The codes on a pedigree can tell you a whole host of valuable information on the lineage of your cat and what you could expect to see on the production of any offspring. We have compiled a short table below to explain to you what the codes mean:
1 - Registration Status Codes
SB (Stud Book) as the first two letters of the registration status code means that the cat has no cats which are unknown, unregistered, or of another breed or breed group within a standard three generation pedigree.
The third character of the registration status code will be one of the following letters:
T - (Traditional) - Only cats from the same breed within a three-generation pedigree
V - (Variant) - Crosses outside the breed but within the breed group within a three-generation pedigree.
P - (Permissible) - Crosses outside the breed or breed group that are permitted by the breeding programme established for the breed
N - (Non-Permissible) - Crosses outside the breed or breed group which are not specifically allowed by the breeding programme established for the breed
S - (Species) - Outcrosses to species other than Felis catus / Felis domesticus. Such crosses may be used in foundation breeding programmes but are by definition considered non-permissible
You may often see SBT, for example: F4 SBT This means that the cat is 4 generations away from the original wild cat (serval) and that the cat has had 3 'Savannah Breed Group' matings in the previous generations. Thus, deeming the cat "purebred" otherwise known as: "S - Stud B- Book T - Traditional"
2 - Ancestry Record Codes
01, 02, 03 as the first two characters of the registration status code are Ancestry Record codes:
01 - the cat has at least one unknown or unregistered parent
02 - the cat has at least one unknown or unregistered grandparent
03 - the cat has at least one unknown or unregistered great grandparent
3 - Hybridisation record codes
AO, BO, CO as the first two characters of the registration status code are Hybridisation record codes:
AO - the cat is the product of two different breeds
BO - the cat has at least one grandparent of a different breed
CO - the cat has at least one great grandparent of a different breed
Ancestry and Hybridisation codes can be combined (e.g. A1P, C2P, B3P)
4 - F stands for Filial
This indicates which generation the Savannah is from the original Serval and Savannah cat mating.
F1 = Serval x Domestic Cat (we only use F1's which have been produced from Serval to Savannah matings). Accepted TICA Outcross Domestic cats to produce other F1 Savannahs are: Egyptian Mau, Oriental Shorthair, the Ocicat and the Domestic Shorthair.
F2 = M Savannah (F5 +) x F Savannah (F1)
F3 = M Savannah (F5+) x F Savannah (F2)
F4/ SBT = M Savannah (F5+) x F Savannah (F3)
F5/ SBT = M Savannah (F5+) x F Savannah (F4)
F6 / SBT= M or F Savannah (F5+) x F or M Savannah (F5)
F6+/ SBT = M or F Savannah (F5+) x F or M Savannah (F6)
5 - And what exactly does the a, b or c stand for after the F2 e.g. ?
A Savannah/Savannah mating is referred to as "SV xSV", in addition to the filial (F) number.
Savannah generation filial numbers also have a letter designator that refers to the generation of SV-to-SV breeding.
A = 1 parent is a Savannah and the other is an outcross.
B = Both parents are Savannahs with one of them being an A.
C = Both parents are Savannahs and one of them is a B.
Therefore
A x (any SV) = B
B x (B,C,SBT) = C
C x (C, SBT) = SBT
SBT x SBT = SBT
F1 generation Savannahs are always A, since the father is a nondomestic outcross (the serval father).
The F2 generation can be A or B.
The F3 generation can be A, B or C.
The F4 generation is the first generation that can be a "stud book tradition" (SBT) cat, and is considered "purebred".