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.

Personalities and Body Types

No new photos yesterday, we tried but no one was cooperating. In part because Vesper's eyes are open, finally! She's catching up on her exploring and would not stay put for even two seconds. She's going to have a beautiful face, at this point, we think very similar to our F2B giraffe, Cary. And she's going to be a very large F2, she weighs more than Olivia at the same age.

Murray is going to have Cary's long, long legs, as you can tell from the photos in the last post. His face reminds us of our F2B Komari, also from Ayo and Wari. He's very outgoing and people-oriented already. Murray always comes to me, even if he's close to Ayo. Vesper used to come to my voice, but now she'd rather explore. Murray is starting to catch up to his siblings. His weight is just a bit less than Aaron's at the same age.

Emmett is staying very vocal. He seems to enjoy talking and starts as soon as he hears my voice. Emmett also comes running but he's figured out how to make it over the lip of their crate without tumbling. Probably because he has to wait for me to take the barrier down and has time to slow down before he goes over the edge. Ayo does NOT want the barrier down because each kitten takes off in a different direction and she can't keep them herded together. Emmett is a big boy, too, and weighs almost as much as Jericho. But Emmett has a very tightly packed, taut, spring-loaded body type so he appears smaller than Jericho. Emmett's style is similar to our F2B Oliver from Gabatta and Mbau.

Jericho is a bit larger than Emmett, but not by much. Jericho has that very fluid, drapey, laid-back body type like our F2B Spencer, also from Ayo and Wari. Jericho is very relaxed, to put it tactfully. He would rather curl up against Ayo and eat than to greet me, explore, play with his siblings. It's eat, sleep, grow for Jericho!

Olivia and Aaron have been introduced to solid kitten food and Gabatta is very glad since both kittens' baby teeth are coming in. I put a tiny bit of food on my fingertip, offered to Olivia and after the second lick, she decided she'd try to take a bite instead. I can commiserate with Gabatta, for the sharp teeth! I kept moving Olivia closer to her flat food dish, as she followed the food on my finger, and she caught on right away. She was eating next to Gabatta almost immediately. Aaron isn't interested yet. He'd rather nurse. The boys usually take longer to catch on... maybe on purpose? If he's like most of our boys, he'll be about five days behind his sister for learning to eat, use litter, everything. Except for being photogenic. Aaron has everyone beat when it comes to playing to the camera.

Both kittens are exploring their room and we'll add a small Little Tikes toy for them later today. Probably the covered slide because they can go under and play hide-and-seek til they figure out how to make it up the slide. They'll be able to play with the rings on each side and play with Gabatta through the portholes. Everyone seems to love the Little Tikes toys. Ellie's family got her a very nice, large playhouse fort and she loves it. She went in almost as soon as she saw it and knew she was home.

We have a variety of sizes and shapes for our smaller kittens. Even our F1s love the Little Tikes. It's always funny to see Gabatta trying to balance on top the tunnel while her babies are playing below.

Jason is starting to feel better, but I'm not feeling too well. We'd wear a mask when we handle the babies, but Ayo and Gabatta would NOT be happy. Especially since Ayo was upset at Jason's lower voice a few days ago.

Liberty Loves Sacramento

Liberty and I left for Sacramento Wednesday, a very huge adventure for both of us. Not the flights for me... but the worry about traveling 13 hours and three flights with a very, very, very rambunctious, outgoing, and energetic F2B Savannah kitten.



We were up at 4:15 (1:15 Sacramento time) and at the airport at 6 a.m. to start our journey. I secured Liberty in her harness before we left the house and it didn't faze her one bit. For everyone else, the harness fitting had a very quieting, intimidating effect, always a good thing when carrying a Savannah kitten through the security screening. Not Liberty, she just shrugged, then kept on playing. Her (non-) reaction did nothing to allay my concerns.

But... we got to the airport, put my small carry-on bag on the conveyor, shoes off, then Liberty up, then in my arms -- to a unanimous chorus of "Ooohs and Ahhhss" over her beauty. She laid back in my arms and soaked in the praise as I walked without incident through the screening. She was safely in her soft pet bag within one minute of coming out. Again, most kittens can't WAIT to get back into the safety of their pet bag; Liberty would have gladly traveled the entire trip in my arms.



The first flight was loud and bumpy, a small commuter. We scrambled full-speed to make our second connection where Liberty again drew praise, this time from the First Class cabin. Our kittens make the long hauls in style! Because I use my Dividend Miles and upgrade on the longer flights. And coast-to-coast certainly qualifies as long.

Liberty was a bit talkative by this time, having been in her pet bag for, "Oh, my!", four hours (little did she know what was ahead...). But she settled down when we'd make eye contact, a very Savannah trait, to look to their humans for guidance, reassurance, and praise. I wrapped her bag in a blanket to insure she'd be warm enough on the floor, and she settled in for a very long nap.



A bit of excitement while boarding proceeded, as there was a disagreement over seating in row 28, with the flight attendants discussing and expecting more trouble. Later in the flight, the very large, intimidating male flight attendant blocked the opening from First Class to the galley and cockpit area with a large food cart. He stood there, braced, for at least 30 minutes. Probably while the problems in the back were settled.

The toddler in the row across from ours was not nearly as good as Liberty. She threw a fit several times, which her parents did nothing to end, and Liberty would cry in concert with the monster-child's screams. I'd look at Liberty and say no, pet her nose through the mesh, and she'd go back to sleep. Can't say the same for the child.



We were supposed to make two stops on the way, but wound up making an unplanned landing in El Paso. Another passenger in First Class suffered a heart attack and we immediately diverted to the closest airport. The USAirways crew was fantastic: professional, calm, efficient, there was a doctor on board, and one flight attendant was EMT trained. The gentleman was alive when the paramedics took him off the plane. Lots of prayers for him on board, and after, and I hope he survived... he was traveling alone.

We managed to make our next connection, even with the diversion, the flight was boarding as Liberty and I arrived at the gate, she was very wide-eyed from being bounced around on my shoulder from one terminal to another, but still a very good traveler. No digging or clawing or biting at the mesh. Cary almost chewed his way out of his carrier on his flight home. Thanks to Cary, I now travel with a back-up pet bag in my carry-on. Just in case. But no worries with Liberty, she was a sweetheart.



And 12 hours, 45 minutes later we met Brittany and Scott who have been waiting what seems like forever, for their baby. We headed straight for Liberty's vet appointment, where again, she drew a crowd of vet techs to assess her beauty. Liberty is their first Savannah cat and they were awed by her looks, but most impressed with her affectionate personality.

Brittany and Scott passed her from one to the other in the exam room while we waited for the vet. And even though Liberty had met them only a few minutes before, she was full of kisses (a Liberty trademark, full on the mouth -- and more, if you're not careful!), but full of kisses, paws around neck, and snuggled in for love.



She is an F2B Savannah, and like all our early generation kittens and adults Liberty is loving, a lap cat, a cuddler, and likes to be held. A lot. Our Savannahs are part of our family, never caged, and I work from home as a consultant, so never alone. They're extremely well-socialized and well-behaved when they leave us. And we choose families who have lots of time and who will insure each kitten remains a happy, well-mannered member of the family.

If you're new to Savannahs and have heard that F2s are not loving or don't like to be held, please visit our Testimonials page for an even better idea of our kittens' temperament. While we're very pleased with our kittens' type (adherence to the breed standard), we're most proud of their temperament and very loving personality.



Back to Liberty's Big Adventure: she received a rave review from the vet, for health and for personality, then we finally headed home after 14+ hours of traveling. Brittany and Scott had her bedroom all set up for her two-week quarantine, with more toys than either I or Liberty could count. But she tried! Nuzzling and playing with each before settling on a ring (dog) toy that made a distinctive crinkle sound. One I was to hear all night long, as I got to spend one last night with Liberty before I flew out the next morning.

She explored her room, snuggled with Brittany and Scott, ate, drank, scooped her dry food out on the carpet, played in both litter boxes, ran under the futon (all our beds are enclosed, so under-the-bed is always a new experience for our kittens), played in the litter again, kissed both her new humans over-and-over-and-over. Groomed Scott's beard, a favorite game with Jason, played in Brittany's hair, and finally, fell asleep in my arms, on her back, while happily purring.



She was laying on the futon, on her side, purring from my petting, as I left her Thursday morning. We've heard from her new parents twice already, and she's doing great. They were in love before they met her, and even more so now. Rumor is, Liberty, now known as Keesa, will have her own Blog up soon. I just created it, but her family has to approve, then I hope you'll visit Keesa's blog, too, to follow even more F2B Savannah kitten adventures.

Now I'm off to update the AJSavannahs website with photos and movies. Aren't you GLAD all the long updates are on the blog???