Savannah cat terminology for beginners

Today, we are going to keep it simple here on Feline Fine and teach you basic Savannah cat terminology. When you first enter the world of the Savannahs, it may seem like people speak in a mysterious code, but it's definitely not as tricky as it looks!

TICA-- The International  Cat Association. This is a genetic registry that also hosts cat shows worldwide where you can find Savannahs and other cats.

African Serval-- the exotic cat that was crossed with domestics to begin the Savannah breed

F1 Savannah-- a Savannah wherein one parent is the African Serval. 50/50 cross.

F2 Savannah-- a Savannah wherein one grandparent is the African Serval. Hypothetical 25/75 cross with 25% being African Serval.

F3 Savannah-- a Savannah wherein one great-grandparent is the African Serval. Hypothetical 12.5/87.5 cross

And this continues downward...

SBT-- Studbook traditonal. A Savannah wherein 4 generations of purebred Savannahs are in its immediate background. The earliest generation this can be achieved is with an F4 Savannah.

BST-- Brown (or black) spotted tabby. This is a contrasting coat with dark spots that are either brown or black.

SST-- Silver spotted tabby. This is a coat with black spots with a white base.

Mel-- Melanistic. Solid black Savannah cat.

Servaline-- A Savannah which has hundreds of tiny solid spots versus the typical bigger spots. This is a very rare pattern.

Snow-- A Savannah with colorpoints (like a Siamese cat in coloration.)

Permissible/nonpermissible colors-- Colors are either permissible (within the show hall therefore also known as 'standard' or nonpermissible (ie nonstandard.)

Are there any other terms you would like to learn about? Let us know!