Supercats that may still be too wild for a family home

[Elmore Furth]

Wild servals usually subsist on rodents, but they have been observed taking gazelles and springboks. They have a top speed of 50mph and weigh up to 55lbs. The savannah, which is a popular cross between a domestic cat and a serval, can grow up to 35lb, compared with around 10lb for a typical cat.

Sounds like a perfect pet to keep your pit bull company.

Mild-mannered moggies (cockney slang for domestic cats) are increasingly being replaced by new breeds in which African or South American wildcats have been crossbred with domestic cats(costing up to £6,000)

The savannah, the most popular, is bred from a serval, a cheetah-like wildcat found in Africa. It can grow three times larger than a domestic cat and can jump 7ft vertically.

Another breed to have arrived in Britain is the safari, produced by mating a domestic cat with a South American Geoffroy’s Cat. There are also plans by breeders to import the caracat, descended from a caracal, a lynx-like wildcat found in the Middle East and Africa. The savannah is banned in some US states and in Australia, where there were concerns it could kill koalas.

The Savannah Cat Club of Great Britain (SCCGB) warns owners that the animals should not be left alone with young children – but adds that this should apply with all breeds of cat.


Supercats that may still be too wild for a family home

[LeftyMom]

1. Nice pitbull dig. Clearly you know precisely dick about them.

PS This does not belong in Health. Unless cats cause cancer or something.

[flvegan]

2. Ooh, snap!

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. lol

[Liberal Veteran]

15. Cats are the leading cause of toxoplasmosis and bartonella

:D

[Warpy]

3. Ugh, designer cats

They're going to get as overbred and full of problems from inbreeding as designer dogs have gotten.

I had one designer cat, spotted him in animal rescue elegantly reclined in his litter box with his tongue hanging out. I knew he was a lovable slob of a cat, adopted him on the spot, and I was right. He did have a lot of health problems, especially dental problems, and I found out the breed had a lot to do with that.

He made it to 17, though. If I ever go back to adopt another cat, I'll stick to the alley variety. I can't stand seeing a critter suffer with constant health problems from human interference.

I really hate to see the first wildcat hybrids taken as pets. Only years of breeding with domestic cats can possibly make them amenable to domestication.

[Hugin]

20. Here I was worried about Africanized Honey Bees and Fire Ants.

:meow:

:eyes:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Interesting article. But why post in Health?

unless cats cause cancer or something.

[Bobbieo]

5. I have a feral cat - Cassie . She was found on the desert as a kitten and I adopted her.

She is a stange one. I am the only one who can get near her. She won't let me pick her up but she follows me everywhere I go in the house and outdoors, too. She's my "guard cat". She is now 16.

She has the markings of a Mackeral Tabby but she was found only a few houses away from where Jean Mills, the original breeder of the Bengal cat, lived in Yuma. Mills succesfully mated an Asian leopard cat with a domestic tom. There were several kittens which she left when she moved away many years ago. Mills said it is possible Cassie is a throwback.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Cool!

All cats are wonderful.

[appamado amata padam]

7. above cat

had - health - problems.

[Ian David]

9. I guess having your face eaten by a giant cat is bad for your health? n/t

[Warpy]

16. Do you know what a wildcat hybrid does to your health?

Just think of all the antibiotics you'd need from the scratches and bites!

[Elmore Furth]

17. This story was listed in the Telegraph under 'Health'

I wasn't sure if it was because these hybrids could eat children, pets prolong lifespan or just a general suspicion these animals were dangerous.

Hey, where do you think I should have put it? I'm open to suggestions.

[truedelphi]

8. gosh, i wish I could trade my seven and a half pound

Semi-feral wild cat Vanna for one of these. One of these guys might even be trainable.

It was late in the night, and M. mentioned Vanna was out. "Shouldn't we get her in the house? What if she comes across the bobcat when he visits the yard around dawn?"

All I could think was, "If she comes across the bobcat, good luck there, Mr Bobcat!"

[kestrel91316]

10. Trendy, status-seeking, totally inappropriate.

[nuxvomica]

11. I've suspected my Huckleberry has some wild in him

He's twice the size of his brother, very long bodied as well, and his a tiger-like shape to his face. But his markings are very pronounced orange tabby.

[WVRICK13]

13. Big Does Not Equal Mean

Jasper is 22 pounds, not an ounce of fat. The span between his ears is a hand width (male, extra large glove size). He is coal black with green eyes. Adopted him as a feral kitten. He grabs you wrist with both paws pulls it over and sucks your thumb. He is the biggest cat in the house and the 6 pound Siamese terrorizes him.

[Lorien]

19. I've had one (see post below). He was sweet and cuddly one minute

and an eat-your-face-wild thing the next. I have a Maine Coon who is as gentle as can be, but he's not half serval.

[Liberal Veteran]

14. And yet I still can't get one of these.

[Lorien]

18. I adopted one and would NOT recommend them as pets

they are neither fully wild or fully domestic. They can only bond with one human during their lifetime (so a new adoptive "parent" won't work for them). A 35 pound cat is a much bigger handful than many would expect: