Bobtail Savannah Cats?

[chemistrycat]

Hi all, I stumbled happily into a new family member when she was discovered in the engine of my co-worker's car. I had her DNA tested and it came back as F4 Savannah percentage-wise (mixed with mainecoon and ragdoll). She has a bobtail and I wonder if she was dumped by a breeder. She is now just shy of 5 months old. The bobtail makes her look so wild... do you think there would be any demand to breed for this look, or should she become a happy, loved and well cared for spayed housecat?

 

[mani]

Hi C chemistrycat and welcome to the site!
I'm so glad you found this little girl.
.
Cat DNA testing is not as definitive as dog DNA testing, and even that can be iffy. It doesn't necessarily tell you that these are the breeds, but more these are the most likely, or the closest. It's still a very inexact science. There are so many cats that are classed as Domestic, even though they can show up as a mix of breeds in a test.
So breeding her would not be a good idea .... a lot of work goes into breeding; you need a mentor to help, and there are many pitfalls. And what would you breed her with? However it goes, you would end up with a Domestic.

I think she would be thrilled to be a happy, loved and well cared for spayed housecat, and she was very lucky to find you.

 

[chemistrycat]

Hi C chemistrycat and welcome to the site!
I'm so glad you found this little girl.
.
Cat DNA testing is not as definitive as dog DNA testing, and even that can be iffy. It doesn't necessarily tell you that these are the breeds, but more these are the most likely, or the closest. It's still a very inexact science. There are so many cats that are classed as Domestic, even though they can show up as a mix of breeds in a test.
So breeding her would not be a good idea .... a lot of work goes into breeding; you need a mentor to help, and there are many pitfalls. And what would you breed her with? However it goes, you would end up with a Domestic.

I think she would be thrilled to be a happy, loved and well cared for spayed housecat, and she was very lucky to find you.

Thanks Mani! If I bred her, I'd see about talking to one of the many Savannah breeders around here. But, honestly trying to raise healthy kittens and get them into good homes serms like more work than I have time for! I'll just enjoy my wild, crazy baby (even if my other cats are fed up with her!)

 

[Meowmee]

She is a cutie What test did you do that said she was F4 Savannah? As I understand, there is no DNA test that can confirm breed with certainty for cats. And none I think which tell you the generation of Savannah… you need to have the pedigree of a cat for that

I would not recommend breeding her, she will be happy as your house cat.

 

[Maurey]

There are no definitive breed tests. Basepaws et al say as much in their small print. They just show which breeds your cat is supposedly the most similar to, genetically, not that your cat is of the breed.

See Basepaws' own post that they are not a breed test here. I will also add I've known several breeders send in their pedigree cats' DNA with free kits provided by the company, and the results were incorrect, and didn't even include the cat's breed in its' percentage breakdown.

Your kitty is gorgeous, but I see no indication of Savannah, much less F4.

 

[chemistrycat]

LOL sorry I hate having a picture of myself in here but just have to post this wonderful girl here. She is about 10% serval, which I know shows up distinctly against housecats in DNA tests due to how different it is. I run DNA testing myself in the lab. Of the human type but I still know how it works. Regardless, she huge and I will not be breeding her because she seems very bonded to me and happy, so we don't need to complicate life further

 

[Meowmee]

LOL sorry I hate having a picture of myself in here but just have to post this wonderful girl here. She is about 10% serval, which I know shows up distinctly against housecats in DNA tests due to how different it is. I run DNA testing myself in the lab. Of the human type but I still know how it works. Regardless, she huge and I will not be breeding her because she seems very bonded to me and happy, so we don't need to complicate life further

I am glad you are not going to breed her. Maybe you can post a pic of the results of the test here and let us know where you had it done etc. I thought you said she was part Savannah though not Serval? I know Serval are related because they are bred with domestics to get Savannah I think, so is that what showed up?

 

[epona]

Ah she looks lovely!

I wouldn't breed her - iirc bobtail (and other related forms - rumpy, stumpy etc.) can be a lethal gene (resulting in a foetus that is homozygous for it not having the spine form properly and dying in utero, and the possibility of others in the litter carrying that forward to future generations) and I wouldn't advise breeding that gene into any breed of cat where it does not already naturally exist because it could lead to problems in the breed in future. She will have a lovely life with you as a spayed pet I am sure.

 

[chemistrycat]

Ah she looks lovely!

I wouldn't breed her - iirc bobtail (and other related forms - rumpy, stumpy etc.) can be a lethal gene (resulting in a foetus that is homozygous for it not having the spine form properly and dying in utero, and the possibility of others in the litter carrying that forward to future generations) and I wouldn't advise breeding that gene into any breed of cat where it does not already naturally exist because it could lead to problems in the breed in future. She will have a lovely life with you as a spayed pet I am sure.

Thank you for that! I was wondering why there were not more types of bobtails. So my girl (and me!) got very lucky that her genes adapted to the bobtail addition (or deletion?) and also that she survived a 45 minute ride in an engine. She is amazing and I will love her forever!

 

[cataholic07]

I wouldnt breed her no and I would get her spayed asap before she goes into heat. I have seen alot of cats with manx genes have health issues due to it. We have one manx in care at the rescue I volunteer with who is on pain medication due to his manx deformity (yes its a deformity), his tiny tail is crumpled up, he also has a spine deformity which is also something that happens with manx syndrome. It can also lead to issues with incontinence to. DNA tests honestly are just for fun, I wouldn't say for sure if she has those breeds in her or not

 

[chemistrycat]

I wouldnt breed her no and I would get her spayed asap before she goes into heat. I have seen alot of cats with manx genes have health issues due to it. We have one manx in care at the rescue I volunteer with who is on pain medication due to his manx deformity (yes its a deformity), his tiny tail is crumpled up, he also has a spine deformity which is also something that happens with manx syndrome. It can also lead to issues with incontinence to. DNA tests honestly are just for fun, I wouldn't say for sure if she has those breeds in her or not

Luckily her tail is long enough it doesn't bother her. And petting it doesn't bother her either. I've seen those cats with the really short tails and how it can cripple them. It's awful! Hers is about 4 inches long and still growing. But she will be spayed this December so she can hit 6 months for proper hormones and growth, what the vet recommended. In the meantime, she is an indoor cat and the only male cat in here is fixed too! I will not be letting her out!