The Savannah cat is the largest of the cat breeds. A Savannah cat is a cross between a domestic cat and a serval, a medium-sized, large-eared wild African cat. The unusual cross became popular among breeders at the end of the 1990s, and in 2001 The International Cat Association (TICA) accepted it as a new registered breed. In May 2012, TICA accepted it as a championship breed. Some states restrict the ownership of the Savannah to the later filial ratings. A great deal of a Savannah’s personality may depend on how close they are to their F1 cross. A Savannah can be black, brown spotted tabby, black silver spotted tabby or black smoke. Black Savannahs are solid black but may have faint “ghost spots” that can be seen beneath the black color. Some are very social and friendly with new people, while others may run and hide or revert to hissing and growling when seeing a stranger. Savannahs have strong hunting instincts and love to climb and jump. Early socialization is crucial to their development. Well socialized Savannah’s can be affectionate and playful members of the family.
This guide contains general health information important to all felines as well as information on genetic predispositions for Savannahs. Here we gathered some of the most common diseases in Savannah
- Heart Disease
Cardiomyopathy is the medical term for heart muscle disease, either a primary inherited condition or secondary to other diseases that damage the heart. The most common form called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, is a thickening of the heart muscle often caused by an overactive thyroid gland.
- Arterial Thromboembolism
Cats with heart disease may develop blood clots in their arteries known as FATE (feline aortic thromboembolisms). Blood clots most commonly become lodged just past the aorta, the large blood vessel that supplies blood from the heart to the body, blocking normal blood flow to the hind legs. When this happens, one or both hind legs may become paralyzed, cold, or painful.
- FLUTD
When your cat urinates outside the litter box, you may be annoyed or furious, especially if your best pair of shoes was the location chosen for the act. But don’t get mad too quickly—in the majority of cases, cats who urinate around the house are sending signals for help. Although true urinary incontinence, the inability to control the bladder muscles, is rare in cats and is usually due to improper nerve function from a spinal defect, most of the time, a cat that is urinating in “naughty” locations is having a problem and is trying to get you to notice. What was once considered to be one urinary syndrome has turned out to be several over years of research, but current terminology gathers these different diseases together under the label of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Diseases, or FLUTD.
- Allergies/Atopy
In humans, an allergy to pollen, mold, or dust makes people sneeze and their eyes itch. In cats it makes the skin itchy. We call this form of allergy “atopy.” Commonly, the legs, belly, face, and ears are very likely to have this problem. Symptoms typically start between the ages of one and three and can get worse every year.
Source:
https://aubreyamc.com/feline/savannah/
Photo Credit :
https://animalhealthcenternh.com/client-resources/breed-info/savannah/
