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Measure you cats!
- Thread starter F1hybrids
- Start date
GOOD!
LOL Per. I love your pithy sense of humor. I can understand why breeders get sick of the question, especially since size isn't easy to predict. But, I think it is perfectly reasonable for a potential owner to ask the size question. After all, the long-leggedness of the cats are mentioned in the standard and its exotic ancestry to a largish cat is part of its appeal to the general public. I understand that personality is paramount, but I think it's unfair to be critical of people who also want a large cat.
If I were a breeder, I'd keep meticulous records about the size & disposition of every litter I produced. It is just scientific curiosity on my part to be able to look back over what I've done and see if patterns occur in particular pairings and to try to determine what average, above average, and below average meant for my cattery in a longitudinal study.
If I were a breeder, I'd keep meticulous records about the size & disposition of every litter I produced. It is just scientific curiosity on my part to be able to look back over what I've done and see if patterns occur in particular pairings and to try to determine what average, above average, and below average meant for my cattery in a longitudinal study.
A good way of doing that is taking a photograph of all your cats (one at the time) standing in front of a neutral but measured background, at a pre-defined age and with a name-label visible. That would give you all the above?
K
Kronos
Guest
I measure my pets height and weight lol! Maybe I will do their lengths tonight... Coco is 12" tall and 13lbs, Kronos 11" and 9lbs, Solo 12.5 or 13" and 13lbs. Traditionally for height you measure to the shoulders, and length is from base of the neck to the base of the tail. I don't think it is unreasonable for buyers to ask these questions, because one of the prominent traits of our breed is that they are leggy and long - so we should have this information handy!
It just takes buyer education for them to realize that after a certain generation they tend to be the same height and weight as other cats but are very sleek and slender.
It just takes buyer education for them to realize that after a certain generation they tend to be the same height and weight as other cats but are very sleek and slender.
As long as people keep putting it out there that Savannahs are Huge and Wild, we will continue to have them banned...that is all I am saying...not that people should not have a large cat. it is all in how they are described...unfortunately we are living in a time where words become very important...
Wouldn´t length be more precisely measured from nosetip to tail base?
Nope, because I'd want to chart weight too. Part of the urge is due to my background as a wildlife rehabber where size & weight are important indicators used to determine health and potential survivability of a wild animal being released back into its native habitat, particularly if it was brought into the rehab center as a baby or juvenile.A good way of doing that is taking a photograph of all you cats (one at the time) standing in front of a neutral but measured background, and with a name-label on it. That would give you all the above?
Trish Allearz
Moderator
The breed standard does NOT call for a big cat. It calls for an overall impression of a tall lean and graceful cat. You can get that with a smaller cat with a looong leg and you can lose it with a HUGE cat that does not have the long legs. Kinda like Great Danes are huge dogs, but do not give you a tall, lean and graceful feel due to their massiveness- while a Greyhound or another sighthound will appear taller then they actually are due to their stature.
It is slightly offensive to have your opening question when inquiring about the breed be all about size- and I'm sure you'd never do that, but you'd be surprised at how many people do. When I receive these inquiries, I tell them that I am more concerned with meeting the breed standard, breeding healthy cats and having well socialized kittens then I am about how big they are. Honestly- I'd rather have a cat barely bigger then a house cat with long legs and the right type then a huge Bengal-like Savannah (heavier body type, heavier build). Most good breeders feel the same way.
Also- when it comes to size- there are no guarantees. For example, Han is a HUGE baby. He is really quite a big little guy, but if his new owner was concerned about his size- I'd be worried. Because I cannot guarantee that the huge baby will turn out a huge cat. Likewise, you cannot guarantee that a runt will stay small.
You can give generalizations, but cats are like people- big people can have short kids and short people can sometimes have very tall kids.
It is slightly offensive to have your opening question when inquiring about the breed be all about size- and I'm sure you'd never do that, but you'd be surprised at how many people do. When I receive these inquiries, I tell them that I am more concerned with meeting the breed standard, breeding healthy cats and having well socialized kittens then I am about how big they are. Honestly- I'd rather have a cat barely bigger then a house cat with long legs and the right type then a huge Bengal-like Savannah (heavier body type, heavier build). Most good breeders feel the same way.
Also- when it comes to size- there are no guarantees. For example, Han is a HUGE baby. He is really quite a big little guy, but if his new owner was concerned about his size- I'd be worried. Because I cannot guarantee that the huge baby will turn out a huge cat. Likewise, you cannot guarantee that a runt will stay small.
You can give generalizations, but cats are like people- big people can have short kids and short people can sometimes have very tall kids.