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Introduction

G

graelb

Hey Folks,

I'm new around here... I used to have two bengal boys, and when my girlfriend and I broke up, she took them, because she had the better household/income/whatever to take care of them. Things have changed for the better in my situation and I'm looking into getting a few new kitties. I'm having a little trouble deciding between bengals and savannahs. I really like the size of the savannah, but I cannot in my mind justify spending more than 2,000 for a pair of them, when I can get a pair of bengals (which I loved to death) for about 850.

Those of you that have (or have had) both bengals and savannahs, what is the temperament differences?
 
Patti

Patti

Admin
Staff member
In my experience Bengals and Savannahs have similar personalities. Some are totally ADHD, others are pretty laid back. I'm not sure what you are considering a large cat to be, but unless you are getting an F1 or maybe an F2 (both come with a price tag in the thousands) most Savannahs are the size of an average, or large domestic cat.
 
Mischief

Mischief

Savannah Super Cat
I have a Bengal Mix and an F5 Savannah and I agree that they're pretty similar to each other. It's ironic that my Lynx Siamese is actually bigger in size than my F5 Savannah. But I think that cats are like people in that it depends on the individual cat.
 
Brigitte Cowell

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
Size is our number one myth...not all Savannahs are huge and certainly not the size of a labrador which seems to be the impression from some pictures on the internet and websites.

As already said above, in terms of personality I think Bengals and Savannahs can be very similar...so it depends a lot on which look you prefer, as the ALC and Serval are very different looking exotic cats hence the breeds should offer a different look also :)
 
Treywi

Treywi

April
I have two later generation Bengals and one F4 Savannah. I can say my SV has much more energy then the Bengals. My SV is more social but also requires much more play time and interaction then my Bengals do. Company comes over and the Bengals hide, the SV is quick to show up and expect pets and to be played with. Don't tell the my furkids but the SV is my favorite. Of course like others mentioned they are all individuals so personalities will be different with each cat. So while mine are this way, someone else may have more active social Bengals then their SV. ;)

Size wise my SV is still in your normal average cat range, but is slightly taller then my male Bengal, but the male Bengal is heavier. Coats are different. Bengals have the soft silky feel to them while SV's are a bit coarser. I notice my SV shedding lots more then the Bengals. As for price. I'm going to say depends on generation, breeder and how close to standard/type they are which will determine how much they'll cost. My SV didn't cost but a few hundred more then my Bengals, but I got them all from the same breeder so partially was discounted for a repeat customer. hehe

But this is just my experience with mine. Not sure how helpful that is.
 
G

graelb

Hey guys, thank you for all the great pointers. The big thing for me in getting a savannahs was the size factor. And it sounds like that's not really going to be a big factor unless I get an f1 or f2, and I just can't afford that. One of my bengals was super outgoing, and while the other was kind of a scaredy cat. I really liked the intelligence and curiosity of them too. Thank you guys for the insight, I may go up to a local breeder and see what an adult savannah is like here before I make the decision, but it sounds like I'm more interested in the bengals...
 
Mischief

Mischief

Savannah Super Cat
The other suggestion would be to visit a cat show where both the Savannahs and Bengals are featured. This way you can ask any questions you have of the breeders and see both breeds. Plus cat shows are alot of fun, you get to meet some interesting people and see some neat cat products.
 
Pam Flachs

Pam Flachs

Savannah Super Cat
Mischief said:
The other suggestion would be to visit a cat show where both the Savannahs and Bengals are featured. This way you can ask any questions you have of the breeders and see both breeds. Plus cat shows are alot of fun, you get to meet some interesting people and see some neat cat products.
Click to expand...



Great advice! The link to TICA shows (you will not see Bengals or Savannahs at a CFA show) is:

http://www.tica.org/public/calendar.php

And by all means, if you can visit a breeder, Graelb, that would be good, too. Keep in mind not all breeders allow visitors...
 
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