Considering buying an F1 kitten - does anyone know this breeder?

[rypka]

My post here isn't to criticize any breeders out there, but rather to give more insight into one of many SV kitten purchasers (like myself).

For me it's about the 1.) look of the kitten, 2.) the number of photos, 3.) the quality of the photos and 4.) price. I have been searching for an F1 kitten for some time now, scouring a meriad of breeder sites. One big problem I've seen on some sites, is that lack of photos per kitten. I need a lot of photos to make a decision, it really helps. I need prices, some do not list any price and require you to inquire (pain IMO, it needs to be fairly easy). As my searching as gone, I've been discouraged as my 4 criteria above haven't been met, until I accidentally stumbled across Kim's FB site (I had typed 'Savannah Cat' in FB). The drawback to her site is that, yes, it's not widely advertised and like any FB page, you do have to navigate thru some crud. You won't get arguments from me over this. But beyond that, my 4 criteria were easily met. One added advantage is that you can navigate into other past customer's FB sites to see their current pictures of their cats. That's a nice touch and yes, sometimes breeders do post previous or current customer cats on their websites. Kim has and currently has some very nice F1 kittens IMO. There are often 6-10 photos of each and they are nice photos. The price...very good IMO. I've seen the 'King of Blah Blah Blah' like titles and prices listed as high as $55K!!! Those are big detractors to me and I walk away from such sites. Price is very important. A breeder can argue that high $15K+ costs that much to breed such F1 kittens...that's fine although I will walk away. Others may bite though... Everyone has their limit.

That being said, Shango's new F1 playmate will be arriving in about 7 weeks. Kim was a delight to work with and had no issues purchasing from her or her FB site. cheers! ...dj

Agreed! Kim is my number one breeder to get F1 from (I am already stalking your Amaury - is he the boy#1?)..I am so in love with the litter 12/28/12.. I was also hoping to see more on her website but every time I tried to loaded, there was an error

 

[scorpius]

(I am already stalking your Amaury - is he the boy#1?)..I am so in love with the litter 12/28/12..

That is correct, he was boy #1 in that litter. I believe there were 3 boys and 4 girls in the litter. Amaury looked the most orange of the boys, and I gave dibs on him early on knowing that. boy #3 was almost as orange as Amaury. boy #2 was a skosh orange and more white. They were all quite nice and if Amaury was not available, I'd likely have gone for one of the others. The girls all looked nice, just that I wanted a boy. I had him shipped and he came out of his shipping crate purring. He is just super playful and loyal even 2 weeks after his arrival at my home. He is the boss around the house!

 

[rypka]

That is correct, he was boy #1 in that litter. I believe there were 3 boys and 4 girls in the litter. Amaury looked the most orange of the boys, and I gave dibs on him early on knowing that. boy #3 was almost as orange as Amaury. boy #2 was a skosh orange and more white. They were all quite nice and if Amaury was not available, I'd likely have gone for one of the others. The girls all looked nice, just that I wanted a boy. I had him shipped and he came out of his shipping crate purring. He is just super playful and loyal even 2 weeks after his arrival at my home. He is the boss around the house!

I only can imagine how perfect he is! Yes, I know about the whole litter, when I came across it, you've already taken boy#1 I really liked #3 and #2 as well, but they are so different! I want to see them grow to see how they look older..But I didn't come across anybody who bought them - I am considering writing Kim..I hope she won't mind..I am so curious! 2 girls I can see in Lequoia and Spotlight Savananhs Nice to meet you by the way

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Congratulations papa Logan! Now the waiting gets really difficult as the urge to cuddle him will reach a crescendo with each picture and each update the breeder sends you. But at least you now know an approximate time for his arrival to your home and you have plenty of time to prepare.

It really IS hard to wait...but remind yourself that as soon as the kitten arrives you will forget all about the pain of the wait

 

[scorpius]

I only can imagine how perfect he is! Yes, I know about the whole litter, when I came across it, you've already taken boy#1 I really liked #3 and #2 as well, but they are so different! I want to see them grow to see how they look older..But I didn't come across anybody who bought them - I am considering writing Kim..I hope she won't mind..I am so curious! 2 girls I can see in Lequoia and Spotlight Savananhs Nice to meet you by the way

Hi Eva, I tried sending you a PM about some pix of some of the older F1's, but it said your inbox was full. So feel free to send me a PM here. Nice to meet you as well! -dj

 

[Alice]

Coco I am afraid you may have a very unusual F1 as I have been breeding them for quite a few years now and find that they are and remain very loving pets. Not one of my purchasers has ever had any of the issues you are complaining about. I am afraid you are the one that is very misinformed and coming off extremely negative and just plain off base.

Logan, I commend you for doing your homework, and yes, buyer beware. I think Logan has been preparing for an F1 for awhile now and would be an excellent owner.

Please don't mind me butting in here with a question... But do you really have to be home all the time or work from home to own an F1? What about F2? Not that I'm ready to purchase one right now, but I'd love to hear opinions about that... Man coco's cat sounds terrible!! I can't imagine that is the norm, because who would buy cats like that?? I can't imagine they would be so well loved if they made 10k+ in yearly damage to houses...??

 

[Marissa]

Please don't mind me butting in here with a question... But do you really have to be home all the time or work from home to own an F1? What about F2? Not that I'm ready to purchase one right now, but I'd love to hear opinions about that... Man coco's cat sounds terrible!! I can't imagine that is the norm, because who would buy cats like that?? I can't imagine they would be so well loved if they made 10k+ in yearly damage to houses...??

I could be mistaken but I think there has been controversy in the actual damage, or it may have turned out that there were other issues. Not from experience but from what I have seen, f1 s make amazing pets. They need more time versus your normal domestic though. In terms of an f2, it ALL depends on the cat, I have f5/6 and they more nutty and wild (in a good way) then both my f2s, honestly my f2s are in a sense lazy,they sleep all days in the cat tree, he comes out and prowls and my girl walks around plays and next thing you know she is zonked out somewhere. Now if I leave potatoe rolls out, they get into it, but honestly I'd go off finding a kitten that is right for you by finding a breeder who has kittens that are consitant in personality traits that are suited to you, regardless of generation. Generation can give you an idea of what a cat can be like, but it comes down to how they are raised and from sometimes the previous kittens/ mama/daddy personalities. These guys are like people, everyone is different, shape size, personality etc. talk to breeders, find out who knows their babies and find out what works for your family/home life. Find a breeder you feel confident with and can help guide you on finding a personality that can best suit you but regardless, these guys no matter gen or sbt, will never cease to amaze you, it just depends on what suits you

 

[John Popp]

Please don't mind me butting in here with a question... But do you really have to be home all the time or work from home to own an F1? What about F2? Not that I'm ready to purchase one right now, but I'd love to hear opinions about that... Man coco's cat sounds terrible!! I can't imagine that is the norm, because who would buy cats like that?? I can't imagine they would be so well loved if they made 10k+ in yearly damage to houses...??

Our boy who is an F3 creates the vast majority of his carnage while we are home. When we aren't he is sleeping. Upon his arrival it was nearly 3 weeks before we ever saw him with his eyes closed and then he had finally just passed out from playing for a several hour stint. Unfortunately the majority of costs associated with his rough and tumble play was surgery to repair his fractured hip. It was quite an ordeal and none of the Savannah proofing your home tips I have seen ever suggested the wrecking ball he is.

Fortunately we already knew the majority of things that was going to get him into trouble and the check list was already pretty much in place before his arrival. We had 15 years of pretty much the same to prepare us, just now we have a kitten with a little greater speed and more inertia. No where near $10k worth of annual damage, but if you count in the surgery and near 5 months left to go he still has a shot.

My best advice is if you have things that are important to you put them away until your kitten begins to mellow out a little. Also keep in mind that despite their tremendous athleticism, they are going to be like an awkward teenager with their mind not totally in tune with what their body can do. He's near totally fearless and a half dozen times a day I need to say "Uh Oh Chongo" and occasionally rescue him from something that's going to put him in harms way.

In this respect, I don't think he's quite normal although there are quite a few parallel tales of others cats. I wouldn't trade him for the world and after whatever carnage ensues I figure out a way to blame it on myself. In closing it's not being away from home that causes any issues, it's his want to provide some entertainment when I get home and the batteries are charged up.

 

[scorpius]

Please don't mind me butting in here with a question... But do you really have to be home all the time or work from home to own an F1? What about F2? I can't imagine they would be so well loved if they made 10k+ in yearly damage to houses...??

No, at least in my experience so far. I am able to leave my F1 and F2 alone, by themselves, for 8-10 hrs at a time. In fact, this is when they like to sleep, and I think the sleep helps them out. But sure, the more time you can spend with them the better.

In terms of dollar damage to my home, $3.27 for a few rolls of Charmin TP. My F1 is a bit more energetic than my F2, but he is far from destructive even as a rascal kitten who is not yet neutered! Both of them play so hard with each other, I don't think they have time to get bored and destroy things around the house. Once they're done, they go and sleep together and clean each other religiously.

 

[John Popp]

I'm sure having another SV youngster helps scrape off a lot of energy. Our other cats just can't keep up with Chongo and are over his zeal and enthusiasm in less than 5 minutes. The plan has always been to wait a year before getting a second although I sometimes question if it was the right decision. There are certainly pros and cons to having a pair at a similar age, while it certainly helps having a rough and tumble buddy.