Savannah Cats

For those who don't know, my husband and myself are HUGE Savannah cat fans. We own an F-5 Savannah named Thandiwe. Which translates from Swahili to "She who is loved." A Savannah cat is a hybrid cat, mixed with an African Serval and a domesticated cat. Depending on how much wild African Serval they have, the lower the F-#. Example: an F-1 Savannah would roughly be about 50% Serval and 50% domesticated cat. Thandiwe is and F-5, so she has about 6% African Serval.


We purchased Thandiwe from a breeder because our son has multiple allergies, both food and airborne. Having a hybrid cat is different. Some people who are allergic to cats will have no problems with Savannah's and other's, well.....it won't make a difference either way. Savannah's are usually water loving cats which is our #1 reason for adopting our lovely Thandiwe. But like most animals they all have their own personalities and some just won't have anything to do with water regardless.


What I wanted to touch on, besides how AWESOME our cat is, that Savannah's can be very expensive and hard to manage if you don't do your research. Savannah's often have potty problems because they don't like to share the potty with other household pets, they are master escape artists, and extremely intelligent. In fact our Thandiwe can open cabinets, closed doors and I've even seen her open my dresser drawers at night.


Sadly people purchase Savannah's as babies and then tend to grow tired of their bad habits by the time they are 2 years of age. I have worked in Savannah rescue programs and have own and relocated more than a few. They are amazing animals and deserve kind and loving homes with families who plan to keep them through good times and bad. Please if you plan to own a hybrid cat or animal, please make sure you are ready to care for that animal for life. They live long lives and bond strongly to their families which make them hard to relocate in the future. I hope this article has been helpful for anyone who owns or plans to own a hybrid in the future. Thank you and don't forget to "Bob Barker" your animals. It is the kindest thing for them in the long run.