The Savannah is a breed descended from crosses between domestic cats and African Servals. It was developed in the United States during the late 1980s and was accepted by TICA in championship in 2012. They are a leggy, lean spotted cat with tall ears and a signature dark nose and tear tracks on the face, and resemble a domestic cat far more than they resemble a Serval. In particular, they are much smaller than Servals despite often being promoted as a “dog-sized cat”.

Although early-generation crosses are often sold on the grey market, Savannahs that are accepted in the show hall must be a certain number of generations away from the Serval cross, with F4 being the minimum for registration, and typically show-safe Savannahs are F7 or further. Temperament is extremely important in order to ensure that cats are agreeable to handling and the show environment.

Type & judging remarks
Long and tall. The Savannah weighs less than another breed of its frame size, although it is muscular and strong. The head is multi-faceted with very distinctive, upright and rounded ears. Tear tracks on the face, extending from the inner eye corners to the muzzle (“Cheetah markings”) are a signature trait, along with a dark nose leather. No preference for markings or colour.