Welcome to Ivorycoast Cattery
"Ivorycoast Savannahs" is located in sunny California. Here in California it is illegal to own a Serval cat as a pet. I have been a licensed educator of Wild feline preservation and exhibition since 2000 and presently have one Serval cat and one Canadian Lynx residing at our "Woodghost WildCat Experience" facility. It is our goal to educate the public about these threatened exotic felines in the hopes that people respect the laws and future well being of these beautiful cats. We do not breed to produce F1 Savannahs. We instead prefer to produce F2 through SBT Savannahs so the the average person may enjoy their uniqueness and beauty and be able to own a small remnance of the wild traits that are essence and heritage of the Serval cat. My goal is always to strive to produce the finest in Savannahs and other animals that I have been a breeder of over the years. My breeding experience spans over 40 years of breeding top show horses, show dogs, show cats and also healthy, friendly and unique feline family pets. I am an experienced Domestic and International shipper therefore can provide for my customers an alternative way for them to take delivery of their new family pet or cat for their Savannah breeding program.
Our owners of Savannah cats are impressed with the Savannah's intelligence and athletic ability. An often noted trait of the Savannah is its jumping ability. Savannahs are known to jump up on top of doors, refrigerators and high cabinets. Some Savannahs can leap about 8 feet (2.5 m) high from a standing position. Savannahs are very inquisitive, and have been known to get into all sorts of things. They are sweet, affectionate and can be somewhat naughty at times, making them very entertaining to say the least.
Savannah cats
Despite the fact that Savannahs did not gain worldwide popularity and recognition till the late 1990s, the first known Savannah cat, which is a cross between of a wild species feline, the African Serval and a domestic cat, was obtained in the early 1980s by Breeder Judee Frank. Judee Frank keep that F1savannah cat female and named her "Savannah. The breeding was unplanned at the time, and as we now know breeding F1 kittens are very hard produce due to primarily the gestation period being longer (72-73 days) for the Serval and 60-63 days for the domestic cat, resulting in heartbreaking premature births. Joyce Sroufe living in Oklahoma and breeding under the prefix A1-Savannahs is revered by many of us old time Savannah breeders as the true and official Breed Founder, producing her first litter in 1994. Since those days, the efforts of many dedicated cat breeders helped to establish the Savannah Cat breed. The current A-1Savannah prefix was purchased from Joyce Sroufe by newcomers to the world of Savannah breeding and although they have continued on with Joyce's legacy and some of her cats, they are not the original Breed founder known as Joyce Sroufe's A1-Savannahs. I had the privilege of meeting Joyce several years ago, when I visited her at her farm and breeding facility in Oklahoma. Joyce had several Servals and domestics in her breeding program and was a huge contributor to the development of the Savannah cat. Patrick Kelly is more than just a Savannah cat website owner, he presented the first Savannah Breed Standard to the TICA Board of Directors in February 1996. He continued to function diligently until 2001 when TICA lifted their moratorium on new breeds and accepted Savannahs for domestic registration and granted them Experimental New Breed Status. Breed development is currently in Advanced New Breed status in TICA and are on the brink of advancing to SBT status also known as Championship Breed status, which would make them a bonafide official Breed of Domestic cat. Today, Savannah cats are one of the rarest, most sought after domestic companion pets in the world due to their wild hybrid based genetics. Savannah cats often have very small litters as well because in the wild serval cats normally only produce 2-3 young. Small litters add to the rarity and high cost of the earlier filial generation Savannah cats.
- F1= First Generation, has an African Serval Parent
- F2= Second Generation, has an African Serval Grandparent
- F3= Third Generation, has an African Serval Great-Grandparent
Lorre Smith, author of the first Savannah Cat book to be published is still a Savannah cat breeder today (The savannah cat book is still available for sale today) Lorre smith was the very first TICA Savannah Breed Chairman. Her dedicated efforts helped launch Savannahs forward rapidly within the ranks of TICA. Joyce Sroufe is considered the Founder of the Savannah Breed, Joyce Sroufe no longer breeds cats.
The present day Savannah cat is developing because of a clear vision and breeders following the guidelines of the TICA Savannah cat Breed standard. The quest for the ideal Savannah that mimics the look of its ancestor, the African Serval, should be the goal of all Savannah breeders. We have along way to go but it is very exciting to see what is being developed in respect to coat texture, pattern, and above all breed type. As the breed moves closer to Championship status, breeders will still be breeding their later generation Savannah males back to the early generation females in an effort to retain the Serval's traits. Savannah males are not fertile untiln sometimes F4 but more common F5 and further. Unlike the Bengal cat, which is the derived from a cross between the Asian Leopard cat, Savannah cats tend to be more social in the early generational individuals, which is extremely appealing to pet buyers.
