The Savannah cat is a cross between a domestic cat and the serval, a large-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 accepted it as a new registered breed. In May 2012, TICA accepted it as a championship breed.

The Savannahs’ tall and slim build give them the appearance of greater size than their actual weight. As with other hybrid cats such as the Chausie and Bengal cat, most first generation cats will possess many or all of the serval’s exotic looking traits, while these traits often diminish in later generations. Male Savannahs tend to be larger than females.