Britain is experiencing a surge in supercats as traditional breeds are mixed with larger, wild cats, it has been revealed.
Traditional, domestic pets are increasingly being replaced by new breeds that are crossed with African or South American wildcats.
However, animal welfare groups have warned that the 'novelty' trend could pose a danger to other pets and even small children.
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Two of the savannah breed. They are the most popular supercat and are bred from a serval, a cheetah-like wildcat found in Africa
We read a lot about what happens to children when dogs go "bad". Are we setting up children for more injury by allowing these larger cats to be bred. Although they may enter homes without children, we all know there will inevitably be neighbors and visitors. And cats like this that get outside cannot be fenced in!
Peter Neville, an expert in pet behaviour from the Feline Advisory Bureau, said: 'Cats are predators. I wouldn't be happy with a savannah around a small child, because of their genes and their size.
'They are going to do a lot more damage than a normal domestic cat. Their paws are bigger, they are stronger and they will bite deeper. Just because you can tame one, doesn't mean you can tame them all.'
The RSPCA has claimed that the savannah 'could prove to be dangerous'.
A spokeswoman said: 'Where a wild cat or a wild breed of it is then being brought into a domestic environment, there is always going to be concerns about that animal's temperament.
'You don't always know what you're going to be getting. We would advise anyone thinking of getting a different sort of cat or a novelty animal to think about it extremely carefully.
'You need to know what you are doing. There are concerns about it.'
