Savannah cats are a very new breed (the first Savannah kitten was  born in 1987). Savannahs are the result of breeding a domestic cat with an African Serval. 

 

African Servals are large felines native to sub-Suharan Africa. They typically weigh between 20-40 lbs at full size. Servals have gained a reputation for being uncommonly friendly and confident with humans compared to other wild cats, which is why they have become domesticated in parts of the world. 

 

The offspring of a Serval and domestic cat is labeled a F1 Savannah kitten. The offspring of a F1 Savannah is labeled a F2 Savannah (and so on and so forth). 

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The F1, F2, and F3 Savannahs are considered higher generation Savannahs due to their closer relation to the African Serval. These higher generations tend to be bigger in size and more on the "wild side" when it comes to their personality. They are highly intelligent and persistent and require a lot of attention from their owners. They are much more active than other domestic cat breeds. 

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The lower generation Savannahs (F4, F5, F6, F7) share the wild looking traits of the Serval, but they are closer in size to domestic cats, although they maintain the slender build and long legs. They are also less wild in their personality, which means they tend to be lower maintenance than the higher generations, but they still maintain the high energy and superior sociability than other domestic breeds. 

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The International Cat Association (TICA) accepted the Savannah SBT generations for championship in May 2012. 

See this link for the offical TICA Savannah breed site which includes the Savannah breed standard. 

https://www.tica.org/cat-breeds/item/260-savannah-introduction

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The permissible color patterns of Savannahs (those allowed in show to represent the breed) according to the TICA standard are Brown (Black Spotted) Tabby also referred to as BST, Silver (Black or Gray Spotted) Tabby also referred to as SST, Melanistic (all black with subtle black spots), and Black Smoke (black coat with visible black spots underneath). Savannahs with the brown coat and black spots can have a brown coat that ranges in color from a very cool brown to red brown to light tan or gold. You will also see non-standard colors and patterns in  purebred Savannahs. These non-standard coats include marble patterned coats in brown and silver variations, seal lynx point or snow (white coat with light brown spots and lynx point tips), cinnamon, and blue.

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Stud Book Traditional or SBT means that the Savannah kitten has at least 3 generations back of Savannah to Savannah breeding on both sides of the Savannah's pedigree. This means that the first generation that can attain SBT status and therefore compete in Cat Shows is the F4 generation. F1s will always be F1A because one parent is not a Savannah (that parent is a Serval). F2s bred by two Savannahs will be F2B because they are two generations removed from the Serval (non-Savannah parent). F3s bred by two Savannahs can then be F3C assuming the grandparents were both Savannahs as well. 

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Below are some useful resources for those interested in owning a Savannah and learning more about the breed!
1. savannahcatchat.com
-This site allows you to connect with savannah cat breeders and owners and ask any questions you might have and learn more about the breed.
2. https://www.tica.org/pdf/publications/standards/sv.pdf
-This is the official Savannah breed standard 

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