ARE YOU READY TO OWN A SAVANNAH CAT AND HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

Although most Savannah cats are very independent, you are a very necessary component to their care.  While they may seem as if they don’t need you at times, the Savannah cat is a very social oriented breed and they crave your attention. 

They need you to play, cuddle and care for them, but sometimes owners get negligent when it comes to taking care of cats because they assume cats don’t need as much care as a dog might.

Before you adopt any cat, especially a social cat like the Savannah cat, you need to determine if you have the time to invest in cat care.  While a kitten is cute and cuddly, if you don’t have time to devote to him or her, you shouldn’t adopt one. 

It doesn’t require a large invest of time to properly care for a cat, but with a Savannah cat, you will need to put up with crawling into your bed, onto your lap and play with him or her to burn off some of their energy.

Too many people adopt cats on the spur of the moment without thinking the decision through and then, when they do something they feel is intolerable, instead of taking time to figure out what the problem is, they surrender them to a shelter. 

By researching and doing your homework, you can make an informed decision about whether you have the time and resources to adopt a cat, especially one that does need your attention like a Savannah cat.

Costs

It is also necessary to determine if you can financially afford to adopt a Savannah cat.  Not only are you going to pay much more than you would to adopt this breed, but you will also have additional costs associated with caring for your cat. 

Pricing

The question is often asked by prospective Savannah owners about why these cats are so expensive.  The answer is fairly simple:  the price of a true Savannah, foundation generation or purebred, is a matter of supply and demand. 

Breeding a wild, Serval cat to a domestic cat is very difficult to do.  In addition, the breeding must continue for several generations to produce a fertile male to have a Savannah-to-Savannah cross breeding program.  Savannah to Savannah cross breeding is necessary to produce a purebred (SBT) cat. 

In addition to the general difficulties of breeding Savannah’s, the litters are also much smaller than the litter size of a typical cat. Mother cats in the F1 and F2 generations usually have 1 or 2 kittens per litter, and can only produce one or two litters a year. 

All of these factors, along with the typical price-driver of show-quality traits, put upward pressure on how much it costs to purchase a Savannah.

Prices will vary from breeder to breeder, but the broad range from breeders in the USA are:

Generation	Males	Females
F1	$7,500- $22,000	$6,000- $22,000
F2	$4,500- $16,000	$4,500- $14,000
F3	$3,000- $6,000	$3,500- $5,500
F4	$1,200- $4,500	$1,200- $4,000
F5	$950- $7,000	$950- $3,000
SBT	$950- $7,000	$950- $3,000

With most breeders, you will pay more for a kitten than you will for an adult cat.  Most of the adult cats available for adoption have been retired from breeding and breeders want to find them a forever home after they are no longer producing kittens.  Even though an adult Savannah cat will still want your attention, they don’t require as much care as an inquisitive kitten and they make better pets for busy people.

Along with the costs associated with adopting your cat, you will also need to buy supplies for it, such as a litter box, litter, food, toys, scratching posts, and a cat bed if you don’t want it to sleep with you. 

It is also necessary to keep up with your cat’s medical check-ups and shots in order to keep him or her healthy.  It is far less expensive, monetarily and emotionally, to maintain your cat’s healthy that it is to have a sick feline friend that requires emergency care.

You can easily spend about $50 to $60 per month just keep up with your cat’s basic necessities, never mind any extras that you may wish to buy them. 

It is a good idea to have a savings account dedicated to your pet in case you need to take them to an emergency vet or for other unexpected medical expenses that can come up.  Try saving at least $10 to $20 per month for your cat so you can afford trips for future emergency care.

Unless you plan to breed your Savannah cat, to help maintain his or her health, you should spay or neuter your cat.  In male cats, it can help prevent behavior problems if he is neutered. 

If he hasn’t been neutered, he is more like to spray urine, he may be more aggressive with other cats, he will want to try to escape to find a female to mate with, and he is at greater risk for testicular and mammary cancers.

Unspayed female cats of course are at risk for becoming pregnant if they get out of your house, but they also spray to attract males and they are at greater risks for uterine, ovarian and mammary cancers. They can also develop pyometritis, which infects the uterus of cats about a week after they have gone into heat. 

Inside / Outside

Even if you have a fenced backyard, try not to let your cats roam free outside.  Savannah cats love to climb and jump, so a tree or a fence will not deter them from getting out of your yard.  If they are outside, they can be subject to fights with stray cats, attacks from stray dogs, bit by insects or, if they wander out into the street, they can be accidentally run over and killed by a car.

A neutered or spayed cat will be less likely to want to go outside, so that is another advantage to making sure your cat is spayed or neutered. 

When your cat wants to be outside, create an outdoor fenced in cat area where they can be safe, but still enjoy the feel of grass under their paws, fresh air and sunshine. 

If you have a patio, consider fencing it in with chicken wire so they can’t get out and put a cat tree in it so they can have a place to lie down and observe Mother Nature.  A mesh gazebo that people use for picnics outdoors is a good option as well.  However, keeping them indoors is preferable.

Many inexperienced cat owners assume that cats can care for their own grooming needs because they give themselves baths, but they need your help there as well.  Your Savannah cat will need your help with the occasional gentle brushing and, since their claws grow faster than most other breeds, you will need to keep their claws clipped by maintaining about once a week.

Occasionally, you may need to give your cat a bath.  They are curious creatures and they may sometimes make messes, get dirty and need to be bathed.  Fortunately, a Savannah cat is a wash-n-go cat, so you can bathe them and leave them to their own devices afterwards. 

Care

Although, during the winter months, you may want to wrap them in a warm, fluffy towel to dry before letting them loose in the house. 

Dental care is very important for cats and you will need to be proactive to help them keep their teeth clean and healthy.  Plaque build-up can cause bacteria to rot their teeth, give them gingivitis and the bacteria can even get into their bloodstream.  Bacteria in their blood can damage their internal organs, which can be fatal.

If you start taking care of your cat’s teeth when they are young, they will let you gently brush their teeth to keep them healthy and plaque free.  Brushing helps your cat keep their teeth as they get older and reduces bad breath. 

Adopting and caring for a cat is a lot of responsibility, but if you have the time and are financially able to properly care for a Savannah cat, you will be rewarded many times over by their affections and love.  The bond between a cat and its human can be special and it is well worth the effort that is required from you.