# Is my cat just a mackerel tabby? Or something more?



## Janessa (Mar 13, 2016)

I'm just going to post this photo I've edited in photoshop, of some Savannah cats, and my kitten Luna. I know Savannah are quite rare and even if there were some way back when in her lineage, it doesn't really matter to me I love her no matter what! She's my best friend  I just want to know what YOU guys think! This forum has the most cat people I've ever seen, and very knowledgeable about breeds. Sorry for the small pictures/ so much text which requires one to click on the picture haha. But I had to have side/side comparisons.  I initially didn't suspect anything( I think I probably just have a tabby mutt from my local shelter) Haha, my friend actually mentioned that there were similarities. She does have some quirky characteristics which make me question this possibility in lineage though! Haha.


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## Janessa (Mar 13, 2016)

*More photos*

I fail at editing stuff. Lol


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## Nuliajuk (Oct 25, 2014)

She may very well be "just" a tabby. That's nothing to sneeze at! Tabby is the default colour of all cats. Your's looks like a delightful little mini tiger.
Way back in the 70s I had a cat that looked very much like yours. She could leap from the floor to the top of the 'fridge in one bound when she was young and athletic. Nobody was breeding Savannahs back then, and Bengals weren't even a breed yet, so she was definitely 100% purebred shorthaired tabby.


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## Janessa (Mar 13, 2016)

She may very well be "just" a tabby. That's nothing to sneeze at! Tabby is the default colour of all cats. Your's looks like a delightful little mini tiger.Sorry if I came off as saying being an ordinary tabby is a bad thing. I 100% do not think that. I love tabbies and have had them all of my life, all wonderful cats. I love her very much and her lineage would never change how I feel. I just put it into question due to some character traits that she has that my previous tabbies did not. That is why (my friend pointed it out to me initially) and put into question - that I questioned if there may be savannah way back when in her lineage. Whether or not there is does not matter much to me, I think she's beautiful and she's my best friend either way. Very fun, chatty, intelligent, jumps from floor nearly to top of bookshelves, very athletic and I can't imagine my life without her cheer.  Thanks for your reply!


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Luna is one very cute, adorable kitty! Love her markings! 

Does your kitty love getting water and getting wet? Savannahs bodies look much leaner, taller, and larger (depending on how far along the F-generation they are, I guess), than your average moggie, and can jump quite high... I found this link below, maybe this can help give you some idea?

Savannah | Cats 101 | Animal Planet


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## Janessa (Mar 13, 2016)

She thanks you for the compliment, as do I. I love her pattern!!  
Thank you for the link! Watched it  I know about the different generations as well. She actually does like water. She's long and lanky/lean but she is also still a kitten. She jumps like CRAZY lol. She's very vocal and almost dog-like. She has the prey drive unlike any other cat I've ever owned (I can play with her until she is panting so hard and she'll still try to keep going, haha). She chirps/chatters a lot while "hunting" the toys, likes to jump from the floor to my bookshelf shelves/top area. She is really intelligent and knows a variety of tricks already! I know her mackerel tabby pattern is pretty definitive, however she does have the 'spots/ticked' pattern along her back and stomach. I don't really care whether or not some F7 or later generation is mixed in within her lineage somewhere along the line, it's just my friend noted similarities in disposition/body structure and some behavioural tendencies, so it made me stop and think about it. Hehe.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Is owning a Savannah cat legal in Cananda? It's not legal here in my city.


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## Janessa (Mar 13, 2016)

TabbCatt said:


> Is owning a Savannah cat legal in Cananda? It's not legal here in my city.


I'm not too sure. I believe it is, however I wouldn't know as I've never tried to purchase one or looked into breeders. I got my cat Luna from an animal shelter and she is a Tabby mix as stated on her papers anyway. Even if she were part Savannah I honestly think it'd be so remote and far back in the lineage it wouldn't count lol. so to end that rant, I have no idea :')


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

She is beautiful! I have a huge soft spot in my heart for tabbies even though the only two cats I've had have been a tuxedo and a gray XD

I had a friend who bred Toygers and Savannahs, and I have seen several F-gens of Savannahs first-hand in various stages of their lives. Your girl does not look like she is part Savannah, unfortunately :{

I know how it feels to want your kitty to be something a bit exotic, trust me - I spent years convincing myself that my cat Wintressia was a Russian Blue or a Chartreux, but honestly, she's just a gray mutt-cat! XD

Luna is a gorgeous girl. I don't think she's got any Savannah in her, but it sounds like you have a very special kitty nonetheless :}


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Your cat could be a clone of my Eve! I did a total double take on this!


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

*Maybe a Bengal-mix?*

You're right Savannah cats are rare, but they are always _spotted_. Your gorgeous cat is not just "a mackeral tabby", but a _silver mackeral tabby_ with an outstanding pattern. To me she looks and behaves as if she could be a Bengal-mix. That's what I think. The mackeral tabby pattern would be dominant over the marbled or spotted Bengal coat. Hope some Bengal owners/breeders will add their views.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Just another point....Bengals have been bred since the early 1990s in U.S., and since 1995 in Canada. They were accepted by TICA=The International Cat Assoc. in 1996. So, they have been around for quite some time now and have become quite popular.


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## amy22 (Jul 5, 2013)

She is beautful, her markings stand out so boldly. She's a super awesome mackerel tabby! I'm always partial to tabbies myself (and calicoes, and tuxedos, and colorpoint...)


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## Azerane (Feb 26, 2015)

She just looks like an adorable tabby to me. Many breeds and mixes of breeds and the lovable moggy can have tufted ears  Her face and body just looks like a normal domestic shorthair.


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## Nuliajuk (Oct 25, 2014)

The Savannah is a very new breed. I'm wondering if it's even been around long enough for mixes to start showing up in the general cat population.


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## Janessa (Mar 13, 2016)

catloverami said:


> Bengals have been bred since the early 1990s in U.S., and since 1995 in Canada.


This and your above post, Thank you for your input! You're actually quite right, I did some research on the bengal breed and that is quite a possibility and I do hope there are some breeders who add their input as well. Silver mackerel tabby? Hmm, cool. The thing is that she is not really grey in colour- she's more of a brownish- the grey comes out with camera flash/odd lighting but that's still a cool thing. I love her colouring personally  Thank you for the response!


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

Savannahs are allowed in Canada....my mentor breeds them too.

Your cat is gorgeous, but from the photos, I cannot see a lot of Bengal traits in her. She has the rounded eye shape, the whisker pads, ear type, and mascara....but most of those are the traits the Bengals got when the first Millwood line bred the ALCs to the tabby cat to start the Bengal lines. I would need to see a profile shot of the head (side view) and side view of the cat standing up to tell if there are any other traits. Honestly, though, in the photos you posted,,,,,she looks a lot more like my beloved tabby Mocha than any of my Bengals.


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