AJSavannahs F2B Harvey

Visit our AJSavannahs website and Facebook pages for new photos of Harvey as well as Walter, Gertie and Marie. You can also follow AJSavannahs on Twitter.

Oscar Approving His Latest YouTube Video Upload

Click the title to go directly to his video. It was easier to get the piano shot in the background video than to get him to stand still on my desk. He almost deleted an entire folder!

F2B Kittens Sambu and Toki

Sambu (Terry) and Toki (Jimmy) are very happily settled into their new home with David in California. He's not set up on the AJSavannah Family Blog yet, so I just had to share these photos. Sambu is flying from his cat tree and landing on a very soft king-size bed about eight feet away.



Sambu and Toki are F2B kittens from our F1 Kboo and F6A Mbau. This is the same pairing that gave us my sweet Harvey. Their brother Howie is as beautiful, just that our other David, in Florida, (who also has our F2B Tessa from Kboo and Mbau) hasn't sent recent photos! (No pressure there...)



Age five months in these photos, Sambu already weighs 13 pounds, Toki a bit less. We wanted these boys to stay together and were very happy when David obliged. This is the delivery that stranded me in Charlotte, with Andrew coming to our rescu. Andrew has our F2B kittens Zeus from Gabatta, Fina from Kboo, and F3C Isis who is Ayo's granddaughter.



Toki , above, showing off his Happy Tail, below, his beautifully contrasted coat. Although smaller than his brother (who isn't???) Toki has always managed to more than hold his own in any altercation, real or imagined.



Sambu has Kboo's sweet face and I think he's almost as pretty as Harvey. We expect him to be about 90% of Harvey's size when full grown, based on his birth weight and weight at age five months. Toki will be a large Savannah, but always dwarfed by Sambu. Even though Toki has the much larger personality.



We're expecting F2B kittens from Gabatta and Mbau late October. And should know in about a week if Kboo is pregnant, also from Mbau. If yes, her babies would be due mid-November.

Another Feather Frenzy Movie

New movie of our F1 Gabatta and her sister Ayo's F2B Savannah kittens on YouTube, watch it on the AJSavannahs Kittens page.

Aaron is a wild thing and has to be in the middle of everything. He wound up in Jason's arms so the other kittens could play.



Olivia is still recovering from her spay surgery, so she's not in the movie.



Emmett is like his Aunt Gabatta and would talk his prey to death, always announcing his approach.



Vester can almost fly, throwing himself around and changing direction in midair.



Jericho prefers to stay back and watch for his opportunity to dash in and make off with the feather toy. He is very, very fast, using his paws like a prizefighter landing a series of punches on an unsuspecting opponent.



And Murray... who LOVES to run up, tap me on the leg, then take off full-blast before I can grab him... Murray was surprisingly low-key with the feather toy. He leapt like Vester, punched like Jericho, twisted like Aaron, and was very thoughtful in his play. Murray usually runs in with total abandon, then zooms around the room til someone, anyone, decides to chase him.

Murray is available and we expect him to look very much like his mother when he's mature. He certainly plays like her, with wild abandon. And he has her huge, gorgeous upright ears, sweet face, very long legs and short thick tail that's in a perpetual state of Happy Tail (fulled out like a bottle brush). Given the size of his feet, along with our history of very large F2B male kittens, we also expect Murray to be a large cat when fully grown at three years of age.



They were worn out after playing so hard, I don't think anyone moved til morning.

I still have another 10 minutes of video that I need to convert. Everyone but the kittens' new families will be totally bored. But if you're waiting for your baby to come home, then every second is absolutely riveting!

Stranded in Las Vegas with Harvey

Have been trying to catch up for two months.

Harvey and I left for San Jose Wednesday, December 17th, at 11 a.m., held for 30 minutes for bad weather and got in late to Charlotte. Ran for the gate. Huge headwind and the five hour flight to Vegas took six. We were one of the last flights to land.

Headed for our next gate only to find that all flights were cancelled. Immediately got on the cellphone to USAirways and couldn't get rebooked out of Vegas to San Jose til Thursday at 4 p.m., an entire day, then not out of San Jose to come home til Friday at 6 p.m.

Stood in line for two hours in Vegas, outside in the snow waiting for a taxi. Line wound back and forth like Disney World and the hotel shuttles took as long. Even renting a limo was out of the question, everyone had the same idea.

I had two shawls wrapped around Harvey's bag to keep him warm, which left me nothing. There were a lot of people in the same mess, we expected to change planes and never leave the airport. Only to find ourselves trapped in Vegas' first major snowfall in thirty years.

I manaaged to book a room at Microtel, discounted courtesy of USAirways for being stranded. The roads were HORRIBLE, there was no restaurant at the hotel, and I had the taxi go through McD's and picked up three broiled chicken sandwiches. Had two cans of cat food and litter for Harvey but needed dinner and lunch and something extra since Harvey is a very big boy.

Got to the hotel at midnight Eastern and stood in line an hour to check in. Left one shawl in the taxi, it belonged to Mom, must have gotten snagged as I slid out. Left two messages with the taxi service lost and found, but they never called back.

USAirways sent an email confirmation for my rescheduled flights, but I called Thursday morning to reconfirm, just in case.

And... they had it all wrong. Had me leaving San Jose when I was still in Vegas, then leaving Denver the next day when I wasn't even going to/through Denver! and ending my trip in Charlotte.

So I was on the phone another two hours getting my flights locked in. Finally got to San Jose a full day late, Harvey oblivious to everthing as he was in his travel bag, wrapped snuggly in two shawls and tucked up against my body for the entire trip. He was an exceptionally good traveler and he had an absolute blast in the hotel room, jumping fron bed-to-bed, then to the window seat, then tearing into the bathroom, sliding on tile into the side of the bathtub, then repeat. Kept me entertained on the long holds with USAirways.

Finally got to San Jose, met Mike and he was thrilled with Harvey, his Humungous F2B male. Harvey curled up on Mike's lap, then went back into his bag for the final two hours' of travel. Our 13 hour trip turned into a 38 hour odyssey.

Thank God San Jose has a USO since I had seven hours from checkout til my flight left for home. I had five Christmas movies on my Ipaq and watched every one.

Had a three-hour layover in both Phoenix AND Charlotte, those were the only flights available after all the cancellations -- and it was less than a week before Christmas.

When I got to Phoenix, the airline was begging people to voluntarily bump. Offering free tickets, hotel, a wonderful TWO-DAY layover in sunny Phoenix. I wasn't even tempted, and that was a good decision, as bad weather moved in and I would have been stranded again. I don't mind unless I'm traveling with a kitten. Then it's always an adventure.

I did buy another neck pillow before I boarded in Phoenix. That made four neck pillows -- one for every time I've been stranded. It didn't matter, as I wound up in the emergency exit seats that don't recline and tried to sleep sitting up for the five-hour flight from Phoenix to Charlotte. No such luck.

Had another three-hour layover in Charlotte, again, thank God for the USO. Of course that only works on the way home, when I'm by myself.

Finally arrived 38 hours after I left. And I've been behind ever since, as you can tell from this "Daily" blog that hasn't been updated for two months!

But... I did update the AJSavannahs website today, both Kittens and Testimonials pages, and posted a new poll. Please visit and vote and browse all our new photos for Wilbur, Moja, Ellie, Calla, Jack and Audrey.

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???

Are Dale and Ellie Loving?

We get asked this question all the time. Is (fill in the blank) loving? Our kittens are extremely affectionate and bonded to us, and they bond immediately to their new families. Dale is still with us because he's a Door Dasher, although he's getting much better.

Our precious Ellie... we're not sure why Ellie hasn't found her perfect home yet. She is such a loving baby. Sweet-natured, gentle, beautiful spots and big ears and long legs. She's precious. We think it's because Dale dwarfs her. Ellie is not small, Dale is just huge. And everyone wants a big cat and totally misses Ellie's huge capacity for love--

But rather than keep repeating, Loving. Loving. Loving. When asked about our babies' temperament, we thought we'd show you! We broke each segment up with photos because five minutes of Dale or Ellie loving Jason gets pretty boring. Two movies below, taken between September 15th and 19th.

Dale's movie revised, no duplicate video clips...

Featuring Ellie



Featuring Dale (Revised 11 p.m. Eastern, Saturday)

The Angels Take a Road Trip

Our three AJS' Angels are worn out tonight. They took a road trip today to meet a new family who might want to add one, or two of them, to their home.

Lucy was the center of attention this time -- and the reason for the road trip -- due to her extremely loving nature. While all our kittens are affectionate, Lucy is possibly THE most cuddly Savannah we've had. Brie and Tessa went along for moral support and we were happy to hear what we've known all along... that others also think Brie is much more beautiful in person than in photos. She's a beauty.

Brie left, Lucy right in photo below.



Lucy was her usual unflappable, regal, elegant self, meeting and greeting, then exploring her new domain with alacrity. Brie sprawled on her side and waited for someone, anyone, to come to her, then reached out a paw toward her wiffle ball, and practically demanded we roll it to her. She could not be bothered to actually get up and grab it herself. She's BRIE...

And Tessa, our poor outnumbered F2B Savannah kitten shown below, Tessa played fetch and jumped and rolled and did everything she could to make it all about her. But to no avail. The F3C Savannahs stole the spotlight.



They were wonderful travelers today. Our kittens start taking short road trips when they're about eight weeks old. Just to the corner to start with, then to Dairy Queen, and always secure in a pet carrier and strapped into a seatbelt. So the slightly longer road trip today was not a big deal. Although they did sleep soundly on the way home!

Just checked on them and all three Angels are asleep on our king-size bed. Brie is curled between the pillows, Lucy reclining with her shoulders and head against my pillow, and Tessa has burrowed under the covers.

SpongeBob Savannahs

Our F3B Savannah kittens Dale, Ellie, Max, and Meica have learned to practically stand on their heads on top of their SpongeBob scratching post. It's an old footstool that we took apart, recovered with carpet, then put back on at an angle to make it easier for our younger kittens to crawl up. We call it SpongeBob because it reminds of of the cartoon character by the same name. The kittens couldn't care less what we call it, they love to play on it.



When Ellie was little, she'd stand up on her hind feet, front feet on SpongeBob, then crawl up to the top and look down on Dale. Of course, Dale would just walk up at the same age, he's always been such a large kitten. He uses it to launch himself off to get a headstart on Meica when she's in one of her running fits. Dale and Meica are very bonded and it's precious to watch since there's such a huge size difference. Dale is three weeks older than Meica, but he's a horse (ClydesDALE), and Meica can almost walk under his tummy. She's not small, just that Dale is that large.

Meica, left, and Ellie right, each look exactly like their mothers. Meica is from F2B Savannah Cori, and Ellie is from Komari, Cori's sister. Our F1 Savannah cat Ayo is grandmother to both kittens.



Meica has her mother's huge, distinctly contrasting spots and expressive (and large) ears. Meica is a spitfire who absolutely loves to race around the room with ANYONE in trail. She loves to run and plays with reckless abandon. Ellie definitely inherited her mother Komari's extremely long legs and distinct spots. Ellie is elegant where Meica is exuberant. Ellie loves to be cuddled and loved and would rather be kissing Jason than chasing Meica. Meica runs and plays and wears herself out, then comes to us to be cuddled. Both girls are beautiful F3B Savannah kittens. We're most proud of their personalities and loving temperaments.

It's good that Dale is so huge, or he'd be in trouble between Ellie and Meica. Dale below, with Max in his favorite perch in the background.

Chaos in the Cathouse

So much for the AJSavannahs daily blog... but I have been able to get Sophia and Oliver's blog linked here, and through our AJSavannahs Testimonials pages. Also have new photos for Dale and Ellie, who are growing so fast, it's impossible to keep their photos current.

And Liberty... she is growing, active, loving, attitudinally charged. Liberty was not happy playing on the bed this afternoon. We had a new quilt on the bed, appliqued by my grandmother. (Who would have likely had heart failure if she was still alive at the sight of an unruly Savannah kitten playing on all her painstakingly hand stitched flowers.) Liberty was as disturbed. Today is the first day she'd seen this particular quilt. And at first, she was not happy walking on the "flowers". She jumped, and twirled and Serval leaped over every large applique. I should have the movie posted Thursday afteroon. She was precious.

It's been difficult to update the blog this week, because our central air conditioner went out and we're having a new unit installed, along with all ductwork and returns. It's loud. Very loud.

But Gabatta and Calla are oblivious, and we were worried most about them since Calla is so young. She's exploring her small world, playing with her mother's tail, and playing to the camera, and could not care less that there are elephants in the attic! I have posted a new movie of Calla and Gabatta on our YouTube channel. And finally got it to post on Calla's Testimonial page!

The three AJSavannahs Angels have decided it's their turn to take over the master bedroom since they can't have the upstairs with workmen here. They're having a blast, Brie is trying to sit on top of the (thankfully heavy) wooden blinds. Lucy has taken over the top of the television, although I cannot imagine that she's cold with the air conditioner out. And Tessa has made her nest tucked between the pillows. They've slept all day, in spite of the installation noise, mainly because they kept us up all night playing Bed Mouse!

Liberty is Destructive (not really)

Just wrote Brittany and Scott with an update for Liberty, thought I'd share here, especially since we've posted new photos (from Tuesday evening). Liberty is VERY mischievous. She sits in Jason's hands and puts her paws on either side of his nose, kisses him, then grabs his glasses when he's not expecting it. He wears the rimless style, they're four years old and cracking from kittens -- and we do NOT want to have to replace them. So far, Liberty has been able to grab them off more than any other kitten. I think it's because she has such a sweet innocent face, suckers him in, then strikes. She is a doll and knows how to use it to advantage.   Dale is ready to go home. He's our Door Dasher and can make it from one side of the house to the other in under two seconds. He comes straight to my desk, jumps in my lap, plays on the keyboard, and generally disturbs whatever work I'm engaged in. He is so loving, there's no way I can be upset when he dumps an entire annual report. Mainly because I've learned to save every two minutes with Savannahs in the house.   Dale is the largest F3 kitten we've had yet. At first, he reminded us very much of Konga, but now I find myself calling him Oliver. He's gorgeous, very typey, and looks more like an F2B Savannah than the F3B he is. We've turned down many, many families for Dale, all security-related issues since he's a major Door Dasher. Spencer holds that record, but Dale is a very close second. Photos of Dale on our AJSavannahs Kittens page. Lots of movies available upon request.   If you're looking for a loving, huge, laid back... did I mention loving? Savannah male, then Dale would be your choice. Meica is totally bonded to him and they'd make a perfect pair. Five AJSavannahs families have added a pair of Savannahs to their home. Savannahs are amazing creatures. And also addictive!