Difference between Savannah and Bengal cats?

There is one major difference between Savannah and Bengal cats which dictates all the other differences: the wild cat genes of the Savannah cat are those of a serval while the wild genes of the Bengal are those of an Asiatic leopard cat.

 Difference between Savannah and Bengal cats? Photos
(left: Jim Child - right: Kathryn Stucki)

They are both wild cat hybrids. Therefore they both have some wildcat in them. The amount depends on whether the cat concerned is a kitten from a mating between a serval and a domestic cat (first filial or first generation) or if the cat concerned is several generations from that offspring (fifth filial for instance). But they all have some serval in them.

The same basic rule applies to the Bengal cat only the wild cat element is a much smaller wild cat: the Asiatic leopard cat aka leopard cat. The serval is quite a large wild cat and much larger than the leopard cat.

And the serval has a different character to the leopard cat. So taking the first filial (F1) Savannah and Bengal cats the former is larger than the latter and the legs are longer. The character of the former may be a little more amenable to human company than the latter because the leopard cat is vehemently independent while the serval is more pliable I'd say. But that is a fine point.

DIFFERENCE IN SAVANNAH CAT AND BENGAL CAT BEHAVIOR

The big difference is the appearance. Also the coat of the Savannah cat reflects that of the serval: plain dark spots on a yellowish background. The Bengal has rosettes and a more intricate pattern usually. Some of the differences are due to years of selective breeding which has separated their respective appearances more such as spotted Bengals and blotched tabby Bengals. There are arrowhead spots and donuts and so on.

IF YOU WANT AN F1 BENGAL READ THIS

The F1 Savannah cat is better known than the F1 Bengal. Quite a lot of people live with the exotic F1 Savannah because they are so glamorous and large. Also some say that they are slightly hypoallergenic (unproven). Very few people live with F1 Bengals. They are rarer. They are hard to live with. So are F1 Savannahs but probably a bit easier than living with an F1 Bengal.

The most common version of each breed is the fifth filial. These behave like classic domestic cats but they may be a bit more challenging on occasions.

You cannot say that all cats hate water!

I have to confess that I have become a little bit frustrated and perhaps irritated by a large number of articles on the Internet which state with complete confidence that cats hate water. They are generalising about all cats. You can't generalise like that. You have to drill down and analyse the situation in far more detail.

The originan Van kittens swimming. Please click this link to read about the real Turkish Van

Firstly, you have to decide whether you are referring to cats walking outside in the rain and getting wet or whether you are describing bathing a cat or a cat falling into a bath or pond. When a cat, and I'm referring to a domestic cat in this instance, is submerged in water they will in general dislike it. You can pretty well bank on that. But it depends upon the individual cat as to how much they dislike it. Some may hate it and some may simply put up with it while others will love being in the bath.

Rain

However, you have to compare that situation with being out in the rain. We know that in the UK 99% of cats go outside whenever they like through a cat flap. They might go out in the rain. My cat actually goes out when it's raining sometimes. Clearly the rain does not perturb him. Or he is caught in a downpour and comes in soaking wet. It doesn't worry him particularly. Therefore this is, at least, one cat who does not hate water. He just doesn't mind getting wet.

So among the domestic, random bred cats you will find individual cats who might even like water and those who are ambivalent about it and those who dislike it or even hate it. There is a full spectrum of personalities which affects how they relate to getting wet.

Turkish Van

Then you have the cat breeds. There is quite a lot of talk about the Turkish Van swimming in water and liking it. This is a bit of a myth (see picture and link above). All the current Turkish Van cats in Turkey are random bred cats and they will behave just like random bred cats in America or the UK or anywhere else when it comes to getting wet. The person who started the Turkish Van breed was an English lady and she was driving home from Turkey with some cats and they went for a swim in a lake. This does not mean that all Turkish Van cats like to swim in ponds or lakes.

Maine Coon

I read somewhere that the Maine Coon cat likes to swim as well. This is a myth if you've heard it. In general, purebred cats will be no different to random bread cats in this respect.

The wildcat hybrids are much more likely to like or accept getting wet. Photo: in public domain.

Wild cat hybrids

You have to mention the wild cat hybrids. These cats such as the Savannah and Bengal have serval and Asiatic leopard cat DNA in them respectively to varying degrees depending on their filial. This affects their character and their relationship with water. Both the higher filial variants of these breeds are much more amenable to getting wet and even going into showers than the average random bread or purebred cat. 

This is because the serval and the Asiatic leopard cat live in wetter landscapes. The serval lives in and around watercourses and the Asiatic leopard cat lives in rainforests. They are habituated to wetter landscapes and climates. This has been brought forward in their DNA as a form of memory which has been embedded into the characteristics of these two wild cat hybrid domestic cats. That's why they accept or even like water.

Wild Cats

And then if you're talking about cats in general you must talk about the wild cat species. The tiger loves water and spends a lot of time in it. They are great swimmers and can swim in the open sea for miles. The jaguar in South America loves water and spends time in it as well. The small wild cat species, the fishing cat, spends most of its time in and around watercourses where it, yes, fishes. 

There are other the small cat species such as the flat-headed cat which also spends a lot of time on river banks near water. The Geoffroys' cat dives into water to hunt so once again a small wild cat looking much like the domestic cat likes water. All these species actively get into the water and therefore don't mind being wet. You can never say that "all cats hate water". Please don't do it! Rant over.

Escaped Melanistic F1 Savannah in Scotland?

There might be an escaped F1 melanistic Savannah cat roaming around Scotland, near St. Andrews. I'll tell you why it is a possibility.

The local press is talking about a black "big cat" on the loose (see Fife Today). The word "big cat" is used loosely to! Because a father and son were out for a walk near St. Andrews when from a distance of 35 feet (fairly close so the sighting was good) they saw "a big black cat". It was the size of a small Labrador they added.

There is a difference between a "big black cat" and a "black big cat"! Big cats are usually one of the top four biggest wildcats: jaguar, leopard, lion and tiger.

A genuine black big cat is likely to be a melanistic leopard or jaguar (euphemistically called black panthers). These are large animals considerably larger than a normal or large labrador.

Labradors vary in size but at the shoulder a small Labrador might be about 21 inches tall. The world's tallest domestic cat was at one time Magic, an F1 Savannah cat that was 17.1 inches at the shoulder. The male serval, the father of an F1 Savannah cat is considerably bigger but smaller than the leopard or jaguar.

There is at least one Savannah cat breeder in Scotland: Wild Cat Breeder. They don't say where they are on their website. However, servals and Savannah cats are able to escape. Melanism can occur at anytime. It is a genetic mutation that affects the coat and nothing else.

We are not talking about big cats in the conventional sense. Newspapers like to talk things up. But the observations of a large black cat roaming around St. Andrews, if the observations are faithful, might be sightings of a melanistic F1 Savannah cat or perhaps a serval as both these cats are in Scotland, albeit in captivity. They are the correct size based on the best sighting referred to above.

See also Big Cats in the UK.

What cats are hypoallergenic?

No cats are hypoallergenic although some individual cats might cause less of an allergic reaction that other cats. Also some cat breeds might cause a reduced allergic reaction than other cat breeds. But all the claims are anecdotal. There is no science on this.

Also we should remember that most people are not allergic to cats. The allergen that causes the allergic reaction is a protein in the cat's saliva called Fel D1. It is deposited on the fur when the cat grooms. It dries and flies off into the atmosphere as cat dander. If you are allergic to cats you need not touch a cat but just be in the same area and feel itchy.

Unneutered male cats are more likely to cause an allergic reaction. Incidentally, the word "hypoallergenic" means less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

Cat breeders like to mark out their cat breed as special. It is a marketing method. One Siberian cat breeder claims the Siberian cat is hypoallergenic. I cannot confirm or refute that. The Savannah cat is said, by a respected person who knows, to be hypoallergenic but this is not confirmed with science. The Life Style Pets (Allerca) Ashera GD is an F1 Savannah and claimed to be hypoallergenic. That is why they are sold.

Answering the question, "what cats are hypoallergenic?" we get the answer, "None, except that some will be less likely to cause an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to the Fel D1 allergen." The key is to find the individual cat or go to a Siberian or Savannah cat breeder and see if you start to itch!

The Well Socialized F1 Savannahs

I have a YouTube Channel (my own home page on YouTube) and I am what is called a "partner" at YouTube. The channel does well mainly because there are several videos of two large domestic cat to wild cat hybrids: the Guinness World Records tallest cat MAGIC and TITAN, a superb male. My thanks to Kathrin and Martin Stucki of A1 Savannahs.



Both are F1 Savannah cats. "F1" stands for first filial, which in turn means the first generation from the wildcat to domestic cat mating. These are half wildcats. Their father is a serval.

But the point I would like to make in this short posting is this: these cats are superbly well socialised. They behave like domestic cats. It is the domestic cat half of the cat, if you like, that is the character of the cat. Of course, there is a wild cat element. That's what makes these cats fascinating and desirable. But the wildcat element is shown in subtle ways not in overt and uncomfortable ways. There is that wild look on the face (see header photo). They like water and will join you in the shower - this sort of thing.

F1 Savannah FOCUS - a darling cat - Photo: Michael

I mention this because the videos of these cats get thousands of comments. And nearly all the comments are nice but there is a notable few that demonstrate a lack of understanding of the socialization of these domestic cats - the largest domestic cats in the world.

People say things like, "that girl is going to get scratched" or "if I handled my cat like that he would bite me".

Of course it depends how you handle your cat but it also depends how well socialized your cat is. Socialization is the process whereby a newborn kitten is trained to be comfortable around and with people and other animals. This is not formal training but simply ensuring the kitten during the first 7 weeks of his or her life is handled properly by people and is in contact with and associates with other cats and dogs etc. in a beneficial way. This makes them relaxed around people and animals and prevents them from being defensive in their presence.

A1 Savannahs who raised MAGIC and TITAN ensure that their cats are socialized to the highest level. It is obviously of particular importance that this happens in respect of large first filial wildcat to domestic cat hybrids.

Savannah Cat Breeder

You are searching for a Savannah cat breeder? Search no more. There in one that is head and shoulders above all others and that includes all cat breeders. I am not getting a commission for saying this, by the way.

You should contact this cat breeder and go from that starting point. I will guarantee that it is the best way of proceeding if you are looking to buy a Savannah cat from a breeder in the United States. And the USA is the home of the SAVANNAH CAT.

I am talking about A1 Savannahs. They are the premier Savannah cat breeder, worldwide. They do business with royalty in far flung places (e.g. Morocco) and they deal with "ordinary" people in the US, UK and Europe etc.

The following F2 Savannah cat was sold to the King of Morocco:

F2 Savannah cat - Photo copyright Kathrin Stucki

I have visited A1 Savannahs on a couple of occasions.  They have a guest house for visitors who want to stick around for a while and see the cats before buying and going home. Or for people like me who just want to visit and enjoy the A1 Savannah Cats farm, which is a model of harmony in a disharmonious world:

Harmony at A1 Savannahs Farm - Photo: Michael @ PoC.

At this stupendous Savannah cat breeder there are Savannah kittens underfoot being socialised. They have fun and they can be noisy:





There is good food for visitors and plenty of fun playing with the cats! Oh, and there is some really nice wine too...uhmm I like that..

You might bump into an F1 Savannah cat like "Focus" and play with him or even, at one time, a cat like the famous "Magic" or if you like to see a bit of wildlife you can see the servals. Morpheus is large and his partner Penelope is a lady but they are wild cats remember..

F1 Savannah cat "Focus" - Photo by Michael@PoC

I could go on and on but I'll just say that if you are anywhere in the world and are looking for a Savannah cat breeder contact A1 Savannahs who are situated near Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States.


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Their website has all you need for further details: A1 Savannahs.

The map below shows a large number of Savannah cat breeders, but the best is you know who..


Map Channels: free mapping tools

Finally here is Kathrin Stucki who owns and runs A1 Savannahs with her husband Martin:



Remember that Savannah cats are wildcat hybrids that are truly domestic cats. They do have that look of the wild, are probably sharper and quicker than the average domestic cat but they are domesticated. Make sure you know the rules regarding ownership in your country or particularly state in America. Some states have banned the higher fillial Savannah cats and in the UK you might need a license. Just check out the legalities. That is the first thing to do.



From Savannah Cat Breeder to Home Page

Exotic Cats and Wild Cats

In America more people than anywhere else in the world keep exotic and wild Cats. I am not being critical of Americans or America. It is a great country. It is the ultimate capitalist society and highly successful but always vulnerable to the excesses of capitalism. 

F1 Savannah -  an exotic pet. Photo: Kathryn Stucki.

Unbridled capitalism brings problems as it is a model than panders to human weakness. Capitalism needs to be kept in check. An area that is of concern to the authorities is the keeping of exotic animals generally and of concern to me are the tamed wild cats and wildcat hybrids. 

It would seem that the authorities desire to better control the keeping of big cats (spurred on by HSUS) may be having an effect in some States on the keeping of, for example, Bengal cats. As we know Bengal cats are true domestic cats despite having some wild blood in them (it is thought about 12% for 4th generation cats). Some people prefer to keep earlier generations of Bengal cat. 

Then there are the other wildcat hybrids, Savannahs, Chausie, Safari. Then the tamed wild cat the Serval (a different kettle of fish). The point I am making is that there seems to be a gradual backlash to the gradual expansion of the keeping of exotic small cats and hybrid wildcats. 

They have been caught in the net of controls on the big wild cats. It is only in America where there is such an interest in the keeping of wild animals. You just don't see individuals in other parts of the world with their own mini-zoo. There are some but few. 

 As far as I am aware some local authorities in the US are beginning to clamp down on the keeping of Bengal cats (the best known and most frequently kept wildcat hybrid). This is of huge concern to the Bengal cat, cat fancy. 

The other problem facing the Bengal cat community is the unfortunate presence of the inherited heart disease in breeding cats. It's a kind of double whammy for breeders of the Bengal cat. If I were considering keeping a Bengal cat in the USA, I'd check on the legalities first - your breeder or rescue center should know but the law is changing it so this is grey area. In the UK the Bengal cat is still a wild cat and has to be registered but few if any keepers of this cat do this.