There is absolutely SOMETHING wild in them. As a matter of fact, when we first got them, their feet were so abnormally large that we wondered if they were actually part bobcat. Naturally that was ruled out due to their tails.

            Reply ↓

            • You are right. You can watch their character etc so can make a better assessment. I just do it from the picture really. They could easily be wild cat hybrids of some sort. I totally get that point. It can be noticeable in the cat’s character moreso than in the appearance if the cat is not to “type” (meaning inline with the breed standard).

              One point I was not clear on is that any cat that is not registered as a purebred pedigree cat has to be called a “moggie” or random bred cat. That applies to cats in the West. That is one reason why I refer to random bred cat.

              The thing is that if we don’t know the fallback position has to be random bred cat because 99% of cats (or thereabouts) are random bred.

              Reply ↓

            • No-one is disputing that there may be something wild in them, but from the looks and the colour/fur length genetics, the wild genes are likely to be from a Bengal rather than a Savannah.

              They couldn’t be part bobcat anyway because bobcats and domestic cats do not hybridize successfully. DNA analysis of alleged hybrids with bobcats have found no bobcat markers. Thus far, although people have gotten bobcats and domestics to mate with each other, no-one has been able to produce an authenticated bobcat hybrid.

              Reply ↓

              • Hi Sarah, I’d still like to “interview you” in the way you suggested – by email in asking some questions, which you answer and I’ll make it into an article. What do you say? 🙂 Noting heavy just fun stuff.

                Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

HTML tags allowed in your comment: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.
↑