New Member From SoCal

[Patti]

Welcome Scott, and kudos to you for doing your research before taking the plunge and purchasing a new Savannah on a whim. I think everyone has given you good advice here. The only additional point I would make is that is sounds as though no here (so far) is familiar with this breeder or able to give you a positive reference, so I would probably ask the breeder for references from his previous customers before committing to purchasing a kitten from him. If he is unwilling or unable to do so, that would be a red flag for me.

 

[ScottKelly911]

Wow what a great response! Thank you everyone for making me feel so welcome here and you've all definitely provided me with some great advice. I agree, I'm lucky to be here in California where we have MANY breeders and based on my research, probably more SV breeders reside here than any other place in the country! I have looked at pretty much every listing and available kittens on the Patrick Kelley SV Breeder listing website over and over. I have definitely seen some that I liked and others that were either out of my budget or not completely what I'm looking for from an aesthetic standpoint, at least based on the pix, usually due to later generations. That being said, I have contacted several breeders about their kittens (possibly some members here). This particular Kitty that I'm interested in has every single feature that I'm looking for in my Savannah with the only thing in question from an aesthetic stand point is one that wont be known until he's grown up and that's how big he'll get. Honestly, I'd like a large cat as Brigitte suspected, hence my looking for an earlier gen SV, but if it's smallish for a male F3, I wouldn't be crushed. Based on the pics he's got fantastic markings and has all the physical traits that I'm hoping for and the most important of all, is that the three of us (me, Chloe and name to be decided) get along well. I have asked the breeder to provide me with current pix. I'm glad to hear that being a TICA registered Cattery isn't a must. The breeder did say he would provide copies of both parents pedigree, so this breeder does appear to be completely legitimate. Here is his response to my first contact via email. After searching just about every SV site I could find, this particular one is such a handsome little guy that I'm really hoping he's the lil guy for me (and Chloe ) and ready to move forward based on my current info.

The boy is currently still available, although we have had a few people asking questions about him this last week. Nobody's reserved him yet so everything's good there, I'm just letting you know. He's grown quite a bit since the pictures were taken on the website and he just continues to look better and better.
He's been introduced to many other cats and dogs before. He's usually a little shy at first but came around to our other cats and a few visitor dogs in just a few hours, so I'm sure everything would be fine with your other pets. His mom is also harness trained and does very good outside. We take her for walks all the time and she does great with the leash and harness, so I'm sure he'll do the same.
The prices for the kittens include their vaccinations, shipping, and all other related fees. The girl labeled as "female 1" is $____, "Female 2" is $____, and the boy is priced at $____. They also include copies of the pedigrees of their parents, and a small bag of food to help with the transition if you do decide to change their diet.
Let me know if you have any other questions about the kittens or the breed.
-Dave

I've asked when he'll be available and for current pix. Other than that, is there anything else I should question or be aware of?

Thanks again to everyone here, wow, in just a very short time, I feel like I've got a big support group behind me, including people who are obviously more interested in seeing a good match between kitty and new owner than selling their own kittens. When we're talking about the type of money that we are, that really puts me at ease so thank you because I know a lot of you guys are breeders or have close ties to breeders. Thank you!

 

[Pam Flachs]

Welcome, Scott! You have received some great advice already...my advice is you should go with your heart on the kitten or cat whose pic you fall in head over heels in love with; but also heed any "gut" feelings that you might have that indicate you should look elsewhere...

So far you are doing very well in your quest; you have done the research, know what you want as far as appearance and generation, asked questions before buying one of these amazing cats, and are communicating with the breeder and received a good reply

One other thing I can think of asking for is if a health guarantee is offered. This is standard from every breeder I know and should cover the health of the kitten from the time of your possession of the kitten to usually one to two years or more. Specifics of what will be covered varies with each breeder but usually covers congenital (inheritable) defects after the initial few days. Most, if not all breeders require you have the kitten seen by your own vet for a health check within 72 hours after he arrives or you pick him up and require quarantine periods before introducing him/her to your existing pets.

 

[ScottKelly911]

I just wanted to show you guys a few pix that I was able to screen capture off of their website of the cute lil guy. Again, I don't own these pix, they belong to the breeder. I just wanted to show you guys what he looks like as of a few weeks ago. Hopefully in the next few days I'll know if he'll be coming home to me. If not, bummer, but the search will continue. Like I said in my original post, I've waited 3 years to finally make the decision to make my dream of being a Savannah owner come true, so waiting a little longer to find the right one wont be the end of the world. Hopefully he's the one. I know you are all a lot more experienced than I am with these guys, so let me know what you think. Again, he is an F3B, one of his grandparents was a Bengal. I personally think he has fantastic SV markings, with his "M" forehead, black eye-lines, defined bold spots, faint occeli on his ears, and the characteristic Serval short ringed tail, golden color and lastly the bands on his legs. These are all the traits that have me really excited about this particular kitten. Wish me luck!

 

[ScottKelly911]

Just wanted to share a pic of Chloe so she doesn't think I'm neglecting her (in case she can read lol) She's a Snowshoe mix that has the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen, the pic doesn't do her eyes justice, but it gives you an idea.

 

[admin]

The kitten is adorable, Scott! The coat looks rosetted to me, which is probably the result of the Bengal influence. Chloe is gorgeous with an awesome set of blue eyes.

I agree with Pam - sometimes a certain kitten will just call to you...but I also agree that you should definitely get references and inquire about a health guarantee, which most reputable breeders provide.

 

[Trish Allearz]

Chloe is very very pretty. How old is the kitty you are interested in? As a rule of thumb, most breeders don't permit young kittens to interact with the main household until they've had their vaccines. Of course, the baby may be older then the pictures depict by quite a bit

I agree though- go with your heart, but keep it in reign if there are any true red flags.

 

[ScottKelly911]

Patti, Pam, and Paige, (hahaha The Triple P's!, you guys should start a band lol)
That's really good idea to ask about health guarantees and references. I'll certainly do that when I speak to him. I called the breeder a few minutes ago and left a message, so hopefully I'll hear back from him soon

Paige, I agree, I noticed some Rosetting too, which I think is a pretty neat quality especially since all the other Serval/Savannah traits are there and remain unadultered by the Bengal influence. Instead it seems to compliment those traits. Obviously these pix are of when the kitten was still quite young so I know for better or worse, those things can change greatly with age. I suppose that's part of the fun of cats like these, watching them grow up and seeing what changes take place. Thanks for the comment about Chloe, I love her to pieces, she really is a sweetheart too. I wasn't even looking for a cat when I got her, she truly chose me (Long story) but I've loved her ever since.

Trish, thank you, for the kind words about Chloe According to the website he was born on 3/28/12 so that puts him at exactly 12 weeks today, I agree those pix were definitely taken at least several weeks ago, my guess at about 5-7 weeks old maybe? I've looked at so many pictures of so many cats recently, and yeah this kitten has definitely got me captivated. But yeah, if any Red Flags arise, I'll certainly heed them. Hopefully this is just a new breeder and that's why nobody has heard of them. Paige did some searching for me and found that they are legitimate, so I'm especially grateful to her for doing that for me. Now it's just the waiting game, to see what the breeder says about health guarantees and references. Fingers crossed!

 

[ScottKelly911]

UPDATE TIME!!!

Well, things are going VERY well. As we suspected, Wild Hybrids is a very new Cattery. In fact, it's only their second SV litter. The first litter went to friends and family. Making mine their very first F3 SV's to be sold publicly. The health guarantee is in line with other breeders. Since this is all so new to them, they've enlisted the help of the breeders who they purchased their cats from to help them through these types of details. David has been an absolute pleasure to deal with and has answered my over the top long list of questioning happily. I asked him to send me video of "my" kitten so I could see what he looks like now since those last pics were taken. You can definitely tell it's the same cat based on some very distinguishing markings such as the 1/2 ring on his neck. I can't believe that he's an F3B, his markings are much more indicative of an F1 with his Serval markings and he has great size! These videos were taken yesterday, so he's only 11 or 12 weeks old. He looks like he's gonna be a BIG boy!!! I've signed my deposit contract, given them my deposit, signed my Kitten contract and next to work out is agreeing on a date for shipping him in 1-2 weeks. Tomorrow he goes to the Vet for round 2 of vaccinations. I guess my next big step is trying to think of a name for him heheh

I really want to thank everyone who's posted in this thread for your help, advice and support. You've helped me ask the right questions, get the answers that I needed and genuinely helped me make this decision and feel comfortable that it's the right one. Sooo...without further ado, here are the two videos David sent of my soon to be new Kitteh! I'm so excited!

 

[DChap]

Congrats! He is adorable! I remember vividly how excited and obsessed I was and am going thru the process of choosing my Matojo and preparing to bring him home. It will be hard to wait for him but time will fly and then your world will change forever! I have always loved all the animals I have had in my life but there is something special about SV's. So happy for you