F2B Harvey, Seven Months of Age

My baby, Harvey, only seven months of age. He's eating us out of house and home! And he's larger than his mother, our F1 Kboo; larger than his aunt Ayo (F1), and very close in size to his aunt Gabatta (F1). Gabatta has never met anyone larger than her, so their meeting will likely be epic.

Harvey is from our F1 Kboo and F6 Mbau. This is the same pairing for our youngest kittens, Howie, Jimmy, and Terry.



Harvey may look full-grown, but he's a big baby, still immature (only seven months, after all...) and doesn't use a lot of common sense. We're introducing him to everyone in stages.



He's not angry in the photo above, he's panting from playing too hard.



Looking in at Ayo, he's about two inches taller than her at the shoulder.



Our neighbors were having several trees cut down and Harvey had to supervise.



If there's a window, our Savannahs think they have to look out.



He rolled the Okinawan Headache Cat over right after I captured this photo. He barely fits on the standard-size coffee table, but he's blissfully unaware.



Same loveseat and coffee table, Harvey at nine weeks of age.





Harvey and Elwood at two days of age.

Kboo Has Me Well-Trained

Thanks to everyone for your patience, for photos, and questionnaire replies, and kitten notices. If you've been following us for any length of time, then you know our kittens come first. And Kboo has been keeping me extremely busy for the last 18 days.

She is such an attentive mother, she waits days to go pee or poop and only then with me coaching and cajoling. Friends have F1s who are as attentive, but few wait more than two days. Kboo waited five to go pee early on and we were ready to drive her three hours to the vet school. The cold x-ray table at our vet finally convinced her to let go, thank God.

I slept on the floor in front of her crate for 15 days, just a quilt folded up under me because she tries to take my covers to her kittens, or would bring me her babies and put them under my shirt. She's happiest if I have my hand touching her lightly, or she'll reach out and put her paw against me. Harvey (her son) does the same thing.

We keep her room at 82 degrees, so I was comfortable... well I was WARM, won't go so far as to claim comfort! I finally got to move back to bed the last few nights, but she misses me.

She went pee on her own Friday morning, then I had to beg yesterday for her to go. Don't have children, but think I may have been good at potty training.

She reverted because Jimmy decided to become an escape artist later Friday morning and toddled out of the crate so many times over the next two days, with Kboo scruffing and bringing him back in... he exercised so much that he lost seven grams over two days. He'd been gaining at least 10 grams each day. So I put in the cardboard half-gate at the front of the crate, where Jimmy can't escape but Kboo can jump in and out.

I think she appreciated the help corraling Jimmy, but was not happy overall with the change in her environment.

Which is why I was back to begging her to pee yesterday, after two days of her holding it. She finally went and it only took 20 minutes of me pleading with her. If I stay with her 24/7, then she's so very, very good. If I escape (like Jimmy!) to do some work, then she reverts to get my attention.

And yes, I do know that she has me very well-trained. Whatever it takes to keep her happy and healthy, she knows I'll do it--

She is my spoiled baby, huge, but a baby. Harvey is just like her, for bonded to me, and he's already larger in frame than his mother and his aunt Ayo. Only our F1 Gabatta still outstrips him in size.

And since he's only seven months of age, that won't last for long. Can't wait to introduce him to Gabatta. She's never been outsized in her life.

Back to Kboo's new kittens... Howie is gorgeous, as is Terry. Terry is heavier, but they're both the same frame size, leg length, each with a short thick tail. They could almost be twins.

Terry is starting to contrast up and looks even more like Howie, but he is still a narcoleptic, he eats, sleeps, cuddles, then repeats.

Howie talks all the time, a low grumbling meow, which is amazing, because he has the most distinctive MEOW, rather than chirp or other vocalizations, of any of our kittens. Such a wild look with a purely domestic voice, albeit very low and gruff.

And Jimmy, I named him correctly. He fusses, argues with Kboo, grumbles, looks for trouble, causes trouble, all the time. He's as loving and cuddly as his brothers, but he's much more inquisitive, at least for now, and is absolutely never idle. Even nursing, he's moving constantly and kicking his brothers off a nipple.

Kboo will really be busy when they learn to crawl over the half gate.

Should have new photos of everyone tomorrow. They're at the in-between stage. Adorable, expressive faces AND ambulatory!

Vester Vies for Visibility

Vester is an absolute sweetheart, outgoing, light-hearted, totally oblivious to the Blazing Saddles final scenes chaos churning around him with the other kittens. He does a Snoopy Dance trying to grab the antique brass keyhole on the low cedar chest. Doesn't give up even when he can't "catch" it.

He never meets a stranger and it's as if he knows he's a duckling now (but he'll be a swan in about a year), but that he knows he has to make up for his transformational stage with his personality.

If you've seen photos of Aja (we called her Audrey) on the Testimonials pages and on the Aja and Shombay Blog... Audrey had the same huge ears, thin coat, not high contrast when young, delicate face as Vester.

We knew Audrey was going to be spectacular when mature because we'd had one other kitten with the same attributes and he grew into a gorgeous Savannah. And both are the most affectionate, bonded, sweet creatures you can imagine. Very typey at maturity although not when younger. But you can't anticipate their beauty unless you've watched someone with similar attributes blossom.



Vester is endearing. Outgoing, engaging, interactive, never intimidated, always happy, carefree, oblivious, he shares well, plays well with everyone, including us. He's very mature, physically and emotionally, and he purrs if you talk to him from across the room.

When he winds down, Vester drops in place, curls up like a lamb, puts his head on his front paws and is out hard til he recharges. You have no choice but to fall in love with him.

We're in the process of making our final choices for our kittens and it appears that Murray may be available, too.

Murray is in the back, playing with Emmett's tail. Murray runs non-stop, tail totally fluffed out, fur fluffed, full-speed, and dances sideways, up on his toes, at the other kittens inviting them to chase him. He also drops in his tracks, but it just takes longer for Murray to wind down than it does for Vester. Murray has striking gray eyes and will look very much like his mother Komari when mature, but has Cary's long, long legs. You can see his happy fluffy tail in the bottom photo.

Fox NFL Sunday... and Kboo's Kittens???

For the new kittens... all three are boys and I've named them Terry, Howie, and Jimmy, for the Fox NFL Sunday crew, needed a few more to round it out, but Kboo wouldn't cooperate.

Our AJSavannahs families know I'm a huge football fan, Packers of course. My sister and I went to the San Diego game at Lambeau Field (WOW, everything I'd dreamed and more), we went September 23, 2007, the Sunday between Brett's big record-breaking weekends. We had seats on the 50 yard line, Packers side, just a few rows up. It was almost heaven. Better than I'd dreamed all these years. My sister thought I was nuts, she's a Broncos fan. Poor thing.



And when I delivered Audrey and Jack to their family, Rita and John were so generous and delivered ME to the Pro Football Hall of Fame where I spent a fantastic afternoon.



Back to the new guys. Jimmy is the smallest and his coloring is like Tessa's only a bit richer auburn. Jimmy was walking within a few hours of birth and talks pretty much all the time. Even worse when he wants to eat or when Kboo is beyond his touch. With those attributes, he had to be named for coach Jimmy Johnson, of course.

Howie is the middle kitten. He's huge with a thick body and has gorgeous contrast. He had to be Howie because I love Howie's personality... and physique (duh!). I've heard from reliable sources that the real Howie is a true gentleman, generous of spirit, and every bit as kind and engaging as his on-air persona. Hope Howie the Savannah takes after his namesake.

Terry is our narcoleptic kitten (not really, he just likes to eat and sleep and doesn't fuss like Jimmy) but if you've ever read about Terry Bradshaw's concussions (they brought him back strapped to a door, laid on top of the airline seats after one game, and didn't do any tests til the next day), but after all those concussions, it's no wonder Howie and Jimmy carry on about Terry being a bit slow. Our Terry isn't slow, but he does love to sleep. He's also huge and his contrast is beautiful. Terry's coloring is not as warm as Howie's.

Hope to have new kitten photos soon -- for those who couldn't care less about football. Sorry. But I have my Brett Favre autographed SI magazine in my office (thank you! GK's family!!!), a Brett Favre Steakhouse menu that my sister had framed for my birthday, and my (framed) G Force Proud 2B Loud towel from the game. Yes, I have ALWAYS had it bad. (You can rename the kittens...)

Murray the Moose?

Have the Netbook webcam set up and able to take a short break from Kboo and kittens. They're all asleep and maybe I can get this published without running upstairs five times. But I doubt it...

Murray is going to be a big boy, and he is full of personality. VERY full. He was serval-leaping at his mother this morning, would fall short, then roll, grab her front leg, bite and kick like mad. Really feeling his testosterone. He's a lover, but he's not intimidated by anything. He chose Andrew, big time.

Jericho lays in wait under the end table, then launches out and tackles whoever is close, then dashes back in to do it again. He still does not like heights. He spreads all four feet out like those stuffed cats that suction cup to glass. That's Jericho. Maybe I should have named him Geronimo, like when you jump out of planes or off high places. The name Geronimo would fit.

Emmett wanders around looking for trouble and he grumbles if we hold him when he wants to be down running around. He and Vester both climb to the top of the small scratching post, then wait for Ayo to come by, then pop her on the head. Vester tried to bite an ear, but so far, hasn't connected. Lucky for him. He also jumps down from the scratching post but not very well, he tumbles end over end. Emmett just jumps down and keeps going.

It's so hard to tell what their size will be, except that the big boys will definitely be big. The average-size and above-average kittens OFTEN surprise us. And even Jack, who was just a bit larger than average, is now HUGE.

If you haven't visited recently, check out the Aja and Shombay blog, Rita updated it last week.

This younger photo shows Isabella (larger than her mother already) Jack, and Genevieve (Fina) with Kboo at approximately the same age as Ayo's kittens -- to give you an idea of size. Jack at almost six weeks is equivalent to Murray at the same age. And Murray has very large feet (and a bigger attitude, but in a good way).



The Audrey and Jack photo below is from right before they went home; Jack was 12 weeks of age.



Wait til you visit their blog and see Audrey and Jack (Aja and Shombay) now. Love the one in the doorway where he has his paw around her. Our kittens who go home together, bond with their humans first, but they also love each other. Audrey mothered Jack when they were younger. Now just look how he protects her!

Shombay (Jack) is gigantic, 19 pounds and only 15 months old. Jack is Tessa, Genevieve (Andrew's Fina) and Isabella's brother.

So... if you find yourself in love with a kitten's personality and temperament, but it's a matter of not quite large enough, I'd say take a chance. Because our kittens always surprise us with their eventual size.

Even our F3C Brie (Matthew who has Brie and Lucy) is going to be big. And she was tiny. We told Matthew we never expected her to be any larger than 10 pounds, and she's 16 pounds now at only 20 months. And a total lap cat for Matthew. She took one look at Matthew and decided he was hers. He met us to see Lucy -- and Brie chose him. So he got both girls, photos on Lucy and Brie's blog. And Brie (and Lucy) is everything he wanted because he's the human that BRIE wanted and she made it happen. She's a dynamo.

Need to update for Kboo's kittens next.

Dinner is Served!

Our Savannahs are a bit spoiled. This is one meal for our F1s and babies.