Safari Cat Breed Description

Active: The Safari Cat is fun-loving and sweet yet is also a keen hunter. There’s little time for rest while on the hunt for rodents, reptiles, birds and insects. They’ve been known to “walk upside down” on low tree branches to sneak up on their prey. Their daytime bedtime in the trees allows them to hunt mostly at night.

Size: These cats tend to be medium to large-sized at about 25 lb or 11 kg.

Characteristics: There are currently no standards for the Safari Cat but they typically take after the Geoffroy’s wild look - having a muscular and compact body. Smaller rounded ears protrude from their squared-off head. Their nose is wide and blunt. Some say they look similar to Margay or Ocelot but smaller.

Temperament: The Safari Cat has the sweetest affection rarely found in a domestic cat. The F2 Safari Cat is very gentle, sweet and intelligent with a strong personality which makes for a wonderful pet. The F1 Safari Cats tend to bond to only one human and dislike all other humans.

Care: Weekly brushing is all that’s needed to keep the coat soft and shiny. The rest is simply normal maintenance.

Coat: Their short, spotted-tabby coat color varies from black, silver-gray or a deep orange depending on their Genealogy. Their body is covered with black spots like a leopard.

Origin: The Safari Cat is among the rarest of cat breeds and is a hybrid of the South American Geoffroys Cat and a domestic (moggy) cat. They were originally bred in the early 1970’s for Leukemia research by Washington State University. Given the complexity of breeding the University quickly discontinued using them for their research. Since then, breeders have taken over the development of the Safari cat breed. Safari males will typically be sold as pets due to their high rate of infertility while the females are kept for breeding. The Safari Cat’s ancestor, the wild Geoffroy’s Cat, has a complex relationship with humans. They can be companions, used for rodent control, or hunted for meat and pelt.

Photo provided by Touch O Katz