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Why do some breeders use Bengals in SV breeding??....

K

Kronos

Guest
Kronos has a Bengal grandparent, and also has Ocicat and Oriental Shorthair. I didn't know up front, only found out by ordering his pedigree from TICA. Explains why he is so vocal and probably where his marbled markings come from! He is a B cat.
 

LizK

Savannah Adult
I specifically went to a breeder that did not also breed Bengals, because I didn't want that cross. Bengals have a completly unique personality. I asked about the father and was told he was 100% percent Savannah. Which is a true statement. TICA allows Bengal/SV crosses to be called Savannahs. I don't really think its right. I am more of a OSH and Siamese fan. And I do get offended when strangers ask if my cat is a Bengal. :)
 
K

Kronos

Guest
I think even with SVs that do not have a recent Bengal outcross that strangers who are not involved in the cat fancy will still ask if it is a Bengal, because the breed is more popular and they only associate them with spots.
 

Pam Flachs

Savannah Super Cat
I don't think there is such a thing as a 100% Savannah...yet. Was the sire an SBT? In that case he has 3 generations of only Savannah to Savannah crossings in his background. But guaranteed he does have some other breeds used along the way, whether that is Bengal, OS, DSH, Maine Coon, and others. Your leanings toward an OS look probably was a factor in choosing your babies...surely you are thrilled with them, no matter the background?

Don't be offended when people ask about your "bengal", lol! I get that too, and when I correct them, they always reply they have never heard of a Savannah. In my neck of the world most people have never even heard of a Bengal ;) Look at it as your golden opportunity to educate them about the differences between the two spotted breeds :)
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
I specifically went to a breeder that did not also breed Bengals, because I didn't want that cross. Bengals have a completly unique personality. I asked about the father and was told he was 100% percent Savannah. Which is a true statement. TICA allows Bengal/SV crosses to be called Savannahs. I don't really think its right. I am more of a OSH and Siamese fan. And I do get offended when strangers ask if my cat is a Bengal. :)
Did you tell the breeder that you chose her because you were looking for a Savannah with little to no Bengal in it? Exactly where in the pedigree does the Bengal fall? Are you saying that the mother is a Bengal? If that's the case, then the breeder could have registered the kittens as Savannahs or Bengals per TICA rules. There is no right or wrong to it, it is just the way the registry works.

Also, I'm not sure what the breeder means by 100% Savannah - there is simply no such thing - every Savannah comes from a Serval x domestic cross, and even if the Serval was crossed to a Savannah, that Savannah has domestic in its background somewhere. I don't believe there are many 3-4th generation SBTs being produced yet, so to see a pedigree that has nothing but Savannahs on it I think is still pretty unusual.

BTW, many people ask if a Savannah is a Bengal because they have no clue how to tell the difference, they are just familiar with Bengals because they've been around longer, but many people have yet to hear about Savannahs.
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
Was the sire an SBT? In that case he has 4 generations of only Savannah to Savannah crossings in his background.
First generation SBTs are actually only 3 generations of SV x SV breeding ;-)
 

Trish Allearz

Moderator
Dagger was a much loved, big sap of a cat. I was really heart broken for his family when misty called me about losing him.I an glad to carry on his bloodlines. Shelby also has a dagger f1 on her Cattery as well.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2
 

DChap

Site Supporter
I'm still waiting on Tojo's papers :(, but since he has what appears to me as some rosettes, I am assuming he has Bengal in his heritage. When I got him I didn't know enough about the SV vs. Bengals traits to ask the breeder but my conversations with her had led me to believe he had Siamese and OSH. I found this site after I had put my deposit on him and I love him to death in any case.
 
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