If Ohio SB 310 and HB 483 pass in their current form, Savannahs, a harmless domestic cat, will be banned simply because of discrimination against their breed. The Savannah was created to be a mild house cat with exotic looks, and most Savannahs weigh 10 to 20 pounds (just like the Maine Coon cat). My own Savannah weighs 8 pounds and lives in our house with my other cats.
Savannah owners in Ohio will be grandfathered, with very high
licensing fees, which could range from $500 per year per cat, to $2000
per year per cat. Add to this a requirement for $250K to ONE MILLION
in liability insurance per cat. Add to this a requirement that
Savannah owners must have one acre of land, with the presumption that
Savannahs will live in cages with a perimeter fence! And no one in Ohio will be permitted to breed Savannahs. This would be cruel to most Savannahs, which live indoors only as cherished pets.
The bill will decimate the TICA show circuit, because Savannahs that are
visiting the state will only be allowed in Ohio for a period of 48
hours, during which they will be required to be caged at all times.
They cannot be judged in a championship cat show, since they are not allowed to leave their cages!
As a result, TICA will be forced to hold their shows in outlying states.
The bill allows the enforcing organizations to add breeds to the list at will!
see: http://www.svrescue.com/myths.html