Have you ever seen a Serval before? They are cute, large eared African cats that can be found in the wilds of the Serengeti plains. Karen Sausman of Kingsmark Cattery in California has developed a breed that closely resembles the Serval and has appropriately named it after their place of origin.

But the Serengeti are not bred from Servals at all, they do have wild ancestors but have been developed from domesticated and established breeds and do have the wild and mischievious Serval look.

These spotted and striped cats were developed from the Spotted Bengals and the long eared Oriental cats, which account for their Serval appearance but because of its domesticated origins it is very tame and has a wonderful disposition.

The Serengeti breed achieved recognition by TICA as a Preliminary New Breed in 1994.

Physically, the Serengeti is a medium sized cat, muscular and athletic, upright in build, with long legs and large ears set high upon its head. The eyes should be large and round, in any colour except blue. Four colours are currently permissible for showing, the Brown Spotted, the Silver Spotted, the Black and the Black Smoke. The spotting should be random, with no linkage or barring on the body and should show clearly against the background colour, making the Serengeti look like one of the long legged hunting cats of East Africa.

It is the temperament of the breed which makes it such a special cat. It seems to have taken the very best characteristics from both the foundation breeds resulting in an extremely intelligent, affectionate, companion. It has the affectionate nature of the Oriental and the Bengal's heightened senses and awareness of everything happening around them. The Serengeti is happy to fit in with what ever the day brings; they adore being fussed and will happily be a lap cat whenever you sit down but are straight up when you are and will follow you to the end of the world if that is what you ask of them. They are a fascinating new breed and are fast becoming an extremely popular addition to any family!