Savannah cat breed standard

[John Popp]

Not sure about the experts, but she sure is cute. Also, given her age pretty hard for me to figure out if she is a prototypical Savannah as they all seem a little compact at that age.

Last thing is there are plenty of absolutely stunning SVs out there that wouldn't fair well up against the breed standards. Breed standards are important so we don't end up with someone labeling a cat that looks like Bullwinkle a Savannah while also limited enough so we know an SV is an SV.

I think Brigitte said it best, if your cat ended up at a shelter, would they know it's a Savannah?

 

[kittykitty]

Not sure about the experts, but she sure is cute. Also, given her age pretty hard for me to figure out if she is a prototypical Savannah as they all seem a little compact at that age.

Last thing is there are plenty of absolutely stunning SVs out there that wouldn't fair well up against the breed standards. Breed standards are important so we don't end up with someone labeling a cat that looks like Bullwinkle a Savannah while also limited enough so we know an SV is an SV.

I think Brigitte said it best, if your cat ended up at a shelter, would they know it's a Savannah?

I completely agree. I am less interested in seeing how he is compared to the breed standard and more interested in learning about what makes him look like the typical savannah. I find it is easiest for me to learn by having the experts here comment on him so I can learn a bit more about what qualities make the savannah different!

He is such a beautiful cat and I couldn't have dreamed of a better companion, I really just want to learn more about this amazing breed


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[John Popp]

Somewhere along the line I suspect all the SE cats have some Bengal in their pedigree. It's a look that I fancy, while having some deviations from the SV breed standards.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think John sums it up well, the SE cats show the Bengal heritage in their looks which is not quite what we want in our breed if you wished to show the cat but can be very attractive to some pet owners (like John!)...

Although it is hard with kittens, they have odd growth spurts and one week look stumpy and then the next have legs shooting out... I think your kitten has maybe sturdier boning and shorter legs than we might want.

If you compare the hindlegs of your kitten to its torso, that relative proportion...and then compare to the similar posed picture that Patti posted earlier...I think you can see the difference.
This is a bad angle but I don't have any recent pics of my kittens to use other than this that really show the body and legs. we want a lean body and long boning (without being overly slender but not heavy boning either)...hope that helps!

What I see in those pics that I definitely like is the separation of the spotting, that kind of spread out pattern is very nice!

 

[SV Dad]

Kitty, beautiful cat!
My taste runs with John Popp. I like the color and look of the spots.
But I can't find any Bengal In Mayhem & Rascals (F3's) pedigree. So I'm at a loss for the unique spot pattern.
Both of the boys did not seem leggy as kittens, but developed them 6 to 9 months out.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

SE has been breeding generations long enough for much of it to disappear off the 5 generation pedigree, additionally some cats were listed as experimental shorthairs. They also used a Mau at one point that looked identical to their Bengal studs from the pictures on their website... not sure if he was a Bengal-Mau cross (which can then be registered and show on a pedigree as an outcrossed Mau) or if he came from the Toby/Tory line which is a foundation cat that was used both in Bengal and Egyptian Mau breed development at some time.

And yes, for some the priority is the spots. Those of us that show and have our cats sitting in the show ring beside other breeds including the Bengal need to have more than just the spots going for our cats... as the Bengals that are shown are so very flashy, and there's also the Maus and Ocicats with nice spots to contend with. Hence we will pay more attention to face shape and body/legs. As a pet owner I think different priorities are natural.

 

[Patti]

Oops, haha here you go, hope these are better!


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Well it looks like the camera is pointing down on the kitty, shortening the legs because of the angle. He does look like he has a nice long body though, and those legs could definitely sprout at any time

 

[SV Dad]

Well that could explain how it got buried generations back. I saw just a couple of "DS" category cats 5 gens back.
I do like the breed standards for the face and body shape. Those traits help me identify SV's vs BG's.
My F5A is outcrossed with a Mau. I can see the influence in her.

 

[kittykitty]

Thanks for all the replies!


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[John Popp]

Our 2 kittens were very different from SE, Chongo our first and 1/2 brothers of RDs Rascal and Mayhem very much look to have bengal in them. Darker, deeper spots, a more golden coat and a definitely long body. Where they are off on the breed standard, some evidence of rosettes, longer tail, shorter legs and ears than ideal. Just the same, stunning cats, well socialized when they are sent to there forever homes and from my view their kittens seemed to align with their competitors kittens a generation higher, meaning an SE F3 tended to look like their competitors F2.

Monte our other SE Savannah was much more in line with the breed standard although he was a melanistic. At times I personally thought he just looked silly as a kitten, the eye shape had the boomerang which I always thought made him look like the cartoon character gumballhead, his ears were very large, his tail only made it half way to the ground and his legs were so long they actually made his body look compact. Monte was very much a product of the next generation of the SE breeding program and definitely in line with the breed standards from one end to the other. Oh and what I could see of his spots when he was younger, no rosetting, no marbling or overlap and just a great kitten with the personality to match.