Savannah Cat History
Savannah Cat Breed Timeline
April 7, 1986 - Judee Frank crossbred a male serval, belonging to Suzi Wood, with a Siamese domestic cat to produce the first Savannah cat, a female named Savannah. That first Savannah was bred with a Turkish Angora male and gave birth to viable F2 kittens in April 1989. Documented by Suzi Wood in the Long Island Ocelot Club (LIOC) Newsletter, Vol 30 Number 6, Page 15, Nov/Dec 1986. This reported the birth of an 8 oz female hybrid on April 7th 1986. The kitten, named Savannah, was born to a Seal Point Siamese cat and sired by a 30-35 lb serval called "Ernie" in Pennsylvania. Her weight from birth through to placement was comparable to that of an average serval cub of the same timespan. Her rapid growth and weight gain then tapered off, but she remained consistently larger than a domestic kitten of the same age and was 10 lbs at 6 months old.
April 5, 1989 - Suzi and Mike Mutascio bred the first F1 Savannah (Named Savannah) with a solid white 13 lb. champion male Turkish Angora called Albert II, owned by Lori Buchko of Hightstown, New Jersey. Savannah (First F1 Savannah) had 3 F2 Savannah kittens on April 5, 1989. Two survived. The first kitten was male (solid white) and a female (torbie). Suzi Mutascio sold the F1 Savannah (named Savannah) to Lori Buchko. Lori Buchko then sold an F2 Savannah female (intact) named Kitty and Kitty’s red spotted F3 son to Patrick Kelly.
1990’s - Joyce Sroufe (A1 Savannahs) starts actively breeding Savannah Cats. She was formerly New Horizon Bengals before switching to A1Savannahs.
1996 - Patrick Kelly, Karen Sausman, and Joyce Sroufe wrote the first Savannah Standard.
1997 - Joyce Sroufe introduced the breed at a major cat show in Westchester, New York. This was the judges their first look at a Savannah Cat.
1998 - Joyce Sroufe and her Savannahs were featured headliners of the Westchester, New York show and made television appearances and interviews including: 20/20, CNN, People Magazine, and others.
Lorre Smith became the first TICA Savannah Breed Chair. Lorre Smith started her cattery (Afrikan Savannahs) in 1995.
2000 - Patrick Kelly with the help of Leslie Bowers (executive secretary of TICA) completed the first application to get the Savannah breed accepted by TICA into the New Breed program.
2001 (February) - Savannah Cats gained registration-only status. Meaning cats can be registered but not shown.
2001 (October) - Savannah Cats gain exhibition-only status. Meaning F3 (third generation), or further removed, could go into a show hall and exhibit.
2002 - The first TICA show to include the Savannah Breed was held in Oklahoma City that May.
2006 - Carol Streit of C&C Savannahs became breed chair.
2006 - The Canadian Cat Association issued the Savannah cat formal Registration AND Exhibition status.
2011 - TICA Savannah Breed Section voted to advance the breed from “Advanced New Breed” to “Championship Status” to be effective May of 2012.
2012 - Brigitte Cowell Ph.D. (Kirembo Savannahs) was elected TICA Savannah Breed Chair
2012 - TICA accepts the breed for champion statues in the show ring.
2012 - A1Savannahs “Lightening” of AList Savannahs became TICA’s first Supreme Grand Champion Savannah Cat.
Suzi and Mike Mutascio
Suzi and Mike Mutascio, in 1989, bred the first F1 Savannah (Named Savannah) with a solid white Turkish Angora (Named Albert II). Savannah had 3 F2 Savannah kittens on April 5, 1989. Two survived. The first kitten was male (solid white) and a female (torbie). Suzi Mutascio sold the F1 Savannah (named Savannah) to Lori Buchko. Lori Buchko then sold an F2 Savannah female (intact) named Kitty and Kitty’s red spotted F3 son to Patrick Kelly.
Below are photos are from "FCF - The Feline Conservation Federation" Volume 41, Issue 5—September/October 2007. Initially published in the LIOC-ESCF July/August 1989 Newsletter, written by Suzi Wood Mustacio.
Patrick Kelly
Patrick Kelly
Patrick Kelly was and continues to this day to be instrumental in the development and promotion of the Savannah Cat Breed although he is not a breeder.
In late 1989 Patrick saw the Savannah Cat featured in the Long Island Ocelot Club (L.I.O.C.) newsletter. Patrick then met Bill Scroufe at the Lolly Brothers Auction. Bill Scroufe was there to sell some serval kittens for his wife Joyce Scroufe. At this time Joyce did not breed Savannah Cats. He began talking with Joyce by phone and went to visit her home where she bred Bengals, Servals, Caracals, Cougars, and Canadian Lynx.
Patrick started the process of recognition by The International Cat Association as a Championship breed in 1996. He went forward completing the application to have the Savannah Breed accepted into the New Breed Program and he wrote the first Savannah Standard with the help of Joyce Sroufe. Unfortunately, when Patrick presented the Breed Standard he found out that new breeds were not being accepted for 2 more years which then got pushed out 2 more years. That meant it would not be till the year 2000 to even be considered!
In 2021 Patrick started producing F1 Savannah Kittens at his cattery located in the Philippines! The very first F1 Savannahs in the Philippines. Congratulations on your diligent efforts paying off!
Joyce Sroufe, A1 Savannahs
A1Savannahs was the world's first Savannah Cattery. A1Savannahs was started under the name “New Horizon Bengals” then changed names. Joyce orginaly bred Bengals along with various other exotic cats. With the urging of Patrick Kelly she tried to produce F1 Savannahs.
In 1994, Joyce Sroufe produced her first litter of F1 Savannah Kittens.
A1Savannahs was the world's first Savannah Cattery to breed down to later generations and produce fertile Savannah males.
Kathrin & Martin Stucki, A1 Savannahs
Ponca City, Oklahoma, USA - Raymond, New Hampshire, USA
Kathrin Stucki was Swiss and married Martin Stucki. Being Bilingual they were instrumental in selling breeding cats in other countries helped by the fact they could speak German, Spanish and French. A1Savannahs (Stucki Family) was the world’s first Savannah Cattery to breed SBT Savannah cats. A1Savannahs (Stucki Family) was the world's first Savannah Cattery to breed the largest domesticated house cat documented in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In December 2007 Teardropssavannahs in England had the right of sole importership of A1 Savannahs cats into the UK.
The Guinness Book of World Records (TM) confirmed: Scarlett’s Magic bred and raised by A1Savannahs was the record holder for the largest pet cat in the world in 2010/2011. A1Savannahs (Stucki Family) had Savannah Kittens appeared on CBS and CNN News. Others model for Macy’s Catalog or help people with disabilities in a hands-on program. We have been featured in several magazine articles in the United States as well as around the world and have been filmed by international tv stations.
Accomplishments Of A1Savannahs (Stucki Owned)
2011 - A1savannahs featured in Lemmikki Magazine
2011 - A1savannahs featured in Pulo do Gato Edition 44
A1Savannahs featured in the Cat Fancy Magazine in 2014
Kathrin Stucki of A1 Savannahs Introduction to the Savannah Cat
Martin Stucki
Engster Family, A1 Savannahs
Martin Engster
In September 2013, The Engster Family partnered with Dana Fulton toke over the role of improving and advancing the Savannah Breed. Martin Engster was formerly a Sergeant with The United States Marine Corps from Oct 1998 - Sep 2006 (8 years) (Fox Btry 2/14). In 2021 A1Savannahs announced it would permanently be closing its cattery due to Covid-19.
A1Savannahs was the world’s first Savannah Cattery to produce a Supreme Grand Champion. In TICA, the highest title awarded to cats in championship classes. Supreme Grand Champion A1Savannahs Lightning is owned and shown by Janet Spain. In 2016 A1Savannahs Caline was also names Supreme Grand Champion in only a few shows, this is a great accomplishment!
Accomplishments Of A1Savannahs (Engster Owned)
2012 - World's first Savannah Cat to win Supreme Grand Champion Title
SGC A1Savannahs Lightning
Owned and loved by Janet Spain
In TICA, this is the highest title awarded to cats in the championship classes. A cat must first become a Quadruple Grand Champion before it can begin to compete towards the title of Supreme Grand Champion.
2013 - Silver Spotted Tabby of the Year
2016 - Caline Quadruple Grand Champion
Lisa Jeffery, Spots On The Lake
Lisa Jeffery singlehandedly brought the Savannah breed to acceptance in the Canadian Cat Association (CCA) in 2006.
Fun Fact
The Bengal Cat had already been around for over 15 years at the time the Savannah Cat had first been produced. Diffculties producing the Bengal Cat along with tempermant inherited by the Asian Leopard into the first generations of Bengals is though to have put breeders off from wanting to try other hybrid crosses.
