Savannah cats: why we don’t list them

Savannah cat rules at a glance

A penalty unit stands for a dollar amount that governments change from time to time. The detail, and who to contact, is under the law in each state and territory.

What is a Savannah cat?

A Savannah cat is a cross between a domestic cat and a serval, a medium-sized African wild cat. The Federal Court of Australia, in its 2011 judgment about the breed, said it was developed in the United States in the mid-1980s.

A Queensland Government risk assessment (PDF) of serval hybrids (first published in 2009, updated in 2016) fills in the history:

• The earliest Savannah cat it records was born in the United States on 7 April 1986.
• The International Cat Association, a cat registry, accepted the Savannah as a breed in 2000.
• Neither of Australia’s two national cat bodies recognised it when the assessment was written. The Australian Cat Federation’s list of breed standards has no Savannah today.

What they look like. The Queensland Government describes a long, lean neck, long slender legs, large ears, a triangular face and a spotted coat that resembles the serval’s.

How big they are. The Queensland Government says a Savannah cat is much larger than a domestic cat.

• It says first-generation males weigh 8 to 11 kg and stand 40 to 45 cm at the shoulder. Fourth and fifth-generation males can weigh 6.3 to 8.2 kg and stand 32 to 38 cm.
• The South Australian Government says a Savannah cat can weigh over 13.5 kg.
• A University of Sydney release puts a domestic cat at about 4 kg.

How they behave. Queensland’s assessment (Invasive animal risk assessment: Serval hybrids (PDF)) says they are very active and can leap 2.5 metres high from a standing start. It says early-generation or unsocialised cats can show wild-type behaviour, such as hissing and growling at strangers.

What do F1, F2 and F5 mean?

Breeders give each generation an “F” number. It counts how many generations a cat is from its serval ancestor. Queensland’s assessment (Invasive animal risk assessment: Serval hybrids (PDF)) sets it out this way:

Three points from the same assessment (Invasive animal risk assessment: Serval hybrids (PDF)) matter if you’re reading an ad:

• The number isn’t a percentage. It says the F number doesn’t show how much serval is in a cat, because some breeders cross Savannah cats back to servals. It also says the percentage of serval genes in a particular cat can’t be measured scientifically.
• Later generations breed more freely. It says males are usually sterile in the early generations and usually fully fertile from F5, while females are fertile from F1.
• Look-alikes are hard to tell apart. It says an untrained eye can’t easily tell some cat breeds from later-generation hybrids.

So a claim such as “F5” or “5% serval” in an ad is the seller’s word. In Australia it doesn’t change the law either: see below.

Is a serval the same as a Savannah cat?

No. The serval is the wild parent species. A Savannah cat is the cross.

Servals are tightly restricted too. The serval is on Part 2 of Australia’s live import list. Its entry reads: “Eligible non-commercial purpose only, excluding household pets.” Several states list it by name as well:

• New South Wales: dealings with a serval are prohibited other than for exhibition or research (Biosecurity Act 2015, Schedule 3, Part 3).
• Western Australia: a prohibited declared pest (the state’s organism list).
• Victoria: a controlled pest animal (the state’s pest animal declaration).
• Tasmania: restricted (special purpose) wildlife. Buying, selling or possessing one needs a licence or permit, and the fine for doing so without one is up to 100 penalty units.
• Queensland: the risk assessment (PDF) says servals and their hybrids can’t be kept without a permit, and that permits aren’t available for animals kept as pets.

Are Savannah cats legal in Australia?

Not to import. And not to keep or sell in the four states that ban them by name or by description. That leaves places where we couldn’t confirm the rule, which isn’t the same as “legal”.

The import rule

A live animal has to be on Australia’s live import list to be brought in. If it isn’t on the list, it can’t be imported.

The list’s entry for the domestic cat now reads: Felis catus, “excluding any specimen of Felis catus derived from cross breeding with” a serval or a Savannah cat. A note adds that this excludes “any specimen with any genetic material derived from” the serval. We read the list as in force on 28 January 2026, the latest version on the Federal Register of Legislation.

How it got there, from the Federal Court’s judgments:

• Before 2 August 2008, a fifth-generation (F5) Savannah was treated as a domestic cat, and could be imported subject to quarantine.
• In 2006 and 2007, breeders made preparations to import F5 Savannah cats for breeding.
• On 16 June 2008, the environment minister began a review. A draft report went out for public comment, and the department received about 549 written comments.
• On 30 July 2008, the minister made the change. It took effect on 2 August 2008. The environment department’s page lists the Savannah cat among the animals refused a place on the list, with 30 July 2008 as the date of the decision.
• On 18 November 2011, the Federal Court dismissed the breeders’ challenge, with costs (Parker v Minister).
• On 29 June 2012, the Full Federal Court dismissed their appeal, also with costs (the appeal judgment).

What the government says now:

• The agriculture department’s cat import guide (updated 20 February 2026) says non-domestic cat hybrids aren’t allowed into Australia. It names Savannah cats, “and any crossbred offspring derived from them”.
• The environment department’s Live Import List page (updated 24 September 2026) says a registry recognising a hybrid as a cat breed isn’t accepted as evidence that the animal isn’t a hybrid. It says the mule is the one hybrid on the list.

Can you import an F5 Savannah cat?

No. The court cases were brought by breeders who wanted to import F5 cats.

At the trial, they argued the rule was unreasonable because it treats an F5 the same way as an F1 to F4 cat. The judge rejected that in 2011. On appeal in 2012, the Full Federal Court said the exclusion “extends to any cat that is derived from cross-breeding” with a serval, and that the excluded class “is not limited to a specific generation of cross-bred cats”.

So there’s no generation at which a Savannah cat becomes importable as a domestic cat.

The Act has one narrow exception, a testing permit. The trial judge described it as covering “limited testing purposes”. It isn’t a way to bring in a pet.

What are the penalties for importing or keeping one?

These are the maximums in the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, as in force on 24 August 2026:

• Importing a live animal that isn’t on the list: up to 10 years in prison, 1,000 penalty units, or both (section 303EK). The environment department’s page puts the fine at up to $364,000 for a person and $1,820,000 for a company.
• Possessing an animal that was illegally imported, or the offspring of one: up to 5 years in prison, 1,000 penalty units, or both (section 303GN).

The possession offence has exceptions. One covers an animal whose imported ancestors all came in lawfully. The environment department’s page says each case turns on the animal’s origin and the evidence, and that a species having been in Australia for a long time doesn’t by itself show it’s lawful.

State law applies on top of that, wherever the cat came from.

The law in each state and territory

Each row below says what we found, and where we couldn’t confirm the rule. “Not confirmed” doesn’t mean allowed.

New South Wales

Banned. The Biosecurity Act 2015 prohibits any dealing with a non-native mammal unless the animal is on the Act’s list of exceptions (Schedule 3, Part 2). The domestic cat is on that list, “except any specimen with any genetic material derived from” the serval. So a cat with serval ancestry stays in the banned group.

• What a dealing is: keeping, having, importing into the state, buying, selling, moving, breeding, displaying or releasing the animal, among other things (section 12).
• The penalty: a prohibited dealing is a category 2 offence. The maximum for a person is $220,000, plus $55,000 for each day the offence continues, or $1,100,000 if a court finds it was committed negligently (sections 152 and 280).
• Who to tell: the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development takes reports of suspected exotic animals through an online form.

We read the version of the Act in force from 10 June 2026.

Queensland

Banned. The Queensland Government says the Savannah cat is a prohibited invasive animal under the Biosecurity Act 2014 (page updated 24 September 2026). It says you must not keep, move, give away, sell or release one, and that you must report all sightings to Biosecurity Queensland immediately.

• How the law is written: the regulation under the Act makes every mammal that isn’t native to Australia prohibited matter, apart from restricted matter and a list of named animals. That list has the domestic cat and the Bengal cross. It has no serval cross (Biosecurity Regulation 2016, Schedule 1, Part 4).
• The penalty: the Biosecurity Act 2014’s maximum for dealing with prohibited matter is 1,000 penalty units or 1 year in prison (section 37). Failing to report prohibited matter carries the same maximum (section 36).
• Who to tell: Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.

We read the Act and the regulation as in force from 27 April 2026.

South Australia

Banned. The South Australian Government says it’s illegal to keep, transport, sell or release Savannah cats in South Australia, under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019.

• The penalty: the government’s page doesn’t state one. Under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019, the maximum for keeping or selling a declared animal depends on the category it’s declared in: $12,500 for Category 3, $25,000 or 6 months in prison for Category 2, and $60,000 or 1 year in prison for Category 1 (sections 187 and 188). We didn’t confirm which category the Savannah cat is in, so we don’t give a single figure.
• Releasing a declared animal: up to $125,000 or 2 years in prison (section 189).
• Who to tell: the Pest Alert Hotline on 1800 084 881. The government asks people to report all suspected sightings.

We read the version of the Act dated 25 November 2023, the current one on the state’s legislation site.

Western Australia

Banned without a permit. The state’s organism list has the Savannah cat as a declared pest in its prohibited category, for the whole state, with a keeping category of “prohibited”. The department says prohibited organisms may be imported and kept only under permits, and that for some species permits may be available only to research organisations or similarly secure institutions. Its legend (Western Australian Organism List) says an animal in the prohibited keeping category can be kept only under a permit for public display and education, or genuine scientific research, by entities the state approves.

• Keeping one: a fine of $50,000 (Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007, section 23).
• Supplying one to a person in the state without a permit: a fine of $20,000 (Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Regulations 2013, regulation 25; section 24 of the Act).
• Advertising one for supply: a fine of $5,000, unless the ad carries one of two set statements (regulation 26).
• Who to ask: the department’s Pest and Disease Information Service on (08) 9368 3080.

The Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 sets higher penalties for a “high impact organism”, which has to be prescribed by regulation. The 2013 Regulations we read (Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Regulations 2013) don’t use the term. We didn’t check any other regulations, so we can’t say whether the Savannah cat is one.

We read the Act as in force from 28 May 2026 and the Regulations as in force from 19 March 2026.

Victoria

Not confirmed. It appears to be banned, on our reading of the declaration. Victoria declares pest animals under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Its declared pest animal list makes the whole cat family (Felidae) a prohibited pest animal, with three exceptions:

• the domestic cat
• the cross of a domestic cat and an Asian leopard cat (the Bengal)
• the wild cats on its controlled list, which includes the serval.

The declaration lists the Bengal cross as its own exception, separate from the domestic cat. It lists no exception for a serval cross. On that wording, a Savannah cat appears to be a prohibited pest animal.

That’s our reading, not a ruling. The declaration doesn’t name the Savannah cat, or say whether a serval cross counts as a domestic cat. No Agriculture Victoria page we read names it either. Ask Agriculture Victoria before you rely on this.

• The penalty, if the declaration applies: bringing into Victoria, keeping or selling a prohibited pest animal carries up to 480 penalty units (section 75 of the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994).
• Who to ask or tell: Agriculture Victoria says restricted pest animals in the wild, or being kept illegally, should be reported to its customer service centre on 136 186.

Tasmania

Not confirmed. We found no Tasmanian page or law that names Savannah cats. What we did find:

• The Nature Conservation Act 2002 defines a cat as “a member of the species Felis catus”. Its definition of wildlife leaves out cats. It doesn’t say whether a serval cross counts as one.
• A mammal that isn’t a cat, a dog or domestic stock can’t be brought into Tasmania without the department secretary’s written permission (section 32).
• The serval itself is restricted wildlife. The Tasmanian Government says its risk assessors had serious concerns about servals breeding with domestic and feral cats.

Ask the department’s Wildlife Services on 03 6165 4305 before you assume a Savannah cat is allowed.

Northern Territory

Not confirmed. Under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976, a vertebrate animal that isn’t native to the Territory is a “prohibited entrant” unless the regulations say otherwise (section 52). The regulations exempt the cat, Felis catus. Neither they nor the Territory Government’s page says whether a serval cross counts as one.

If it doesn’t, bringing one in or having one without a permit is an offence, with a maximum of 100 penalty units or 12 months in prison for a person (section 67B). The government says permit applications are assessed case by case. Ask Parks and Wildlife before you assume one is allowed.

ACT

Not confirmed. Under the Nature Conservation Act 2014, it’s an offence to keep, sell or bring into the ACT an animal that isn’t an “exempt animal”, unless a licence allows it. The maximum is 100 penalty units, 1 year in prison, or both (sections 133, 134 and 136).

The exempt list, remade on 11 May 2026, includes “Cat (Domestic), Felis catus”. It doesn’t mention hybrids. The Conservator’s licensing guidelines say licences won’t be issued for non-native mammals other than ferrets.

So the answer turns on whether a Savannah counts as a domestic cat, and we found no ACT page that says. The ACT’s declarations of pests and of prohibited biosecurity matter (Biosecurity Act 2023) don’t list a cat, a serval or a serval cross either. Ask the ACT Government before you assume one is allowed.

Why are Savannah cats banned in Australia?

To protect native wildlife. The concern is a bigger cat joining the feral cat population.

The government’s 2008 assessment. The Federal Court summarised the report the minister acted on. It found an extreme risk that Savannah cats would become part of Australia’s feral cat population and become a pest, with the potential to affect native wildlife differently, and more, than the domestic cats already here.

The 2019 study. Professor Chris Dickman and two colleagues tested that decision in a paper in the journal Animals. It estimated that Savannah cats would:

• add at least 28 native mammal species to the 168 already known to be susceptible to predation by domestic cats
• put 91% of Australia’s land mammal species that can’t fly at some risk of predation, and 93% of its threatened mammal species.

The University of Sydney’s release about the study (30 October 2019) uses different figures. It says domestic cats already prey on at least 151 native mammal species, and that Savannah cats would have put another 29 under threat. The paper gives 151 too, as the number of native mammal species domestic cats are known to prey on. The release adds that Savannah cats could have roamed across 97% of the country, and can hunt prey twice the size a domestic cat can.

The study assumed Savannah cats would hunt prey similar to what both parent species hunt. Its authors say the 2008 decision was made as a precaution, because no direct evidence of the cats’ effect on prey existed then.

State governments. The Queensland and South Australian governments (Business Queensland and PIRSA) both say Savannah cats could breed with feral cats and produce bigger ones. The South Australian Government says those hybrids could prey on larger native animals that feral cats haven’t been able to take. It adds that Australia has no native cat species.

What are the welfare concerns?

The RSPCA opposes the cross itself. Its breeding policy, adopted on 8 April 2024, says it opposes crossing wild species with domestic animals to make new breeds of companion animal, “due to the significant problems associated with the care and management of such animals” (RSPCA Policy A6, clause 6.10).

Kittens can be born early. Queensland’s risk assessment (PDF) says a domestic cat’s pregnancy lasts 63 days and a serval’s 73, and that early-generation Savannah kittens are often born prematurely because of the difference.

Some end up surrendered or released. The University of Sydney release says wildlife shelters in the United States report that Savannah cats are often surrendered or released because of serval-like behaviour. That can include aggression towards people and other pets, and spraying urine to mark territory. It says they can be hard to contain, and often learn to open doors.

Health is little studied. Queensland’s assessment (Invasive animal risk assessment: Serval hybrids (PDF)) says health problems specific to Savannah cats are unknown, because the cross is so recent.

How much does a Savannah cat cost in Australia?

We don’t give a price, because we found no lawful market to measure. None can be imported as a pet, and four states ban selling them.

A price in an ad doesn’t show the cat exists, or that it’s legal to buy. For what kittens of domestic breeds cost, see what puppies and kittens cost.

What should you do if you see a Savannah cat advertised?

Treat it as a warning sign. It may be an illegal animal, a scam, or another cat sold under the wrong name.

Why it fits a scam. A Scamwatch alert from 30 April 2013 describes the pattern for puppies: an ad for an animal that doesn’t exist, photos, then fees for transport, customs or medical costs before delivery. It says a scammer who claims the animal is overseas may blame customs or quarantine and ask for more money. An animal that can’t lawfully be imported suits that story. See how to spot a pet scam.

What to do:

• Don’t pay anything, including a deposit. If you’ve already paid, call your bank now, then read what to do next.
• Report the ad to the site it’s on.
• Tell the government agency for that state. These are the contacts each government’s own page gives, for reports or for questions:
  • Queensland: Biosecurity Queensland, 13 25 23
  • South Australia: Pest Alert Hotline, 1800 084 881
  • Victoria: Agriculture Victoria, 136 186
  • New South Wales: the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s online form
  • Western Australia: Pest and Disease Information Service, (08) 9368 3080
  • Tasmania: Wildlife Services, 03 6165 4305
  • Northern Territory: Parks and Wildlife’s wildlife operations, 0401 115 702. That’s the 24-hour number the Territory Government’s wildlife crime page gives.
• If you think a cat was brought in from overseas, the agriculture department takes confidential reports of suspected breaches of biosecurity law on its Redline, 1800 803 006.

For the ACT, the pages we read gave no number for this.

If an ad for one appears on Pet Sales Australia, email info@petsales.net.au.

Why doesn’t Pet Sales Australia list Savannah cats?

We don’t list animals that are illegal to import, keep or sell where the law says so.

Our Listing Rules put it this way: “Savannah cats, and any other cat with serval ancestry, at any generation. They can’t be brought into Australia, and New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia ban keeping or selling them.”

The rule applies in every state and territory, including the ones where we couldn’t confirm the law. A listing on a national site can be seen by buyers in the states that ban them.

Which spotted cats can you own instead?

These are domestic breeds with patterned coats. None is a stand-in for a Savannah, and we don’t rank breeds. A coat tells you nothing about a cat’s health or nature, so ask each breeder about both.

• Australian Mist. The Australian Cat Federation’s Australian Mist standard (PDF) describes a cat of moderate type, “with no tendency to extremes”, whose tabby pattern comes as spotted or marbled. A UK cat registry, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, says the breed was developed in Australia from the mid-1970s, from Burmese, Abyssinian and domestic shorthair cats.
• Ocicat. The Australian Cat Federation’s Ocicat standard (PDF) describes a medium to medium-large, well-spotted cat noted for its “wild” appearance. The UK registry (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy) says no wild cat was used in its bloodlines: the breed came from Siamese and Abyssinian crosses.
• Egyptian Mau. The Australian Cat Federation’s Egyptian Mau standard (PDF) calls it a natural domesticated breed of spotted cat, with randomly spotted markings on the body. The UK registry (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy) says it comes from the street cats of Egypt.
• A rescue cat. Ask rescue groups about spotted and tabby cats too. See rescue and adoption.

Looking for a kitten? See kittens for sale or all cats. Listings open soon.

What about Bengal cats?

A Bengal is a different cross: a domestic cat and an Asian leopard cat. The import rule for Bengals has changed too.

• The old rule. The environment department says that since 2013, importers who could prove their Bengal was five generations from the leopard cat had been given exemptions.
• The change. On 10 December 2024 it announced that the policy would change from 1 March 2025, and that Bengals would be treated like any other animal under the national environment law. It said imported cats under the exemption had often had a high percentage of leopard cat genes.
• Where it stands. The department’s Live Import List page (updated 24 September 2026) says the fifth-generation exemption no longer applies. The agriculture department’s cat import guide says: “As of 1 March 2026, Bengal cats are no longer permitted to enter Australia.”
• What’s pending. The environment department’s page says an application has been received to add the Bengal cat to the live import list, and that the Minister for the Environment and Water will make the final decision.

That’s a rule about importing. This page doesn’t cover keeping or selling Bengals already in Australia. Two state laws we read make room for the Bengal: Victoria’s declaration (Consolidated lists of declared noxious weeds and pest animals) leaves the Bengal cross off its prohibited list, and Queensland’s Biosecurity Act says “cat” includes a Bengal cat. We didn’t check the other states. See Bengal cats.

Before you pay for any cat

• Meet the seller and the cat in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. For a breeder’s kitten, meet its mother too. A video is a first look, not a visit.
• Never pay a seller for transport, crates or insurance. These are common scam fees.
• Be wary of a rare cat at any price. A fair price doesn’t prove an ad is real.

Pet Sales Australia doesn’t hold or protect payments between buyers and sellers. You pay the seller directly, and we can’t get your money back.