Serengeti Breed of Cat:

The Serengeti is an exotic cat breed and is relatively new in the world of cats.



Serengeti is obtained by crossing a Bengal Cat with an Oriental Shorthair. People who have an interest in keeping wilder cats usually own the Serengeti. The Safari Cat and the Savannah Cat are some of the equally popular hybrid cats. These cats are not as tame as the other, more popular domestic cats.





The Savannah began to be developed in the year 1994. The breed was first developed by Karen Sausman who wanted to create a breed of cats which looked like the breed, the Serval. There are cats which are bred from the Serval. Savannah, for example, is a cross between a domestic cat and a Serval.



However, Karen did not want any wild blood in the cat she created, even though she wanted the looks to be more feral. She chose the Bengal Cat and crossbred it with the Oriental Shorthair.

The Bengal Cat, though bred by crossing an Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic cat, has very little wild blood if the cat chosen for breeding is four generations removed from the Leopard Cat. The Bengal cat when crossed with the Oriental Shorthair, results in a Serengeti, which as an elegantly tall animal. Though not derived from the African Serval, the Serengeti looks like a miniature version of it. Its coat and colors are very similar to the Bengal Cat. There is a difference between the European Serengeti and the American Serengeti. The American Serengeti has larger ears than those of the European ones. This is because the Foundation Orientals in the United States of America have larger ears which are inherited by the Serengeti.

The Serengeti have spots on their coats similar to the Bengal cat. They have long legs which contribute to the elegance of its looks. Their ears are characteristically large. The male cats are substantially larger than the female ones and are also heavier. Since the Serengeti has a mix of various genes, it can come in various colors. However, the colors recognized by the TICA are silver, tabby, solid black, ebony, and ebony smoke. There is another variety in the Serengeti, known as the snow spotted variety. Though this variety has not yet been recognized by the TICA, the proponents of the breed are trying to push for it.

Till now, the Tabby Serengeti is the most popular of all. The Tabby Serengeti is also known as the brown spotted.