Savannah Kittens / Cat Pet Scams

I am currently on a quest for a house cat. One of the cutest cat breeds I found is the savannah cat. A Savannah cat is a cross between the serval ( a wild animal) and a domestic cat (usually a bengal). The first offspring of this pairing is called the F1 and F1 savannahs are the most coveted for breeding at they have the strongest serval features. 

Finding a savannah breeder in South Africa was a bit tricky as this is an usual breed. Many wanted a cash deposit to secure a kitten and claim to have South African Cat Council (SACC) registered kittens.

So I called the SACC and asked them for details of registered breeders. The SACC advised that the savannah is not a registered cat breed in South Africa but a wild animal. To own one you would need a wild life permit and have to keep it in a rural / wild area. The SACC further advised of all the scams that were around selling fake kittens. Fraudsters would take pictures from the internet and pretend that the kittens were their own. People have parted with thousands of rands and waited at the airport for their kitten to arrive with no avail.

Google can help you with detecting scams. Copy the picture from the listing, and save it. Go to google image search, there is an option near the search box to upload a picture. Upload your picture and search for it. The results will show where the picture is listed and the original source of the picture. 

For any kittens don't put a deposit, and don't courier kittens. The general rule is buy a kitten that you have seen and can physically collect and pay cash on delivery.