Heartbroken and Incredibly Angry

[NikkiA]

Not my best angle, but Mickey (literally, today):

 

[admin]

He's a big boy and really, really handsome

 

[NikkiA]

He's a big boy and really, really handsome

Thanks Paige!
He is actually the smallest of our three boys - I am teeny, only 5'2, so take that into consideration

 

[Tort518]

Since you asked about the color change possibility I will post some pictures of Ice and the other kitten. I'm still waiting on the good pictures my photographer friend took of the kitten so the iPhone pic will have to do for now.

Martin already said they are two different kittens when he compared the pictures he has at A1.

You'll see that Ice has a pale beige pattern of spots that is subtle. He also has enormous rounded serval ears and the other kitten has smaller ears. Ice has very subtle occelli on the backs of his ears, the other kittens ears are dark grey without pattern. The other kitten is not showing even a subtle spotting pattern, but does have grey stockings on all four legs. Ice has a salt and pepper tail, the other kitten has a darker colored tail. Ice has a pink nose, the other kitten has a black nose. Ice has a white face with a scarab on his forehead, the other kitten has a black faced and the forehead pattern is indistinct. Also the other kitten is crosseyed, Ice is not.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

We bought our snow SV from A1 last year. He looks VERY different today than he did at 8 weeks.

This is what he looked like when he was listed:

View attachment 8950
This is what he looked like when he came home:
View attachment 8951
This is him now:
View attachment 8952
There have been huge changes in his coat and appearance over the last 10 months. He now has lots of grey, a fair amount of brown and black on him. I know it is really unlikely, but what does the kitten they shipped you look like?

I think kittens DO change a bit but in this case, Martin has already admitted that Ice went to a different home and he simply sent a different kitten along.

It is definitely important I think as a breeder to send regular pictures so that the kitten buyer can see the progression in looks. I remember buying a beagle puppy over 12 years ago and the difference between him at 4 weeks when I chose him and 8 weeks when he came home was huge... I didn't really recognize him at first!

 

[The Kasbah]

Well the cats arrived from A1 Savannahs. One was entirely the wrong cat and the other I'm not sure about.

I called them and complained. They confirmed that the kitten I selected was given to another customer last week and they couldn't get him back. Instead I received a cat with almost no Savannah and Serval features. The vet I took the cats to confirmed that the kitten is Siamese and had not been neutered like the kitten I selected was supposed to be, and which is not a permissible outcross to my knowledge, and they said the female looked more like an Abbysinian, another non-permissible outcross, than Savannah which would explain why her name at A1 was Abby.

I called again to A1 and Martin said they would reimburse me fully. I'll believe it when I see it. He did also to offer to pay to have them shipped back. That would be nice, but will they also pay me for my time lost at work, my gas for driving a almost 200 miles round trip and the frustration?

I am open to suggestions from the breeders on this forum about how I can get real Savannah cats and if they would be willing to take these two off my hands in addition to me buying real Savannahs from them?

I am going to go feed the new arrivals since they have not eaten all day and then it will be my turn to get dinner.

IF, in fact, you were been shipped the wrong kittens, then you most certainly should send them back for a full refund!

I have to be honest in that I find it difficult to imagine how a Breeder could mistakenly send the kitten you selected to another client...but if they were aware of this prior to sending off your baby, then YOU should have also been made aware BEFORE arriving at the airport to discover the mix-up yourself.

I am really sorry to hear that you are having a poor experience and hope that things get sorted out for you quickly.

 

[The Kasbah]

The secondary conversation going on here regarding naming kittens is interesting to me. I very RARELY name kittens that I am offering for sale for a few reasons:

1. Once they are named, it makes them more like MY babies instead of babies that I am raising for someone else...and THAT (in and of itself) makes it more emotionally difficult for me to release them to their new homes. No sense making things harder on myself...#1, #2, #3 works just fine...

2. On the occasions that I HAVE given them names (and shared the names publicly) I have had potential clients complain that they would prefer another name and want to name the kittens themselves!



There truly are several schools of though when it comes to naming or not naming kittens being offered for sale. Point here is that Breeders who refer to their kittens by number rather than first name CANNOT automatically be categorized as a Bad Breeders! Sheesh!

 

[admin]

The secondary conversation going on here regarding naming kittens is interesting to me. I very RARELY name kittens that I am offering for sale for a few reasons:

1. Once they are named, it makes them more like MY babies instead of babies that I am raising for someone else...and THAT (in and of itself) makes it more emotionally difficult for me to release them to their new homes. No sense making things harder on myself...#1, #2, #3 works just fine...

2. On the occasions that I HAVE given them names (and shared the names publicly) I have had potential clients complain that they would prefer another name and want to name the kittens themselves!



There truly are several schools of though when it comes to naming or not naming kittens being offered for sale. Point here is that Breeders who refer to their kittens by number rather than first name CANNOT automatically be categorized as a Bad Breeders! Sheesh!

I don't think anyone said that if you don't name your kittens you are a bad breeder - I don't feel that way at all. Many, many breeders do not name their kittens and I understand why...

 

[John Popp]

The breeder we have used has internal cat and kitten names and then the one they present to the public. On a recent trip to their facility, I found out just how hard it was for the employees to keep the names straight. Names like Elmer probably wouldn't play well with the buying public, but that is how they are internally named.

As for kittens, they aren't likely to be given a name until they reveal a personality. Most of them are spoken for by that time and presented my wife and I some frustration as we were shopping for personality.


With the mix up, I can see how it could happen at a larger cattery. There are more people involved and more chances for something to go wrong. The real test is what happens when things do go wrong and the remedy to make things right. In that light I think A1 stepped up to the plate and made their best efforts to remedy a bad situation.

For the customer, I don't think you can ever do enough as there is a great deal of emotional attachment in their decision. I have seen similar things happen in our business in years past with the film from that once in a lifetime vacation, wedding or event being ruined by cross-processing or camera malfunction. You can't get those images back and not as if you can send someone back to Africa so they can re-shoot their 6 week Safari or get a do over on their daughters wedding. Just a totally awful situation for all involved and no matter what you do it's always less than ideal and never a complete remedy.

 

[coraljunk]

... The vet I took the cats to confirmed that the kitten is Siamese and had not been neutered like the kitten I selected was supposed to be, and which is not a permissible outcross to my knowledge,...

I don't understand why they had a Siamese kitten to give away in the first place.

"Today all of our kittens are highest quality Serval to Savannah or Savannah to Savannah matings."
- http://www.a1savannahs.com