Serengeti Cats

The Serengeti cat breed is a new cat breed that resulted from crossbreeding Bengal cats and Oriental Shorthair cats. This hybrid cat breed began in the United States and the UK. The Serengeti cats in the United States have larger ears.

Serengeti cats have not been accepted into the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) of the United States. They are one of the preliminary cat breeds in The International Cat Association (TICA). As a preliminary new cat breed, Serengeti cats can be shown at TICA cat shows, but cannot earn points or titles. Being accepted as a preliminary new breed is the first step in the process of becoming accepted for championship status.

The body type of Serengeti cats is similar to what one might expect from crossbreeding the sleek, fine-boned Oriental cats with the more substantial frame of a Bengal cats. According to the breed standard of TICA, Serengeti cats have medium bone structure. The torso is semi-foreign in appearance but solid.

Serengeti cats have medium-sized bodies and long legs. The thick tail is medium short in length. The head is a modified wedge shape and slightly longer than it is wide. Serengeti cats have long necks. The ears are wide and large with rounded tips. The Serengeti’s ears are the same length as the length of the head. The eyes are large, round, and set well apart. The ears may be gold, yellow, light green, or hazel. Gold and yellow colored eyes are considered preferred by the breed standard.

The shorthaired coat of Serengeti cats is dense. They can be solid, tabby, smoke, or silver colored. The only acceptable solid coloring is black. Tabby Serengeti cats are brown spotted tabby. They can be any shade of brown, but there must be significant contrast between the markings and the ground color. The silver/smoke Serengeti cats have black spots on a silvery body color.

Serengeti cats are friendly despite their wildcat appearance. Serengeti kittens continue to be playful throughout their lives. They are described as gentle and outgoing. If properly socialized, Serengeti kittens usually get along well with other household pets.