PLAYING WITH NATURE
Another Savannah owner, Ronni Bennett, who lives in Greenwich Village, said that she does not approve of crossbreeds or wild hybrids, but that she wanted her cat anyway. "That is one of the contradictions of my life," she said. " I don't really approve of what I've done, but the beauty takes my breath away."
That's not the way New York State Senator Carl Marcellino of Syosset, sees it. Marcellino, the Senate sponsor of the state's exotic pet law, objects to the Savannah cat as something alien to the animal universe.
"Breeders are creating animals for commercial purposes that would never exist in the natural world," he said. "These hybrid species are threats to the environment and potentially to the families who think they are buying a family pet and could be purchasing a wild animal."
The Savannah cat has caused a stir about what makes an acceptable pet even among the largest and best known cat enthusiast groups.
"I'm told they're very loving, but I'm not sure I believe it," said Carol Barbee, the president of the American Cat Fanciers Association, which does not recognize the Savannah in its official registry. "We do not want to support designer breeds for the fad pet market."
Some Savannah owners are fighting for their rights with ammunition from another group, the International Cat Association, which does recognize the Savannah as a breed.
"They are the sweetest most gorgeous things you've ever seen," said Leslie Bowers, the association's business manager. Carolyn McDaniel, a consultant with the Cornell Feline Health Center, said that while Savannahs are popular across the country, she has noticed that they have become particularly alluring to city dwellers. "It's amazing to me that apartment dwellers are frequently the owners of these large semi-wild cats," she said.
"I think they're beautiful," McDaniel added, but "I'll watch them on the nature channel."
RSS