Savannah

(from wikipedia) The Savannah Cat is a new and still fairly rare exotic domestic cat breed that is the result of a cross between an African Serval and a domestic cat.

Savannahs tend to be one of the larger breeds of cats, ranging up to 32 pounds (most other domestic cats range in the area of 5.5 and 16 pounds). The earlier generations, F1’s to F3’s or so, tend to be larger than the later generations. Also, the males are often larger than the females.

The bodies of Savannahs are long and leggy—when a Savannah is sitting, their hind legs are often higher than their spine, like a Cheetah. Their heads tend to be longer than they are wide, and like their serval ancestors, they have long necks. Also like servals, they tend to have spots on their ears, and their tails are about 3/4ths the length of other cats’.

Temperamentally, Savannahs have been compared to dogs in their loyalty, and they will follow their owners around the house like a canine. They greet people with head-butts or sometimes pounces out of nowhere (many a guest entering a house with a Savannah have been pounced upon in the entry way!) They have a lot of energy and are social animals that do well with both cats and dogs.

Owners of Savannahs say that they are very impressed with the intelligence of this breed of cat. Savannahs have been known to get into all sorts of things; they often learn how to open doors, cupboards, and anyone buying a Savannah will definitely have to “Savannah-proof” the house to prevent their pet from getting into things it shouldn’t! Also, many owners have trained their Savannahs to walk on a harness and do various tricks like fetching toys.

Water isn’t a fear of the Savannah cat; they will jump right into the bathtub or shower with people sometimes, and get into pools and streams like their wild ancestors.

Vocally, like their serval parents and grandparents, Savannah cats normally “chirp” instead of meow.