African Image Savannah Cats

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EST.2010 Exceptional Quality T.I.C.A. ®️ Registered Savannah Cats & Kittens

History of the Savannah Cat

The first known savannah was born on April 7, 1986, when Judy Frank's house cat gave birth to a kitten from an African serval. This F1 (first generation hybrid cross) was Savannah's first kitten born. This unusual cat possessed both domestic qualities and serval qualities. Both the kitten and the breed Suzie Wood (the breeder who bought the baby and became her owner) were named "Savannah". Susie wanted to try and cross Savannah with a pet cat. At that time, nothing was known about the fertility of the hybrid of an African serval and a domestic cat. As it turned out, the savannah was fertile and produced several litters of F2 (second generation hybrids), which proved that the savannah was hopeful of becoming a new breed.

Suzie Wood wrote two articles about her savannah for animal publications. It caught the attention of Patrick Kelly, who was hoping to introduce a new breed of domestic cats with the wild speckled look. Patrick contacted Susie Wood and Judy Frank, but they were not interested in further developing the breed. So Patrick bought the only female kitten Savanna bore and approached several serval breeders to try and breed this new breed with him. Initially, very few breeders were interested in this. But Patrick persisted and eventually persuaded one breeder, Joyce Sruff, to join him in his efforts. During this time, Savannah Patrick F2 was returned to the home environment and gave birth to the first kittens of Savannah F3, giving the new breed more hope. Patrick and Joyce wrote the original breed standard and presented it to the TICA Board of Directors in February 1996.

Joyce Scroof later became a very successful savannah breeder and is often credited with helping develop the savannah breed. Thanks to Joyce's hard work, perseverance and faith in the breed, as well as her extensive knowledge and skills in breeding cats, she produced more savannas than any other breeder of the time, and was one of the first breeders to breed successive generations and produce fertile males. Joyce was also the first to introduce the breed to the public at a major cat show in Westchester, New York in 1997.

Another person who deserves recognition for playing an important role in developing the savannah as a highly successful and popular breed is Lorra Smith, TICA's first Savannah Chairman, whose selfless efforts have helped push the savannas forward within TICA. It was thanks to Lori's efforts during the TICA Hybrid Breed Moratorium that this breed was ultimately accepted into the TICA New Breed program.

Together, Joyce Scroff, Patrick Kelly, and Lori Smith have founded a breed of savannah cats. The foundation of any breed does not happen in a vacuum, and many people are responsible for the development of the savannah cat, but these three played an important role in the creation of the breed.

The reaction of TICA judges and the general public over the past few years has been overwhelmingly positive, with their elegant, exotic appearance and interactive nature savannah cats becoming one of the most sought-after companion animals in the world today.

THE BIG SCAM!

PREVENT YOURSELF FROM BEING SCAMMED

First let me start by saying there are plenty of things you can do to prevent yourself from being scammed.

Just because someone is a registered with TICA registered does not mean they are actually a breeder! Unfortunately just about anyone register a cattery & cats to the cattery. No one from TICA comes to check on them, or if they are doing the right thing. TICA is a world renowned cat registry but that’s where it stops. TICA does not do a background check to verify identity of people or someone claiming to be a breeder. The first clue is price. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. If someone is claiming to have a kitten/cat available, compare the cat in question & it’s stated generation to others of the same generation. Do they have baby pictures, pictures of the parents ? Does it look like what you were expecting or the quality of other kittens of the same generation with very slight differences? Or does it look like something completely different than the average? There are distinct differences you can see with Savannahs verses a pure African Serval, or lower generation compared to an F1 Savannah Cat.
Always ask questions, & a lot of them. If your breeder is hesitant telling you information about them, their program, how they got started, & where their cats came from that is a red flag. Ask for pics of parents, ask if pedigree is available (most breeders have this for their program), ask about testing, & what kind of contract they offer for health guarantee.
Secure a contract ! All ethical breeders that I know offer some type of guarantee in case anything goes wrong. In my opinion is you are spending the money for a premium pet you should have some type of peace of mind knowing the breeder will be fair when it comes to any issue that may arise or if they pass away shortly after purchase due to a genetic defect. We do our best to make sure if there is something popping up in our lines with a genetic default that we do not introduce that to future breedings, so we want to know the good, the bad and ugly. Any ethical breeder will do the right thing and refer back to contract for reference.
Do basic research to see if the breeder you are going to buy from is ethical! Even a basic google search... Unfortunately there is a new trend. Breeders are purchasing kittens & reselling, this means they are not a breeder but a broker. Your breeder should know about your cat, & it’s background. A middle man will not stand behind an extensive health guarantee. If your breeder is claiming to import your kitten & resell it or claim being a rescue this is a BIG RED FLAG!!!! The early generation savannahs can be difficult to produce, it is unlikely that they are rescued and then should be resold at a very high cost, especially with breeding rights. Also importing & exporting is a complicated process. It can take several months to be cleared by fish & game when it comes to the first 4 generations of any hybrid. The breeder must apply for CITES in addition to import export permit & then must report all shipping or transporting involved to the USDA & Fish and Game. Buying and reselling animals without a brokers license supported by insurance is a huge fine and regulated by the USDA. I don’t know about you, but I do not feel comfortable buying a premium priced animal with no knowledge of the animal & where it came from, the odds are a broker isn’t going to stand behind a contract if issues arise.
Last but not least - REFERENCES! But not just any reference, check their social reference, if they are on social media, what date did they start posting in comparison to the time they have been breeding or posting kittens available. If they have an Instagram, Facebook page, Facebook personal, tiktok, Snapchat, etc. check how far back they started interacting. OR Ask for other people that might vouch for who they are, perhaps a peer in the business or a mentor. Unless they have a long standing reputation of buyers or breeders that are known & their name is familiar, I would highly suggest doing a little research. Or ask who is the veterinarian that the breeder frequently works with, & ask for their information. The vets office cannot tell you about what they have been in for but they can verify they have been there. Every breeder has incurred a vet at some point, & likely is happy to give this information.

Also few key 🔑 clues that you are dealing with a broker or scammer:

1 . They don’t know much about genetics, example: if the cat is marble or snow and they are saying it is f1, that is a recessive trait and impossible to get in a f1 because servals do not carry this trait.
2 . They never post kittens at an age that is too young to sell, this means when they list the cat for sale it is ready or old enough to go to a new home.
3 . They don’t know much about pedigrees and get irritated when you ask about the parents, the average breeder can tell you quiet a bit about background of the cat. They should know basic things about the lineage and parents.

4 . Some scammers will go as far as paying for articles to look like they are a legit cattery, they are brokers. Brokering animal without a license is illegal, and many of these brokers are importing them from overseas risking the life of the animal. When it comes to hybrids they must have proper paperwork to import from overseas.

5 . They have no knowledge of theoretical % and generations OR the A,B,C and SBT meaning.

6 . They claim to breed F1savannahs, but the price is to good to be true. And please keep in mind to an uneducated eye all generations can look similar to an f1 at an early age. Some are even selling servals and claiming they are high percentage savannah cats, but a serval can be very hard to deal with at a mature age.

Basic Google Search Your Breeder!

EST.2010 Exceptional Quality T.I.C.A. ®️ Registered Savannah Cats & Kittens

History of the Savannah Cat

Hybrid Chart

Savannah vs Bengal

About Size

THE BIG SCAM!

EST.2010 Exceptional Quality T.I.C.A. ®️ Registered Savannah Cats & Kittens

History of the Savannah Cat

Hybrid Chart

Savannah vs Bengal

About Size

THE BIG SCAM!

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