Breeding Nonstandard Savannahs for Beginners

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think when it comes to the Habari, it is hard to tell what happened... if the rumored health issues are due to the individual cats in that program or whether some sort of genetic weakness caused by the number of wild cats used in the program reportedly. Given the secrecy of the program, it is impossible for us on the outside to know.

There had been some concern in TICA when Savannah programs used Bengal as there was fear that using two wild cats with the domestic could cause MORE issues with more potential mismatching of DNA. We didn't see that, and TICA eventually accepted that what was important was the Serval heritage and that drama blew over. But I suspect the reason we didn't see issues might be because the Bengals used in SV program were not early generation but SBTs.

There was also the Wagati cat that was very cool-looking, where an F1 Savannah was crossed to an ALC... not too many kittens and I don't think has been repeated since Nicole quit breeding.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Yep! I am taking the position most of the second time buyers for pets will jump on this bandwagon.

Depends on how much research a buyer does before getting the first. But then, so many that jumped in assuming that they'd get a large cat learn by their mistakes...

 

[John Popp]

The attempted breeding of a cat such as the Habari skirts what is ethically acceptable to me. I know it's a slippery slope. It angers me when breeders attempt to satisfy the whims of the general public and/or judges' preferences to the point where an animal's health is compromised. There is very nearly no pure bred dog that doesn't come with a slew of health issues because breeders saw $$$$ when the general public and/or judges showed a preferences for bug eyes, squashed snouts, or legs so short the dog looks like a skink. Last time I was at a cat show I was appalled at the "type" of some of the breeds (Persians for example).
(stepping off the soap box now)

Hang on there Deborah. Just how many Servals do you think make up all the Savannah lineage. If there is a breed that's ripe to be overbred it's the Savannah. Enter in some man made selection to adhere to breed standards and we remove everything from natural selection. That's what breed standards do, they shrink the gene pool not expand it.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

You're only counting the Serval DNA in the genepool? Remember that the Savannah is probably the most outcrossed breed around... so many cats of different breeds went into creating our early Savannahs. The only two catteries I know that inbred heavily were A1Savannahs and Select Exotics. The rest of the breed group has paid attention to pedigrees and things like inbreeding coefficients.

Natural selection doesn't go with a "breed", you can't create a breed without some selection. That doesn't mean ill health though, a good breeder considers the pedigrees of the cats that they breed together, and does the best to health test the cats they use.

 

[SV Dad]

Depends on how much research a buyer does before getting the first. But then, so many that jumped in assuming that they'd get a large cat learn by their mistakes...

Today, I think there is far more information available and credible than just a few years ago. I got into this 8 years ago. Not a lot of info around back then. The main reason I went for a F5 was I feared too much of a wild side. The cat is not large. Mistake? hmmm, I'm not looking at it from that angle. The personality was so stunning I came back for more. Are my boys large? Not really. I don't care. Best cats of my life. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

[SV Dad]

BTW to all of you posting, I am really enjoying this discussion. Lots of information and view points.

 

[John Popp]

I was a personality shopper first. I had recently lost a true clown of a cat in my buddy Jester. He was athletic, lovable and playful every moment of his life. There are athletic feats he accomplished that Chongo still hasn't. I was also considering an Abby, but I kept letting my mind drift back to an experience with a Savannah named Mars some 10 years ago and him parading around with a basketball size Pokemon stuffed animal.

I can't say that size wasn't part of the equation as I was enamored with Mars, and I never had a lot of interaction with an Abby. So passive research for the better part of 10 years and aggressive research for 3 months before pulling the trigger. Again, I was first and foremost a personality shopper and haven't been disappointed.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Today, I think there is far more information available and credible than just a few years ago. I got into this 8 years ago. Not a lot of info around back then. The main reason I went for a F5 was I feared too much of a wild side. The cat is not large. Mistake? hmmm, I'm not looking at it from that angle. The personality was so stunning I came back for more. Are my boys large? Not really. I don't care. Best cats of my life. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Agreed! I first went shopping 12 years ago...and there was even less information

 

[John Popp]

You're only counting the Serval DNA in the genepool?

I thought we were breeding cats to look like servals to meet a standard. Only makes sense to me that would mean that breeding is trying to carry a lot of the serval genes forward.

 

[SV Dad]

I thought we were breeding cats to look like servals to meet a standard. Only makes sense to me that would mean that breeding is trying to carry a lot of the serval genes forward.

Interesting way to look at this......