Introducing Juba Kai -- Savannah kitten

[Matata]

He''s finally home!! I flew down to San Diego to pick him up on Thursday. He was cooped up in a carrier all day didn''t make a peep the entire trip. He''s faster than a speeding bullet and after taking probably 200 pics, only 3 came out something other than a blur of fur and that''s because he was either asleep or very sleepy. He has a beautiful serval face.

 

[Matata]

Angelic in sleep

 

[MonkeyPie]

Oh gosh he''s SO CUTE! I just wanna squish him! His spots are amazing.

 

[Beth]

That is a beautiful cat. Tell us more about him and how you ended up being his mother, please. He is so unusual.

 

[Matata]

Beth,
I found out about Savannah cats on PS -- can''t remember who posted about her kitten. My soulmate Matata died in January and my other cat, Maggie, got ill from loneliness. I did a ton of research about the hybrid, looked at hundreds of breeder sites online, contacted one who had pics of gorgeous cats & kittens on her site, did some investigating to ensure she was an ethical breeder, put down a deposit and began the long wait for a kitten to be born. I wanted a male and asked the breeder to choose a kitten who had a sweet disposition because I knew it would be difficult for Maggie to adjust to a new cat, especially an energetic one. Maggie is 15. I introduced them last night and while she is still throwing hissy fits at him, she gets equally perturbed when he ignores her so the adjustment is going far better and faster than I anticipated.

I also chose the breeder because her F2 kittens are 30% serval and most are breeding 25% serval in the F2s. That 5% difference is what his markings so remarkable -- they really resemble those of a serval. He is remarkably smart for such a wee sprite. I knew Savannahs were highly intelligent but he''s downright scary in the way he studies things. He saw me open a drawer one time and then attempted to do it himself. Thankfully, he''s easily distracted by toys but when he gets older I''ll probably have to baby proof cabinets I don''t want him getting into. And despite their reputation for not being cuddly, he is a snuggle bug, thanks again to his breeder who does a terrific job of socializing the kittens before they''re placed in homes.

 

[Matata]

Here''s a pic of his mom that I posted awhile ago when I got the first pics from the breeder.

 

[ephemery1]

Oh how GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!! I

kitties... more pix please!!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Aww, he''s soooo cute!!! Or should I say handsome. So happy for you Matata!!!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Wow, that is a very CUTE kitten, and with those spots, he is going to grow up to be one beautiful cat.

 

[Bliss]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a stunning kitty! Does he know how gorgeous he is? He''s gonna be a little king of the jungle!!!!!

 

[diamondfan]

OMG he looks like a tiny leopard! He is too sweet.

 

[Deelight]

OMG he is seriously to cute for words I just want to snuggle him

 

[portia]

Congrats Matata! He's so precious!! What generation is he? Does he have a pure black nose? Absolutely adorable!!!

Also, just curious, how do you get the extra 5% serval out of an F2?

Please post more pics!!

He's so cute!!

 

[Madam Bijoux]

What an adorable baby! Best of luck with him!

 

[iheartscience]

Adorable! Congratulations on the newest addition to your family!

 

[CrookedRock]

What a beautiful kitten!! I too have an F2 Savannah, and I am just nuts about him!! Many people think I am crazy for buying a cat, but it was worth every little penny! You will love watching him grow and learn... and that''s exactly what they do!! Mine first taught himself how to open the front door bc it has a lever type handle on it. Now he has taught himself how to open bedroom doors which are just round knobs! How he does it is beyond me! I think the coolest thing though is that I was able to potty train him. Def something to look into!! Enjoy these few days of him being a tiny little kitten, they don''t last long!
ANd please post more pics! I could look at these lil guys all day!

 

[Matata]

Date: 7/7/2008 1:05:39 AM
Author: portia
Congrats Matata! He's so precious!! What generation is he? Does he have a pure black nose? Absolutely adorable!!!
Also, just curious, how do you get the extra 5% serval out of an F2?

He's an F2. When you breed an F1 with an F4 you get more serval. I forget the mechanics of it but you can likely find the full explanation on one of the breeder websites. There's a lot of info to be found at http://www.savannahcat.com/public/index.php. I found the explanation of how to get higher percentage serval by breeding back to F1s somewhere on the site but can't remember where. Sorry. Oops, almost forgot, his nose of pure black.

 

[Matata]

Date: 7/7/2008 12:23:38 AM
Author: SanDiegoLady
... btw I would totally love to know your breeder....!

Julia Dent at Avalon Savannahs http://www.savannah-cats.net/ When you look at the pics of the queens, Willow is Juba''s mom. One of the finest examples of a Savannah that I have ever seen is posted on the website of the founders of the breed. His name is Deo and he is absolutely breathtaking. Take a peek at the pics http://www.a1savannahs.com/more-savannahs.htm I would love to have one of their cats but can find other things to spend $8,000 to $10,000 on!

 

[portia]

Thanks, Matata! I''ll have to go check out that link. I find it so interesting!

We have an F2, but she''s 25% serval. I love your kitten''s black nose. That''s supposed to be very desirable for the breed... more serval-like. Our F2 only has a little outline of black around her nose, small brown spots (almost like freckles in some places) and a ticked coat, but she has a HUGE personality. We just love her so much!!

Enjoy your new kitten!

 

[Fancy605]

Well that is the cutest little guy. If you ever feel like posting more photos, I sure would love to look!

 

[Cind11]

Om MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!! That kitty has to have the sweetest face ever! What a cutie! Getting a new baby is so much fun. Congrats!

 

[Lynn B]

CUTENESS OVERLOAD!!!!

OHMYWORD!!!! How beautiful he is! I am so excited for you! You are gonna be having some serious FUN!!!
I simply CANNOT wait for 10,000 more pictures, and STORIES, too!!!

BTW, (small threadjack here...) but how are Jon and Chili, and where are THOSE pics???!!!

Thanks!

 

[Miscka]

Wow he is seriously TOO cute!!!!!! I can''t stand it! I loooove his markings! Please post more pics, congrats on your new baby!

 

[wishful]

ADORABLE!!! What a beautiful kitten.

 

[Matata]

More pics of our day so far. Sorry that I can''t load more than one pic per reply.
Starting at 5:30 a.m. -- must play will ALL the toys.

Kill bag.

 

[Matata]

Kill ball

 

[Matata]

Eat breakfast

 

[Matata]

Help mom work.

 

[Matata]

birdiesbirdiesbirdiesssssssssssss

 

[Matata]

Why you keep pointing that thing at me??!