Zulu F1 Savannah Male 75%

Hi Sue! I'm just dropping you a note to tell you how well Zelda is doing. She adjusted so quickly we were amazed - literally overnight. She eats like a little piggy - so hungry. She has no problem with using the litter box, knows her name, knows mommy from daddy (has a special way of calling when she wants me), and is a delight. She even comes when we call her, and learns everything at lightning speed. She is into EVERYTHING so, like new parents, we are trying to cat proof any danger zones in the house. She will be in the bedroom during the day, so I'm busily installing cord protectors, etc. to keep her safe and she seems to understand what NO means. She sleeps through the night without crying, loves to run and play, and seems to be a very happy kitten, purring and napping in her daddy's arms and giving me kisses all over my face. We are crazy about her!

I will send pictures as we snap them -we didn't want to "flash" her for a few days but I'll bet she is a ham, too (she is spunky!).

Thanks so very much!

Raphelle L. (F3 female)

Sue,
Hey, I thought I would just give you a quick update on little Dirby... he has taught himself how to pee in the toilet like a person, with no guidance from any of us. I really think he identifies with himself as a person instead of a cat, and thinks its perfectly natural to use the toilet. Or.. not. But either way, it makes cleaning the litter box ALOT better! He has had a growth spurt recently and has FINALLY started filling out width-wise instead of just growing longer and longer. He still eats like a starving little pig and will eat as much meat (he prefers raw steak and hamburger or cooked chicken) as we are willing to give him. I think at this point, he can outeat any person I know when it comes to all things meat. He is a real kick in the pants and the sweetest little (still growling all the time) thing on earth. I'm moving (again) in a few months, but when we get settled I will try to get some more pictures and send them to you. Hope you are doing well!
Talk to you soon

Zulu is doing awesome! He nibbles on his dry food throughout the day (but not much), he loves his turkey treat (I roll it in dry food first). He has his milk 3x day and he sucks it- I don't have to squeeze! Everyone loves him! My brother and his family came over yesterday and my nephews could not get enough of him. He is such a character. He had his bath yesterday-he doesn't like it, but he tolerates it. He is really becoming attached to me, and has a meow that is special just for me- kinda like he is talking to me. I am so happy I have him! As soon as I take pictures I will get him to you.
Janet (75% F1 male)

Hi Sue

Zulu is doing awesome! I am sooo happy I have him! (I think my husband is jealous - oh well) I will send you some pics soon. He already had his shot. The vet is really good. She is proud of him! She already had contacted two different specialty vets, one of whom actually only specializes in servals, to pick their brains. She was more than well prepared when I brought him in! I think you would like her!

Zeke arrived here in one piece at 10 pm our time, made the circumference
of our bedroom 8 times without his feet touching the ground 6 times,
devoured a double portion of raw food, and the last time I checked, he was
sleeping on my husband's head....Mark will be taking him for his wellness
check today and this weekend I will be making an appointment for his
third set of shots. What can I say? A cutie, a force of nature- he will
set our household on its ear and we will love every minute of it! Our
Maine Coon has his nose stuck out a mile because he was shut out of the
bedroom last night but he will adjust- and I do believe if they make
friends, his days of boredom are over!
Ramona
Sue,

Just wanted you to know that Zeke is doing fine- his appetite is
excellent- he had his wellness visit with the vet yesterday and is
adjusting beautifully- he no longer wishes to be confined to the bedroom
and escapes at every opportunity- unfortunately Charlie is not as ready as
Zeke to be friends so we will keep them separate for the time
being....according to my husband, Zeke caused great excitement at the vets
yesterday as the vet techs each took turns having a glimpse of Zeke- he is
a gorgeous well mannered kitten but very opinionated- a wonderful
combination, and busy, busy, busy.....
Just a update,
Ramona

Just a quick note to let you know how Zeke is doing- he and our Maine
Coon, Charlie, are doing quite well together- they tussle, sleep together,
and look for each other- for the last week Zeke has had the run of the
house- we have a few issues-Zeke likes to eat paper- Charlie did too, but
we are growing some cat grass and we are keeping paper out of his reach
(however he goes into the trash after it so trash cans with lids will be
our next purchase) but we are dealing with that- He really does not like
dry food, so he will continue to enjoy his raw diet 2 to 3 times per day
until his growing is done, as I want him to grow big and strong, and then
we will see- he really enjoys fish (cat food - natural variety) and gets
that occasionally. I can see why savannahs are considered so trainable- he
learns very quickly but ,like all really good cats, is stubborn (a trait I
quite admire). In short, we love him and he loves us with a particular
fondness for the person who feeds him (me.) Your website tells the truth,
you raise kittens who are smart, well socialized, healthy and strong-
THANKS SO MUCH!
Ramona

Thought you might like to have a few pictures of Zeke- he continues to
amaze me with his intelligence, his capacity to love, and the
incredible things he does!
Ramona

Just wanted to let you know he made it up here safely. He is gorgeous. The pictures I have from before don't do him justice. It was so cute when he got home, because the moment I set his crate down in my room he starting purring and hasn't stopped. He walked out of his crate and started asking for attention. You raise some pretty amazing kittens! I will keep you updated on how he is doing.
Thanks so much!
Heather (F2 male)

I wanted to give you an update on Dakarai. He adjusted well in no time. It takes him about five seconds to decide that you're his favorite person and start his purr motor. He is such a happy cat (hence his name which means happiness or full of joy). He made friends with my dog, Spot, and Yoda (my other kitty). He is so much fun to watch and play with. He isn't afraid of anything and is curious about everything. He is a busy kitten. He plays in Spot's water bowl and floods the kitchen almost daily (Yoda likes to flood my kitchen too so I'm used to it). On top of having a great personality, he has great markings and type. I will keep you posted about how he does. He is really doing great!
Thanks,
Heather

I just wanted to give you an update on Dakarai. He is doing great and growing like a weed! He is such a fun cat to play with and so loving. Every morning he wakes me up by purring and licking my nose so he can get cuddled. Once I'm out of bed though, he is all action and my house becomes a giant kitty race track. I love watching him play with toys and my other cat. We have started harness training so we can go outside for safe adventures since the weather has been so nice up here. He gets along great with everyone. He even gives kisses to people at the vet clinic. I can't imagine living without a Savannah cat! :)

He is all up-to-date on his vaccinations, microchipped, and neutered. As of today, Dakarai weighs 9.7 lbs on the vet scale at ~4.5 months old! That is a little more than twice the average weight of a normal kitten for that age. I think he will be a good sized, handsome boy. Do you have the TICA blue slip for him or are you still waiting on it? I was just curious. I also attached some recent pictures of him for you!
Sincerely,
Heather

I just wanted to let you know Dakarai is doing great! He is a BIG, healthy boy (~14 lbs at 7 months old). He is very handsome and a little pest. He likes to play in the kitchen sink when I'm trying to wash dishes. He also chases the vacuum around and attacks it when I vacuum. Dakarai has started to pounce on my dog, Spot, in an effort to play with him. Spot usually doesn't mind until Dakarai bites his tail. My cat Yoda loves to play chase with Dakarai, but has given up trying to wrestle with Dakarai because he is so big. Dakarai still loves to knead and suckle on his pink blanket - it must be a bottle baby thing. I have taught Dakarai how to sit on command and take treats gently from me. I'm working on sit pretty with him. He almost has that down. I can't begin to tell you how much I love having him in my family. It's so tempting to get another Savannah! I know Dakarai wouldn't mind a friend to wrestle with that has the same energy level and size. We'll see! :) I attached some pictures of him that I took this month. :)
Heather

I love our cats. I would never consider getting a cat from anyone but you. Giz is such a macho man. Oliver is the sweetest animal I have ever seen. Oliver wraps his paws around our new puppy's face & gives her a good licking. I am attaching photos. Thanks, Scott & Carrie

I debated and talked to a lot of people before I bought Jagger. After exactly 2 years of owning him, I can't imagine life without him. He has beautiful markings, weighs in at just under 30 pounds but more than that is his personality. He absolutely loves people, which I was under the impression Savanna's weren't prone to do, and actually runs to the door when the doorbell rings. He looks like a wild cat with the personality of a golden retriever. The best decision I made was going to a breeder who knows exactly what she's doing as well as the best way to socialize these cats.

His personality is so cool. Loves everybody and I can play rough and gentle with him both. Yeah….way beyond opening doors now….waiting for him to steal my car next! Looks wise he's pretty awesome as well isn't he?
Alan (62.5% F1 male)

I have to tell you that I am so crazy in love with Kita already. Wow what a love bug!!! We love pressing our faces together when I pet or scratch her. She will often lick my face. Sometimes it feels so good to her that she drools :) If I bend over, she likes to walk on my back and rub her head all over my head. Sometimes I just can't get enough of her.

I have never had a cat anything like this. Savannahs are truly exceptional. In fact a Savannah cat is on the cover of the 2012 annual Cats magazine.

Thank you for my amazing girl.
Debbie

I just have to begin by saying how much we love this kitten! He is beyond awesome. We can tell that you raised him with love and kindness; he is so trusting in everything we do with him!

He has adjusted wonderfully; he talks a lot and wants to be with us constantly. He has so many neat little quirks! What a wonderful little guy he is.

I am attaching some photos for you to see. He is growing quickly!

Thanks so much for letting us have him; we simply adore him!!!
Leah

Well, Duma is as adorable, if not destructive, as ever!

Let's see, we have lost numerous phone chargers to chewing, he unplugged the cable one night, he loves the strings on the blinds, he will steal a bag of bread if we leave it on the counter, he chews tissues and any sort of paper he can find, and he runs along the top of the duct work in the middle of the night which sounds like an intruder. And don't turn your back unless you want a surprise visitor landing on your shoulder or back! We try to wear him out, but a short nap later, he's got a second and third wind combined. He will get involved in anything you are trying to do. Our house, despite the destruction he causes, has never been cleaner. This is mostly out of fear of what he will do with any food or other items left out. :

But, we just can't help but adore him. He's the best cat ever!

He typically wakes us up just before the morning alarm goes off so he can burrow down with us under the covers. He accomplishes this by digging with his front feet until he finds an opening. He loves to talk and talk, and complain and complain if anyone will listen. He plays with the dog; she chases him around and around the house and he jumps on the couch and tries to attack her from the top. He is still a big snuggler and very loving. He doesn't meet anyone he is afraid of; if company comes, he just marches right up to them and demands to be petted or held. People are his! And what a handsome boy! He's already larger than our other cat; we can only guess how long he is going to get! OH, and he is eating us out of house and home! He especially loves the nights they get boiled chicken; talk about a loud ruckus!

I attached a few pictures; it's hard to capture him so it's always while he is sleeping LOL.

All in all, he is doing great!
Hope all is well!
Leah

Our baby is awesome! He's now a whopping 14lb. Everyone loves him and he is very social. I just love him sooooo much. His little face is so precious. I am no longer a "dog person." A big deal for me. He is very social, and spends time in everyone's room. Still teething and gnawing through all our favorite stuff, but that'll teach us to put our things away. The dogs are at least good for prey, and Duma loves attacking them. He is actually starting to settle down a bit. But, he still thinks the blanket is his momma. He's ready for suckling every morning. :)
Mignon
( Duma 7 month old F1 53% male )

I had a 5 month old F1 male that I had not raised around children or dogs. The day he got to his new home she sent me some great pictures with him loving and head butting her son and playing with the dog. Her caption was "Purring, headbutting and playing with us and the dog. He is wonderful. He is so different than Duma and so interesting and special in his own right. :)" Her pictures were priceless!!!!!

Another email a week later "I cannot say how impressed I am with your kittens!

They are so amazing. Our first kitten was perfect in every way. Such an awesome little guy, and what a show stopper. Loki has a completely different personality, but he has his own way of doing things and curiosity that makes him so adorable. He actually stands up on his hind legs to get his head into my hand for some stroking. He rode to school with me to pick up my daughter and had no urgent need to move his bowels! Yay! He follows me around at home already and within a week is already learning his name. He's very social already and is adjusting well to his new home." Mignon.

She is so awesome! I don't know what your intention is, Sue, but each kitten is even more spectacular than the last one. (But I am not getting another one any time soon! ;) unless I absolutely have to....). Not that they can really be compared because each one is so special, but the personality of this little kitten is so amazing! She is so funny and playful and lovable and adorable. She is such a blessing to us. Thank you for whatever care and skills you have and the choices you make in your cattery, because it certainly is evident in the kittens that we've had.
I appreciate you so much.
Mignon (f1 female)

One of these days we'll have to chat and you can share your secret for raising such loving confident cats. He is amazing. At the least, I expected him to be a bit grumpy from the long day and a tiny bit afraid. I talked to him on the way home in the car and for a few minutes when we got home before I opened the crate door and that seemed to calm him.

He makes me laugh with how proud he is when he chases the ball. He comes running back to me with his tail over his back and this look on his face that is just precious as though he's saying "look what I did, I chased it, did you see, I'm faaaast."
Deb (Atticus F1 male)

We had a great day today. Atticus is much more comfortable around Alan. You were right about his appetite. I'm feeding him 3 oz. 4x per day with a little snack before bed and he cleans the plate each time. I swear he's grown an inch each direction since Friday. Right now he's dead asleep next to me after a long bout of play. Sleeps curled under my chin. We went to bed at 10 pm last night and he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was up bouncing on me for a few minutes at 2:30 then went back to sleep until 5. I think that is an ungodly hour to get up, especially on Sunday, so I put him in the bathroom and he stayed quiet until I got up at 6. I posted a couple of pics in The Atticus Diaries.

Alan is totally smitten with him. Lays on the floor with a goofy grin on his face when they're playing. He is a bit jealous of me getting to stay at home with Atticus all day. Good grief, I hope he doesn't decide to retire. We'd have to take out loans to keep Atticus fed. LOL.

Thanks so much for taking pics of John & Trish. The expression on Trish's face was priceless.

'Nite,
D.

Sue, you are the equivalent of a high level drug dealer. You get us all hooked on your babes and then we can never get enough. I should have gotten 2. Alan needs his own because I'm not good at sharing :-)

I have some cute videos of him but can't get the laptop to recognize my new camera so I've sent an email to Canon for help. Hope to get those downloaded soon so I can post on SVcatchat and send to you.

Atticus met his Auntie Deb last night. She's the cat sitter. They hit it off right away and she's coming back again in a few minutes. He had three people playing with him and giving him adoration and affection last night. Three hours of it and he still had energy to burn. But, we did a good job of tiring him out because he went to sleep at 10 pm and slept through til 5:15.

He still hasn't pooped. I've given him pumpkin to try to move things along. I'll chat with the vet about it. He's not uncomfortable, tummy is soft, no bloating and he is still licking his plate clean every meal.
Deb

He was great at the vet's. As long as I hold him and tell him it's ok, he's ok.

He does that with everything new -- looks at me and waits for me to say it's ok. It's too sweet. So many new things to learn. The gardener came today so Atticus got his first taste of big noisy blowers, edgers, & mowers. He stayed under the bed for a few minutes then decided it wasn't worth losing play time.

The vet isn't concerned about the constipation. She felt his belly, said there's poop in there but is normal width and it isn't hard so it should come out ok. I'll try a bit of olive oil tonight.

I followed the instructions the Canon techies sent me and still can't get the camera/computer to like each other. They're supposed to call me tomorrow and walk me through it. There's an icon that is supposed to appear to get the files to transfer but the icon isn't showing up. What a pain in the arse. And this is supposed to be one of the easiest cameras to use. I must be more stupid than I thought :-)

Oh, and he's been in the shower with me since the first night. It's a 2-person walk in so there's no way to keep him out even if I wanted to. He manages to zoom through, hit all 4 walls and zoom out without getting very wet. When I turn the shower off, he comes in to watch the water finish going down the drain and tries to chase it. And, of course, he then brings his soggy self to bed to cuddle with me.

I thought I would have a few more weeks of having the bathroom vanity to myself but he jumped up there this morning, played in both sinks, looked very proud of himself and tried to pull the drain stoppers out. Gotta luv him.

One of the things I'm delighted about is that he's a talker. We have great conversations. I hope he doesn't grow out of that.

You might enjoy today's installment in the life of Atticus (page 18). He spent the morning on the catio with me and had a great time. He's getting bigger every day and is so sweet it's like having sugar dripped directly in our veins. I've been remiss getting shots of him with Alan and will work on doing that. Alan spends 30 minutes before he leaves for work playing and snuggling with Atticus. Atticus is very particular about his schedule -- snuggle first then play. When Alan gets home around 8 p.m. he walks the 3 other cats and then stays with Atticus until bedtime.

Last night Atticus was introduced to Maliik and Juba. Maliik was the one doing all the play posturing outside the doors. Well, it turns out that he is scared spitless of Atticus -- big 20 lb moose of a cat looked like a horde of howling demons was after him. LOL. Juba was ready to play and they had a good time. Taji came into the room and immediately turned around and left. Then he sat outside the room and growled and hissed at Atticus but he didn't do it when he was in the room. Go figure. Anyhoo, Taji will take a lot longer to warm up and Maliik desperately wants to play but has to get used to Atticus's in-your-face style. Juba didn't care at all when Atticus jumped on his back, but he acted afraid when Atticus tried to play chase.

I have some videos but haven't sorted through them yet and will upload to The Atticus Diaries as soon as I can.

Atticus had his 2nd vaccination this morning. He weighs 6 lbs 2.5 oz, up from 4 lbs 11 oz about 1.5 wks ago.
Hope all is well with you.

Wahhhhh, only 4 more days with my sweet baby Atticus before we take off for Ireland. I can't stand the idea of leaving him. It's killing me. He has bonded with the cat sitter who has been coming over once a day to play with him and feed him his dinner for the past 2 weeks.

Little Piglet weighs 7 lbs 10.5 oz. He's 11.5" at the shoulder and 14" from base of neck to base of spine. He's eating 14 oz /day and has no trouble eating whole prey. He eats adult quail and large chickens but has yet to try mice or rats. He looks at me as though I've committed the gravest insult when I try to feed him any kind of rodent. Perhaps as he matures, he'll be more adventurous. He also likes buffalo and rabbit.

He is the gentlest little creature. Everyone who meets him is amazed by how gentle he is -- never uses his claws in play. Taji is still acting like he's offended that we're keeping Atticus. He has given Atticus head butts and invites him to play and then the next day or next hour tells the kid to go away.

Juba and Maliik are in love with him. They invite him to play, groom him, tolerate his kitten cheekiness. Maliik is completely gentle with him. I was worried simply because Maliik is so big. When they first met and Maliik would get a bit rough, I'd tell him not to hurt the baby and he listened. Now when he plays with Atticus, he keeps looking at me for reassurance that he's doing it properly. These cats continue to amaze me with their intelligence.

It would be nice if other folks who have your F1s would join SVcatchat. I'd love to hear about the antics of Atticus's and Dino's relatives.
Hope all is well with you.

Just wanted you to know that Atticus had a blessedly uneventful neuter today. When we got home he popped out of the carrier begging for food and head butting me and purring like crazy. Wasn't even fazed by the ordeal. He is, of course, the darling of the vet clinic. They said they "forgot" to call me to pick him up just so they could spend more time with him. He is a heart stealer.

His stats as of today:

Weight: 10 lbs 6 oz.
Length base of neck to base of tail 16.75"
Height shoulder to foot: 15 1/8"
Length nose to base of tail 27.25"

Hope all is well with you.

Regards,
Deborah

I know you're probably seeing the pics I post on catchat & FB and wanted to give a brief update on Atticus. I can't believe he's already 6 mos. old. When I look at his pictures, he looks like such a big handsome boy but in real life, I still see my fuzzy wuzzy baby. As of this morning he is 15 lbs 2 oz. I can't get him to sit still long enough for length and height measurements but he's almost as tall as Maliik who is 16.25 inches at the shoulder.

We are in the early phases of the rebellious stage where he is torn between being momma's baby and trying to exert his independence. Definitely in the brat phase but he remains sweet and gentle and charms everyone who meets him. He is a bed hog and we are currently in negotiations for a compromise on how to share the bed with humans and the other cats. I'm not consistent with his clicker training but he really enjoys it when we have our training sessions. He is less resistant to the walking jacket so we can expand his horizons a bit and I plan on taking him to our locally owned pet store as well as other public places to get him used to more people and different situations.

There are no words that adequately describe how we feel about him -- love, adoration, awe all seem so inadequate. It's such a spiritual connection and it's humbling sometimes, the level of trust and love that he shows us. You're used to living with F1s so I know you understand what I'm trying to say. He's fundamentally different than my other 3 yet the same. Can't put it in words and it's frustrating. We are so blessed to share our lives with him.

Hope all is well with you and the kitties. Please give big smooches and head butts to Falkor and Sumatra for us. They make the most wonderful babies.
Today is Feb. 16th, 2016 and Atticus is two years old. This is a PM I got from Deb on Facebook

"Our Atticus is a beast of a cat. 23" torso and 20" at the shoulder, which would make him Guinness record holder for the tallest cat. Thought you might like to know that you bred a record breaker. Love from me and the wrecking ball."

He is now 25 pounds and a magnificient boy!