LIFESTYLE
Humans have been fascinated by cats
since the dawn of time. Worldwide there
are some 40 recognised cat breeds.
While pure-bred dogs are subdivided
into their various tasks they perform for
people (hunting, guard, protective, sled
or com- panion dogs), cats are
exclusively bred for their beauty. The
Savannah cats originate from the United
States. There, the first kit- tens came
into this world in 1980 as the result of a
cross between a serval and a Siamese.
Even though it took a while, step- by-
step the Savannah cat was established
as an official breed. We have visited the
Swiss Savannah cat breeder Corina
Müller- Rohr
) in
the Swiss town of Rudolfingen and
learned some in- teresting facts about
the breeding and keeping of those
beautiful creatures.
Ms Müller-Rohr, depending on the
number of generations, Savannah cats
have up to 75% Serval genes and
thereforepredator blood in them.
Letme just start with a fewwords about
the breed ‘Savannah’
and some
explanations about the difference of the
number of genera- tions. The Savannah
cat is an exotic and young cat breed that
originated from a cross between an
African Serval and a Siamese cat in the
1980s. The aim of the Savannah breed is
to create a cat that closely resembles the
beauti- ful AfricanServal in look combined
with the uncomplicated character of a
domestic cat. The Savannah cat is a tall,
slender cat with long legs, long neck and
a rather small, straight head with large
ears featuringso calledwildspots.
Interview: Birgit Hügli-Herrmann
Are there any special regulations of laws
that must be observed for keeping a
Savannahcat?
All FoundationSavannahs haveanF and
a number associated with it to indicate
howmany generations it is away from its
African Serval ancestor. An F1 cat has an
African Serval as a father and would be
the first generation removed from the
African Serval.
Therefore an F1
Savannah cat has about 50% up to 75%
of Serval blood, depending on the
mating. An F2 would be the second
generation removed from the African
Serval with a range of 25% to 37.5% of
AfricanServal bloodandso on.
A cat bred down from the African Serval,
but it is at least 4generations removed, is
an SBT (Stud Book Tradition) Savannah
cat. The SBT Savannah cat is a ‘pure’
Savannah that is guar- anteed to have
only Savannahs as parents for at least 3
generations.
Since Savannah cats are a fairly new
breed and some are considered Hybrid
cats, the hybrid laws and regulations
differ from country to country, even from
area to area. In Switzerland the keeping
of an F1 or an F2 Savannah cat needs a
permission by the veterinary depart-
ment, including an open-air and an indoor
enclosure and an owner with an
education in animal care. Savannah cats
up to and including the fourth generation
fall as Hybrid cats under the Convention
on International Trade in End- agered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),
which needs to be considered when
border crossing.
Is there any particular knowledge
required by the owner to keep a
Savannah cat? From which generation
areSavannah cats suitable for normal cat
lovers?
Besides the special regulations of laws
that must be considered, the owner has
to be aware that the Savannah cat isa
hybrid feline even in the lower
generations.
Savannah cats can
potentially have smaller livers due to the
Serval ancestry, which can increase the
risk of side effects with certain
medications.
