I don't know when it happened, but at some point he took over the house. His toys are his; my daughter's toys are his; the mail is his; any available glass of water is his; the house plants are his; the entire bed is his at night.... you get the point. But he is such a joy to have as a member of the family (I don't dare say the word "own" because I know better). I call him a "concentrated cat". This came from being an extreme version of everything you would get in a cat. He is incredibly loving and affectionate, licking my chin and nuzzling as close as he can when he wants to. But when he wants to play, watch out! The house becomes a racetrack: down the stairs, across the table, over the couch, through the kitchen, sliding down the hall and back up the stairs, before doing it all again. When he's done, he lies down and pants like a cheetah. Sometimes I can catch him before he does this and we play fetch to channel his energy. Any fake mice or stuffed toy with eyes will do. With mice, he will find where I threw it and prance back to me, dropping the mouse at my feet. And with a stuffed toy, he cannot let it stand up without "killing" it. In other words, I can stand up a teddy bear, but if he sees that it is standing, he immediately pounces on, bites its throat, and then casually walks away. It's like he is practicing for the hunt. Great trick with stuffed animals, but it would not be as amusing if I had a pet hamster.

Everyone adores him. My neighbors will come over sometimes to borrow him to show friends. He can't walk five feet on the leash without someone stopping me to ask about the "ocelot" or "baby cheetah". People I don't even know will stop their car just to get a closer look at him. He loves everyone and is afraid of nothing. He is the only cat I have ever seen who likes the cable guy and is not afraid of the coffee grinder or the vacuum. He greets me at the door no matter what time I get home, and he shows such excitement. He actually gets a Mohawk down his back and purrs uncontrollably. How can you not be happy to come home to that?

Now if I could just get him to stop jumping on my head in the morning to wake me up. As he approaches 20 pounds, that could be a problem. I guess that's what the door is for. And the dog (who by the way is a 100 pound rottie)? I wouldn't call them the best of friends, but I think they've finally called a truce knowing that neither one will win that battle.

Jennifer Steel

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Select Exotics Holly Hummel 3980 N 1500 E Rd Cabery, IL 60919 E-mail: holly@savannahcatbreed.com Phone: 815-949-1730 Cell: 815-405-4111 Holly's Cell: 815-405-4116 ©1997-2008 Select Exotics All content and photos on this site are the property of Select Exotics and may not be used without the written permission of Select Exotics. Site Designed By: Designed to a T