Savannah cats are considered one of the larger races of
domesticated cats. A Savannah cat's body size is higher, slenderer, and
larger than other domestic cats. These cats are the result of breeding 2
cat breeds; the Serval cats (wild cats from Africa) and exotic domestic
cats that are smaller than the Serval cats like the Bengal cat,
Oriental Shorthair, Egyptian Mau, or Serengeti.
Savannah cats are so friendly and cuddly
Savannah Cats Health Issues:
At the time of writing, there aren't any health issues specifically
associated with the Savannah cat. Some vets on the other hand have
noticed Servals to have smaller livers relative to their size. For this
reason, medications on Savannah cats are advised to be lower compared to
their body weight. In addition, the blood values of Savannahs may vary
from the typical domestic cat, due to the Serval genes that they
inherit.
It has also been noted that Savannah cats and other high breeds like
Bengals do not respond well to anesthesia that contains Ketamine. Many
Savannah breeders request that Ketamine be not used for surgeries.
Some (but not all) Savannah breeders believe strongly that modified live
vaccines should not be used on Savannahs, that only killed virus
vaccines should be used. Others are the complete opposite, having had
poor reactions to killed vaccines, and no vaccine reaction (lethargy,
illness, etc) to the modified live vaccines. This, also, has not been
studied, and opinions vary widely from breeder to breeder.
Some breeders state that Savannah cats have no known special care or
food requirements, while others recommend a very high quality diet with
no grains or by-products. Some recommend a partial or complete raw
feeding/raw food diet with at least 32% protein and no by-products. Some
Savannah breeders recommend calcium and other supplements, especially
for growing cats and earlier generations. Others consider it
unnecessary, or even harmful. Most Savannah breeders agree that
Savannahs have a need for more taurine than the average domestic cats,
and therefore recommend taurine supplement which can be added to any
food type. Issues of Savannah diet are not without controversy, and
again, it is best to seek the advice of a veterinarian or exotic cat
specialist before feeding a Savannah cat any non-standard diet.
