What determines personality more?

[SVSLC]

This question may sound confusing, I am confused on what determines personality most?

The question is, is it the percent of Serval or the generation that impacts personality more? It is my understanding that through breeding, one may have a higher or lower percentage of Serval within a given generation. Example being, one could have a higher than 50 percent F1 and a higher percent F2 and so on.

So if you can have high percentages within a given generation, is it the percent of serval or the generation that impacts personality more?

Sorry if my question is not clear.

 

[Trish Allearz]

I'd say...

Genetics and breeder interaction impacts personality more then anything else. And by genetics, I mean the personalities of Mom and Dad.

Probably not answering your question, but it's my answer and I'm sticking to it Since we have no way of determining how much Serval is in a cat besides approximations, I'm not sure you could answer it any other way.

IMHO- your best bet for a kitten is to talk to the breeder about older siblings- I see that personalities ring true during repeat breedings.

 

[John Popp]

I agree with Trish. If you can spell out the character traits you are looking for the breeder should be able to help you out. You can have a relatively complacent F2 and an F5 that goes through life as if their tail were on fire. The parents certainly matter, although in a larger litter the socialization amongst kittens will also play a big role.

Currently I am waiting for a kitten and as discussed with the breeder we need a very confident kitten as the environment they'll be placed into is pretty competitive because of the other cats. A shy or even somewhat timid kitten wouldn't fly here as they would simply be overran. I've been through that ringer before and we needed to give them away to a relative.

Anyway, the best bet is to be active with discussing things with your breeder as they are interacting with the cats every day and will find the best fit for you.

 

[Kristine]

This question may sound confusing, I am confused on what determines personality most?

The question is, is it the percent of Serval or the generation that impacts personality more? It is my understanding that through breeding, one may have a higher or lower percentage of Serval within a given generation. Example being, one could have a higher than 50 percent F1 and a higher percent F2 and so on.

So if you can have high percentages within a given generation, is it the percent of serval or the generation that impacts personality more?

Sorry if my question is not clear.

It is not % that determines personality. It is a combo of the parents (a super social queen will often produce super social kittens as they learn from her how to interact with people) and also early socialization. I do not think early generation Savannahs need to be bottle fed to bond with people, they just need handling and loving. My F1 liked people a lot and was not bottled. My F2's are good boys. One mega social and one shy. Both born of the same mother, but different fathers. That is where genetics come into play. The super social F2's I produced had super social fathers. The shyer ones had a shyer father. They were all raised the same way, in the house, underfoot with a lot of interaction with people and noise and everything else. It was genetics at that point in time. Years ago I selected a queen for my breeding program that was not impressive looking, but had so much personality that I just had to breed her, her great, great, great, great grandkittens all have this sort of personality. As a breeder I say health, temperament and then looks. A beautiful cat is great, but not if you cannot interact with it.

 

[Patti]

Personality has nothing to do with Serval percentage, although the Serval is a very social animal and reportedly the most easily domesticated of all the wild cats. Personality, just like in humans, is simply a matter of nature vs. nurture. Savannahs (as with any creature) can inherit certain personality traits from their parents such as confidence, shyness, boldness, etc. Mom raises then and teaches them more about life and how to interact with it. Then the breeder(s) interact with it and teach it about humans and the 'wide world' they have to explore and grow up in. Each of these influences will effect each kitten uniquely, so there is no 'magic formula' to calculate personality.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I agree that personality is pretty much dependent on the individual kitten irrespective of generation or %.

So saying that, when comparing my 46% F3 Katie to my other cats, she looked and acted exactly like every other F1 I'd met... so when looking at higher % cats within a generation I think you do take that into consideration. I would expect a 75% F1 to act more like a Serval than a 50% F1 for the most part (aside from individual personality differences)...