The Savannah is a new breed of cat created by crossing an African serval with a domestic cat. The purpose is to produce a special domestic pet with the stunning wild exotic appearance of the serval, but having the predictable litterbox habits and temperament, and the easy care and feeding requirements of a domestic cat. This is intended to fulfill many people's desire for an unusual exotic-looking pet companion without the many difficulties posed by actually keeping an exotic animal.

Savannahs are as a rule, friendly, intelligent, outgoing, and very active and playful cats, with a well-developed inquisitive nature. Some say they are "dog-like" in their devotion to their owner, and often they will want to check out whatever you are doing. They can be trained to go for walks using a "walking jacket" or harness, but should enjoy the outdoors only on the end of a leash or from inside a secure outdoor enclosure. They may like to play "fetch" and larger Savannahs are probably better off with small sturdy dog toys, instead of tiny flimsy cat toys that they might accidentally ingest. They like heights, and some enjoy playing with and in water. Especially when introduced young, they will adapt well to living with dogs, other cats, and well-behaved children. Pets should always be neutered or spayed. Although early generation males are sterile, neutering is healthier in the long run, and prevents some unpleasant habits, like spraying, from developing. Savannahs can range from 8 to over 20 lbs. when mature. Coat colors are "brown" which can be anywhere from golden to tawny brown or a cooler greyish-beige, "silver", solid "black" (melanistic) or "smoke" (black with white undercoat). They may be spotted or marbled, though at this time, only the spotted pattern is accepted for showing. 

Some special terminology is used when referring to generations of Savannahs, as a measure of how close they are to their serval ancestor. F1 is the first generation: their parents are a serval and a domestic cat. The F2 has a serval as a grandparent, The F3 has a serval great-grandparent and so on. Males are sterile until the fifth generation (F5), but females are fertile. So F1, F2, F3 and F4 females are generally bred to domestic males. Domestic males used as outcrosses are typically spotted breeds - including bengals, oriental shorthairs, maus, ocicats or some combination of the above. Serengetis (bengal x oriental shorthair) are also used in breeding programs.

F1 Savannahs are rare: the initial cross between the serval and domestic is very difficult, due to differences in size and length of gestation (65 days for domestic, but 66-77 days for servals), so kittens are often born premature and require special care. This explains their relatively high prices. In subsequent generations, this is not so much of a problem, since females are bred to domestic males who are generally a little smaller.

Savannahs are a relatively new breed and there are a limited number of them in existence right now.  As more fertile males at the F5 and greater generations are born, the breed will increase and will be able to retain more of the beautiful serval-like looks in later generations, while keeping that wonderful unique personality, along with the sweet domestic tractability and ease of care.

The African serval (leptailurus serval) is a medium-sized wild spotted cat found in Sub-Saharan Africa. They inhabit wetlands and grassy savannahs, where their main prey is rodents, and they also hunt frogs, and birds and other small animals. They are 25-40 lbs when mature and average 20" at the shoulder. They have black spots and markings on a golden to dark tawny background, have tall deep ears set close together on top of the head, long legs, and a moderately short ringed tail. They have been called the "poor man's cheetah," though they are not at all related to the cheetah. They have been privately owned in the U.S. for years, and kept as pets in Africa for longer than that. They are reputed to have a more outgoing personality than many wild cats, and can bond strongly to their owners.

However they are not ideal housepets. In the wild, servals mark their territory with spraying, and even neutered ones may also mark their territory - or even "their" people. They may or may not have decent litterbox habits, and they require a special diet. They will have trouble adapting to a new home if for any reason they have to move after becoming an adult, and since they can live for up to 20 years, serval ownership is a long-term commitment, certainly never one to be taken lightly. They are very active, can leap 6 feet high very easily, and require plenty of room to run and play, typically a specially constructed, fenced outdoor enclosure. Also, as an exotic animal, they require special permits to own, and are illegal in many cities and a few states. Savannah cats are an ideal alternative for people who admire servals, but who for many reasons, cannot or should not own one.