The kittens are coming!

Black (or melanistic) Savannahs crop up from time to time, and are an accepted variation (in North America, anyway). Some breeders like them (as I understand it) because a spotted cat with a *black nose* is the ideal, but hard to produce, and a melanistic parent may be more likely to give that result.

I'm the fool who brought home a kitten from the cat show in Feb'y. I preferred Lester to his spotted sisters because of his personality. Yeah, they are expensive (but he is melanistic and an F6, so not much more than any other registered cat breed). And it really is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of serving (I know better than to say "owning!") a cat for his/her lifetime. If you are talking about an F1 or F2, however, they are very difficult to breed, and are incredibly expensive.

The more like a wild cat and the bigger and spottier the better for me. But it's a pipe dream, as they won't let them into Australia, and I can't afford it.

How different from other cats is yours.?


I hear you're a fellow Siamese lover....so is there much difference? Siamese and my woollies seem to have similar personalities to that ascribed to Savanahs.


Only my woollies have soft liittle voices. They are more destructive than any Siamese I have ever had, though.

Will your fella walk on a lead?


Oh....more pics pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!

Sebastian looking exceptionally noble at present.....just like an Egyptian cat in bronze....and serene, he looks serene.


It's hard to reconcile that with the things I found he'd destroyed, knocked down, moved and generally vandalized last night.

I may add that, in the largest litter tray known to humans, he managed to get a bit of wee on the carpet this morning.

Yay! Cats using second boodaloo. My trick of taping door open has worked!

Viola went first, but Sebastian now making more noise in there than a herd of elephants.

Now I hope I can gradually persuade them that they CAN push the doou open,

No hot water this morning.....some sort of hot water pipe bursting on fourth floor disaster yesterday. Water visible on carpets on my floor. (in corridor)

Apologetic note from plumber on lifts.

Sebastian unable to leave second boodaloo alone.

Oh, yes, he is happy to go out on lead (the operative phrase being *out*)!! He is surrounded by Siamese (3 Siamese and a Blue-point Oriental). The biggest difference is voice - he chirps quite a lot - only way I can describe it, and apparently characteristic of the breed.
He is only about 9 months, so it is hard to say how big he is going to be. He is already the biggest, but without the adult muscle and bulk yet. I don't think he will be huge, but will have to wait and see.
There is a lot of discussion around Savannahs as to their generation. Lester is F6 (or 6th generation from the original wild cross). I think they get a little smaller as they become more of a domestic cat. Not sure.
I do agree about the spotty wild cat look, but just loved the little guy. BTW, he does have spots - like a Black Jaguar, they are black spots on a black field. I can see them occasionally in the right light. But mostly he just looks like a moggy (as my pea-green-with-envy brothers keep telling me).
Will try to post some pics. . . once I figure out how. <grin>

What's his personality like?



Pics need to be hosted by another site and linked to here.

Progress!
Hooray!
This is good!


I guess that's better than climbing all over the place & knocking things over & breaking things, yes?
He's a funny cat.

Sorry to hear about the plumbing disaster, Deb.
At least it hasn't leaked into you place, so things could be much worse.
That you didn't need!

Have dared to remove open tray from study!

We now have the boodaloo with door intact in study, and the taped open one in laundry.

We are hoping....but the sudden appearance of a lot of toilet paper amongst general kitten detritus has rocked my faith.

I have to say that, evil aside, they have been especially charming tonight...except when Sebastian had a melt down when I tried to see if the turkey neck I gave them to chew on had affected the unfortunate fact that he seems to be gaining adult teeth without losing milk ones. This I have seen in children...which made them look like sharks, and I hope there will be no vet intervention and money needed!


They do enjoy each other enormously and are developing longer and more elaborate games. With attendant destruction as the wildness ramps up.

Viola's fetching continues....as well as even more charming expressions of affection.

Sebastian's biffing continues...although tonight he biffed the chicken I wouldn't give him, rather than me for not giving it.

The boy lacks deductive powers.

Unless he attributes more ability to choose their actions to bits of dead chicken than he does to carrots?

Chuckling away here, Deb.
Very funny post!

Great personality. That's why I came home from a cat show with a completely unplanned kitten! The most utterly confident kitten I have ever brought home. He came home to four adult cats and two large dogs, and it did not intimidate him an iota. I have yet to hear him hiss or growl. He is also the only cat in sight when we have visitors - the others generally prefer to make themselves scarce.

All right, I have posted a few new pics for you on Photobucket: http://s523.photobucket.com/albums/w354/redarmy58/Lester%20the%20Melanistic%20Savannah/

And you can check out the YouTube vid I post a while back: Lester sparring with Webster (our Bluepoint Oriental).

Enjoy.

Ooop. Sorry. Here is the link for the YouTube vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOR4Hz-Z1PM

I love this pic. Can't wait to see Lester and the whole pack again.

All very cute!

I can't see any of the morphological qualities that attract me to the early first crosses, though. Is he basically going to look like a big, beautiful black cat?

I am curious to know what was so striking about him that you came home with an expensive unplanned kitten. He must be some cat!

It's a very beautiful photo.

Sebastian's shyness with strangers appears to be gone!

He positively harassed the rental appraiser who came through today!!!

Viola interested, but still much shyer. So funny...her anxious face makes her look like a completely different kitten from her normal face....she looks slightly evil and very grumpy when anxious. Then, when stranger has left, she acts as though I am a stranger for a time. Odd.

Have bought them a dried calf's ear (ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww) to see if munching on it loosens Sebastian's recalcitrant milk teeth.

Lester is a stunner, mab!
I feel quite besotted!

So now he's harassing complete strangers, Deb.
I fear for the innocent souls who are yet to cross his path!


Yes, that is rather odd.
Maybe she felt put out by the presence of the stranger?
Who you let in!
I really don't know why she'd behave like that.

How's the chomping on the dried calves ear ( ) going?
If all else fails, raw chicken wing portions might do the trick.
Great for cats' teeth.
Also, if they haven't been eating much raw meat yet, it's a good thing to introduce them to it while they're young.

I was thinking sebastian was a bit quiet this morning....worried he might be ill or his teeth bothering him.

But I think it's ok.....he was just trying, quite literally, to climb the walls.

They've lost their damn calf ear.......I hope I find it before the cleaner does!