People often ask “how do I find a good savannah cat breeder?” We have some great tips below that we hope will help you!
Contracts/Guarantees:
A clearly written contract is absolutely necessary and should have a health guarantee with a time frame and specific details. It should explain what would happen in the event of any congenital or genetic defects.
A contract between owner and breeder will require the pet owner to provide and maintain a certain level of care and explain in detail what will transpire if the new owner cannot provide care any longer. Most ethical, responsible breeders offer to take the Savannah kitten or Savannah cat back and rehome if something unforeseen happens with the new home.
TICA Member
A reputable savannah breeder will be a member of TICA (The International Cat Association). TICA has a well designed website with a list of catteries, so you can check to see if the breeder you have chosen or are thinking of buying from has a bonafide cattery and is a TICA member. TICA also keeps up with the parentage (pedigrees) of the savannah kittens the breeder is offering. A breeder should be able to provide a copy of the pedigree of the parentage of any kitten you wanting to purchase.
Some breeders will offer pet savannah kittens or cats without registration at a cheaper price, but that may be because the unregistered litter is not purebred, but a mix, they are not breeding ethically or responsibly, or they may not even know the parentage. The only way to know you have a savannah kitten or savannah cat is by virtue of the paperwork provided. In many cases, it i vital to have registration papers on savannah kittens or cats due to the legality of the breed in certain cities, counties and states. Savannah Cat Breeders that belong to TICA try to better the breed by following the guidelines and standards the Savannah Breed Section has in place.
A Good Savannah Breeder will:
Be Available if something occurs that is unexpected with a kitten; a reputable breeder will give you his/her phone number/email information. A breeder should answer questions or concerns in a reasonable time.
Know the breed and be able to answer basic care questions, feeding questions, behavioral questions and any other questions of the breed.
Be willing to listen to any concerns or issues, if any arise, with your savannah kitten or cat. If the breeder does not have the answers, he/she should be able to consult with other breeders, veterinarians, nutritionists, etc.
Testing
Ethical, Responsible Savannah breeders test for PK Deficiency and PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). These two diseases are genetic and have recently been discovered in the Savannah breed and every breeder should know whether their breeding cats are negative, carriers or affected.
If It Sounds Too Good to be True:
When looking for a Savannah cat breeder, be sure to research the price of the Savannah kitten or cat that you want. Many reputable Savannah cat breeders will charge a similar price. If a price is too low, that “breeder” may not even have the savannah kitten and will disappear after you make a payment. We talk about scammers quite often and you must be very careful NOT to get sucked into buying a savannah kitten that you know normally costs thousands of dollars, yet a scammer is selling for hundreds…If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
SAVANNAH CAT PRICE:
Savannah cat prices vary according to generation, quality, area of country sometimes and how a breeder raises and placer their kittens. Savannah kitten care, like any other domestic cat kitten care. Does your breeder spay/neuter kittens before placing them? ESN (early spay and neuter) is something many savannah cat breeders practice. ESN can be very expensive, depending on the area of the country, which adds to the price, but “relieves them of the worry and expense of scheduling the surgery at a later date, enabling them to relax and enjoy their new companion”, according to the Cat Fancier’s Association. ESN also helps in keeping unregistered pet kittens from being used as breeding cats. Here is a great article on ESN: http://cfa.org/owners/catcare/spayneuter/earlyspayneuter.aspx
Savannah Cat prices vary greatly based on type as well. SBT savannah cat breeders have done a great job of producing later generation savannahs with the look of an early generation savannah cat. SBT savannahs start at the F4 generation and have no outcrosses for three generations. SBT Savannahs are the only purebred savannah with more serval percentage because of the savannah to savannah breeding than their “A”, “B” or “C” counterparts. For example – an F5 SBT savannah will almost always be more expensive than an F5 C savannah.
The Savannah Breed Section has it’s own savannah cat breeder directory.