sbt kitten versus the average cat

[Bekki]

Deborah I'm willing to take up on the challenge. I am apparently exhausting to my bunnies. We play chase and give piggy back rides ( I'm not lying either my bunnies are sick I don't understand it myself) they are pooped pretty quick tho. I'm curious just how busy they can keep me. They have to run out of energy eventually right guys? ...right? ....... I'm beginning to think I'm underestimating the energy level thing lol. I will have to navigate around the forum a bit more and see the pages. I'm sure you have some great recommendations.and 18lbs of kitty? Woah I would have never expected. I must see a picture! He sounds like a darling. I wish there was a way to know what genetics would lead towards a Larger sbt. I am by no means a biology expert although if I had a choice between a cat I have a connection with vs a cat that was large. I would pick the cat that meshes best with my personality they have a 6th sense about this stuff anyways.

 

[Patti]

First, I want to make sure you realize that not all SBT Savannahs are legal in NY because some are F4, so don't assume that because a kitten is SBT it will be legal where you live.

As for size and personality, the Savannah breed in general is not a huge cat breed, unless you get an F1 and possibly F2. But small and fragile? Not in my experience. The Savannah personality seems to follow through with each generation, especially as you cross more generations of SV x SV breeding to produce those SBTs. What they may be missing is some of the persistence and stubbornness of the F1s, but everything else is pretty much a personality trait of the breed, not specific to generation.

I'm not sure where you are researching, I think the majority of breeders are breeding SBT, at least as part of their program, so not sure why you can't find much info on them. You should be able to find plenty of pics and other info here on the forum. I think it will be important, once you find a breeder you want to work with, to explain exactly what you are looking for in a Savannah so he/she can match you with the right kitten. There is a breeder directory here, as well as a forum on kittens available. Good luck, I hope you find the perfect baby!

 

[Kristin]

If you talk to your breeder, they can give you a guesstimate on size by looking at full siblings from other litters.
I'm not going to lie, I would have loved a big savannah, but I wouldn't trade my little girl for anything. She would be a handful if she was big anyways

 

[WitchyWoman]

There are a few people here who have SVs that do not resemble velociraptors on speed but not many. Mine are mature -- 3 & 4 yrs old -- and being crepuscular, their high energy times are early morning and early evening. Except for my devil spawn F6 who needs only 3 seconds of sleep per day. When they were kittens, I didn't think we or the cats would survive their 1st year. I swear their little paws rarely hit the floor. They flew around the house, defying gravity.

I hope Brigitte posts a picture of Baz for you. He is stunning. I met him once and he is unforgettable.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Here's a pic of Jobs from last October. He's so ridiculous it is hard to get a picture of him as he wants to be close to humans all the time. His littermate brother is the same size as is his younger brother. I now have his 4 month old baby brother but I suspect he won't be quite as large (he's not available, that's not why I mention him) but probably a decent sized boy still.

In terms of picking for size, I would say MOST pet buyers initially go searching for "big"... unfortunately that will mean most will get somewhat scammed by believing a breeder that is prepared to promise "big" in a newborn kitten. Birth weight will not determine eventual size. My largest kittens were singletons (as they don't compete for resources with other kittens in the womb)... but they don't grow the largest as adults. The kittens that grew the tallest (including the tall Mondo that was featured in Animal Planet's Savannah episode of Cats101 some years back) were really normal sized kittens at birth. You will see indications at 7-8 weeks when they seem to shoot out huge puppy paws and it becomes obvious which one will be large.

I will not guarantee size, I guarantee health and personality. I think better to search for the kitten with personality, the breeder that will be honest about personality and other things... and if you get size that is a bonus

 

[Bekki]

The kitty brigade!!! I bet your bed is filled with kitties. I wonder if they ever push your husband out of bed just to get prime real estate next to you.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I hope Brigitte posts a picture of Baz for you. He is stunning. I met him once and he is unforgettable.

There you go, Deborah! Baz is a large boy, registered as F5C but I think that probably misleading as he comes from a high % program hence his theoretical Serval content is more equivalent to F3... still he's an impressive boy for even that generation I think

I've shown Baz a bit when we were in the new breed program on the road to Championship... he was great for showing how a Savannah could be large but completely non-threatening. He was also good to show how a black Savannah could still look special and not at all like a domestic shorthair. He has a lot of charisma

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

The kitty brigade!!! I bet your bed is filled with kitties. I wonder if they ever push your husband out of bed just to get prime real estate next to you.

Me? Well yes, we did get a King-sized bed because of the kitties...but still we get squished as they all wish to be cuddled next to a human!

 

[Bekki]

haha devil spawn? And velociraptor on speed sounds very intimidating. Maybe a tiger bouncy cat is a bad idea. but from what I hear they are all pretty active to begin with plenty of personality to punch. And Bridgette adorable! I am shocked at his size though. I had no idea that they could get that beastly that would almost be too big for me haha. No I'm not horribly concerned with size you can never predict my silus is only 14lbs of bunny and he should have been closer to 18-20. Who would have known. And health is more important than anything. do you think you get a healthier heartier cat with a savannah or hybrid in general than a typical house cat? Because you have less chance of inbreeding? so you're not breeding the negative genes into majority? cleaner genetics?

 

[Bekki]

I am drooling over him. Wow I have never seen a black savannah before!