Would I be an appropriate older generation Savannah cat owner?

[admin]

Hmmm...everything I have read I didn't see anything that stated otherwise. It's a terribly bureaucratic country...the type where an "official" says something different every time...and one that you have to fight and yell to get anywhere. But if an Israeli let someone take away their cat...I mean Israeli's know their way around their system.

But I would have to go to a few different places and make sure that everything I'm reading is from 2016.

Doesn't matter what you read - they would not let the cat off the plane. The buyer had absolutely no choice. I would never send a cat to Israel now and I do not know many breeders who would. And btw - A1 Savannahs is not a main breeder - not sure where you got that idea...

 

[NikkiA]

Thanks for that Nikki...

Yeah I mean it's all stuff that I have been considering. I am telling my roomates we are going to need to put all the small stuff in the kitchen away and I will be "toddler" proofing all cabinet drawers and doors...they are rolling their eyes now but it will be different when the cat is destroying THEIR stuff and not just mine (of which the cat would be forgiven).

I was so excited at first (and I still have the cat tree and cat wheel in mind that I want my dad to build me). And maybe my boss will buy me the cat as a goodbye present (after I may him some money ). I think you guys are right...that it is better to wait. I mean I still think I could handle it...but it would be better later in the future. I just hope I'm not passing a deal of the lifetime (and the ability to buy the most expensive kitty if I want to). But if it's meant to be...it will be.

F5 Diablo, F3 Jarvis and F4 Mickey are from A1 Savannahs when Martin and Kathrin Stuki were in the US. Is that who you are dealing with, or are you dealing with the new owner? Paige and several others breeders in the US have cats from their bloodlines if you like the look of A1's cats.

Martin and Kathrin produce some wonderful kittens. But, sometimes, you get a not-so-brillant one (like Mickey) or an outright destructive one (like Jarvis). You need to understand it isn't just the shoes and the bags. We had to replace the cabinets in our kitchen thanks to Jarvis. That was almost $15k. And the window in the kitty room, after Jarvis chewed through the wood surrounding it in an afternoon's fit if pique. And the fridge, thanks to Diablo.

The sticker price of the kitten is a small fraction of what they actually cost to care for properly. Trust me. I have 3 cats from A1.

Re: forgiving your cat, that gets tough when the cat destroys your macbook pro and you need to work all weekend. Don't kid yourself. You may get a cat that is an angel in the future, but you may not. I think you would be very smart to wait.

 

[SavannahLuv]

... I just hope I'm not passing a deal of the lifetime (and the ability to buy the most expensive kitty if I want to). But if it's meant to be...it will be.

Please don't let that be the deciding factor on whether or not to wait. Would I be thrilled if someone offered to give me a Serval, ABSOLUTELY!... could I realistically give it the care it deserves, no

 

[SarahBee]

Please don't let that be the deciding factor on whether or not to wait. Would I be thrilled if someone offered to give me a Serval, ABSOLUTELY!... could I realistically give it the care it deserves, no

For sure. But the first 10K to a lifetime investment sure eases the pain haha

 

[admin]

F5 Diablo, F3 Jarvis and F4 Mickey are from A1 Savannahs when Martin and Kathrin Stuki were in the US. Is that who you are dealing with, or are you dealing with the new owner? Paige and several others breeders in the US have cats from their bloodlines if you like the look of A1's cats.

Martin and Kathrin produce some wonderful kittens. But, sometimes, you get a not-so-brillant one (like Mickey) or an outright destructive one (like Jarvis). You need to understand it isn't just the shoes and the bags. We had to replace the cabinets in our kitchen thanks to Jarvis. That was almost $15k. And the window in the kitty room, after Jarvis chewed through the wood surrounding it in an afternoon's fit if pique. And the fridge, thanks to Diablo.

The sticker price of the kitten is a small fraction of what they actually cost to care for properly. Trust me. I have 3 cats from A1.

Re: forgiving your cat, that gets tough when the cat destroys your macbook pro and you need to work all weekend. Don't kid yourself. You may get a cat that is an angel in the future, but you may not. I think you would be very smart to wait.

Martin and Kathrin no longer own A1 Savannahs and have not for a few years...just to be blunt..they were crooks, unethical, irresponsible and liars...I was lucky in that when I bought Zuri, they wanted her as their show cat, so took very good care of her - she lived in their house...many, many others were not so lucky, Sourek being one of them. I found all this out a couple of years ago and know much more than I would like to :-(

The new owners are nice and trying to do better.

 

[SarahBee]

I think all of you guys are right and it's not the right time no matter if it's been several years since I have wanted something this badly. All of my close friends think I should go for it...because they know that I'm responsible and can tell how much I love these cats...but they aren't experienced like you guys.

I will have a much better idea of my future, even in 6 months, so just because i can't have my cat now...it's not out of the question.

 

[SarahBee]

A1 Savannah's seems rather on the pricey side, but they seemed really informative and had shipped a cat to Israel once before.

 

[SarahBee]

There are many things you've said that convinces me that now is not the time for you to get a savannah cat, but the above statement contradicts what you said later in your post. You can't commit to the life of an SV if you're willing to sell it, give it away, or otherwise dispose of it if you get a job where they are illegal.

Your life is too unsettled to make a commitment to any animal. I understand it's difficult to temper your enthusiasm and wait for what probably seems a very long time. However, the love of an SV who is in a stable home environment is worth the wait.

By 'it' i actually meant the job

 

[SV Dad]

(off topic) So.... Nikkia, I'm having a challenge trying to figure out why you took on a 4th SV.....? I know / seen the things Witchy puts up with her four. Everybody loves Bratticus, but OMG!
There is some anecdotal evidence on these forums that the fourth is the critical mass. In your case, mass destruction. Three SV's can have it's moments, Mayhem occasionally goes batshit and chases every cat he can find in this house, bouncing off the furniture and walls, but never have any of them destroyed furniture and cabinets. Otherwise, I have very well behaved SV's. Nothing worse than any other cat I've had over 40 years.
{I'm working on blocking the SE website so my wife can't see the kittens!}

 

[NikkiA]

(off topic) So.... Nikkia, I'm having a challenge trying to figure out why you took on a 4th SV.....? I know / seen the things Witchy puts up with her four. Everybody loves Bratticus, but OMG!
There is some anecdotal evidence on these forums that the fourth is the critical mass. In your case, mass destruction. Three SV's can have it's moments, Mayhem occasionally goes batshit and chases every cat he can find in this house, bouncing off the furniture and walls, but never have any of them destroyed furniture and cabinets. Otherwise, I have very well behaved SV's. Nothing worse than any other cat I've had over 40 years.
{I'm working on blocking the SE website so my wife can't see the kittens!}

LOL.
That is a very valid point. The answer is a bit long.
Diablo and Jarvis are not friends. If I don't separate them when I'm not home, at least once a week I'll come home to a bleeding Diablo.
So, I don't leave them together when we are not home.
They both love Mickey. However, whichever cat was alone before Rey came home was not happy about it (hence the cabinet destruction, and the window destruction). Both were Mickey-with-Diablo days.
Jarvis has anxiety, which D exacerbates, and he is destructive when he is upset.
Diablo wants to be in charge, but Jarvis is 7 lbs larger than he is. Jarvis doesn't care who is in charge, he just doesn't like being pounced on. He gets pounced on, and he reduces the nearest item to its component parts, or, for a while, he peed on it (we've made great progress with that thanks to Marilyn Kreger).

Some would say we should find Jarvis a new home.
I don't think Jarvis would be ok somewhere other than with us. He is not an adaptable cat, he is shy, and easily frightened. It takes a long time to gain his trust. He is a ball of anxiety in a spotted coat. He is still our boy though. Right now, he is in my lap. That trust took years. So, in spite of Diablo, I still think this is still the best place for him.
We just got unlucky in that our first two, who were kittens at the same time and should theoretically have been friends, don't like each other.

Mickey to be very honest is what happens when your breeder has your credit card on file and you and your husband have too much wine one night. Minus the fact that he will eat anything he can fit in his mouth, Mickey is a great cat. Bringing him home was a good outcome following a poor decision.

Rey on the other hand was thought about for a long time. We had just replaced the kitchen stools and cabinets. We already had the mass destruction. We figured she could not possibly be any more nuts than the boys are. Minus the smacking of the house sitter, she is a sweetie. I'm pretty sure what happened was that he was late with her dinner. That will get you smacked in our house. Re: the claws out, during the smack, who knows? She isn't usually a cat that uses her claws. She is a chewer, but she isn't destructive per say.