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...)

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???

Max Discovers Water Sports

I think our F3B Savannah kitten Max has been online and read our new poll, What's your Savannah's Favorite Water Sport?, because he's learned to fish!

Savannah cats love to play in water, of any type, and we use very heavy ceramic water dishes. Because a Savannah's definition of play is to fish in, splash out, and dunk toys. They'll also curl one paw around the edge and pull (or push) their heavy water crocks all the way across the room if they can build up enough momentum.

Max has discovered all of the above, and unfortunately, he's taught his sister Meica, too. So I've spent the last hour cleaning up from Max and Meica's newest antics. Max has been talking and cooing and loving me -- and helping (ha!) me the entire time -- there's no way I can be upset with him for doing what comes naturally to an early generation Savannah cat. Meica has been running laps around the small nursery, taking short breaks to bop Dale on the nose before going back to wiffle ball soccer.

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!