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Zulu-Zoom ~ Habari Cat
Zulu is sooooo wonderful! It was torture to pull myself away to write this because he is so great! He is one of the cutest kittens that I have ever seen, but it's his personality that makes him outstanding! He is a purr machine and just kneads up a storm and is so loving and cuddly. His headbutts are a full contact body sport - so cute! Both kids are spending so much time in our bedroom and they have both come to me at separate times and said "Zulu really likes me, Mom." He is just super affectionate... Lexi spent 2 hours reading yesterday with Zulu on her lap... we are all just in love!!! He is perfect in every respect and his coloring is so rich and beautiful and he is covered in rosettes, spots and freckles from head to toe and such big ears too! He is even better than I imagined...
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I'm sure the Habari breed will be a wonderful success because Zulu has exceeded every expectation that I had about the breed and I feel very lucky to have him as part of our family! His name is very fitting because he is "Heaven" in my eyes! (Although my son has nicknamed him "Zoom", so his new name is Zulu Zoom!)
Thanks so much for allowing me the opportunity to be "Mommie" to Zulu. He is fabulous...
Deanne
Zulu-Zoom at 3 Months
Zulu has been a wonderful addition to our family and everyone that meets him falls in love... His personality is so sweet and loving and he continues to purr, headbutt and suckle his way into our hearts. He has alternated sleeping with my husband and I and the kids (but always draped around our necks like a little scarf or curled up in our arms). He has had perfect litter box habits since he came and is eating up a storm. When we got him at 10 weeks he weighed 2.7 lbs and 2 weeks later at his 12 weeks shots he weighed 3.9 lbs! I couldn't believe it! I think he will be a big boy.
Zulu gets along with all our other cats too (F-1 Savannah Zuri, F-3 Chausie Zende & Siamese Cinnamon) and he has quickly become a favorite with all the cats, especially Zuri. Zuri seems to think that Zulu is his kitten and bathes him and plays with him-they spend so much time together and they really get along great. Even Zende puts up with his ever constant attacks on his tail which Zulu thinks is a toy to be bitten and pounced on.
I'm amazed at the sounds that come out of him too, so wild sounding. He has this one that is like a growl but with chirping in the middle of it that he does pre-attack. He makes this funny sound, puts his ears back and gets ready to pounce on the other cats. It is so funny to see him attacking the other cats which are all 3 -5 times as big as he is, with no fear whatsoever. He is just adorable in every respect - personality, beautiful exotic looks and so affectionate. We love him! Hey Dale & Holly - Can we get another one? Heehee...
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Zulu-Zoom at 4 Months
Zulu is growing so fast that at 4 months he is almost as long as our 2 year old 10 lb. Siamese cat and he eats like he is a 30 lb. cat. He even eats more than our 20 lb Chausie and has exerted his alpha male status against that same cat. It's quite amusing to see a 20 lb. cat freeze mid-bite and wait for a little 5 lb. cat to finish his meal before he will continue eating. Unfortunately, Zulu doesn't have that same power over our F-1 Savannah, Zuri. Zuri is still the alpha male, but Zulu is giving him a run for his money, he even had the balls to grab a piece of chicken right our of Zuri's mouth, while Zuri was growling. I couldn't believe that Zulu got away with it and I honestly think that Zuri was just so surprised that he didn't know what to do. I think Zuri gave him the benefit of the doubt and thought Zulu was just too silly to realize what he had done, and it hasn't happened again.
Zulu and Zuri are constant companions and playmates and I think that Zuri really loves having someone that can keep up with him. They spend so much time just playing, pouncing and running around and it's so nice to see how well they get along. It's so cute to see them together too, Zulu is like a little mini Zuri, except with rosettes and a much more loving, cuddly personality. He continues to be just a lovebug and loves to sleep on us and knead and suckle away on our shirts (if they are 100% cotton - he's very picky :) and the kids just absolutely adore him. He is such a wonderful addition to our family, both 2 legged and 4 legged.
He went in for shots at 3 1/2 months and weighed 5 lbs already and I'm guessing that he may have gained another pound in the last 2 weeks... I have a feeling that he may grow to be our biggest cat. He is a wonderful cat with all the best traits rolled in to one - beautiful cream colored fur with huge rosettes and the sweetest face , huge in size and the best personality of any cat that we've ever met... What a great combination and Kudos to Dale and Holly for creating what we believe is the "perfect cat". Thanks again!
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Zulu-Zoom at 5 Months
Zoom is growing very fast and is losing his kitten look and starting to look like a teenager. He weighs 8.2 lbs and eats enough for two kittens. Whenever it’s time for his “treat”, he gets so excited that he runs in a circle like a dog chasing his tale, it’s hilarious. He is now the same size as our 2-year old 10 pound cat Cinnamon in length and height (doesn’t quite have her girth yet, though.)
He has continued to be a super sweet love bug who is always head-butting us or on our laps sleeping. He spends hours on our 9-year old son’s lap, just purring away or we can usually find him curled up with one of the other cats napping in the afternoon.
Zoom loves to play fetch with all his toys and especially his feather wands. They are his favorite and he can leap into the air and do back-flips already. He loves to go outside and gets so excited when he sees his walking jacket and leash come out. He is fearless when he’s outside and will attack and leap at anything he can find, bugs, butterflies, grasshoppers; he’s even leapt in the air after a bird. He also still shows no fear of Zuri and continues to push his limits with him by trying to take toys out of his mouth when they’re playing. Zuri gave him a few slaps just this morning when Zoom tried to take a drink of water while Zuri was drinking. They were soft slaps, but it didn’t even faze Zoom, he just kept trying to get a drink. Thank goodness, Zuri is such a sweet cat and puts up with his antics.
I’ve decided that in addition to the genetics of his mother and father that somehow our Habari kitten also has a little rabbit in him because he has the biggest ears and also hops/runs like a jack rabbit when he’s bounding after his toys! It’s so cute to watch…
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Zulu-Zoom and to see him continue to grow and dazzle us. He has us wrapped around his little paws…
Please be patient as the slide show of Zulu-Zoom loads
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Zulu-Zoom at 6 Months |
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Zoom has continued to be an absolute love bug with such a sweet disposition. If our son is sitting down, you can be sure that Zoom is on his lap and he spends every night sleeping with our daughter at the foot of her bed. Both of the kids just adore him and he is so good with them both! He is much more vocal than our F-1 SV and the strangest, wildest sounds are always coming out of him - it is so cool to hear him... and really cool to hear them "talk" back and forth between the 2 of them.
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He has blended in well with our other cats too, he loves to play with our Savannah, Zuri and wrestle with our Chausie, Zende and loves to torment our Siamese, Cinnamon. He waits until she is not paying attention to him and then will launch himself at her and chase her around the room. Zoom is over 10 lbs, so he is bigger than her now and he's determined to make sure that she knows it. They still love to cuddle together too, so thankfully it's all in fun.
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Zoom was neutered several weeks ago and came through with flying colors. I was worried that he might disappear sometime during the night, because the vet and the vet techs were in love with him, but luckily no one kidnapped him and he was so happy to get home again.
Since Zoom has come to us from Dale & Holly, he has shown no fear and was obsessed with looking through the top of our railing / banister, so for the past 3 months we have had our railings covered in Saran Wrap from top to bottom to prevent him from falling the 15 ft onto the hardwood floors below... We definitely got some funny looks from people coming into our home who happened to look up to see our beautiful open staircase covered in plastic wrap, but it did the trick and kept him safe... He has become more laid back since he was "fixed" and we finally took the plastic wrap down last week because now he's too big to get through the railings, hee hee... He really loves to eat and will beg for people food any chance he gets, he looks at you with those big doe eyes and you just melt - he definitely has us wrapped around his little paws...
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Zulu-Zoom at 7 Months |
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Zoom continues to be a wonderful cat in every way! He is such a people person and he adores our son and as soon as he gets home from school, Zoom is in his lap. It's adorable!
He is getting bigger every day and at 7 months he already weighs 14 lbs. He is almost as long as Zuri (our 1 & 1/2 year old F-1 Savannah), but isn't as tall as he is yet, but if he keeps eating like he has been, he may outweigh him soon.
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He is our resident bug killer and if some poor unsuspecting fly or ladybug happens to fly into our house, they are in big trouble. Zoom will leap 5 feet in the air to catch them and runs around the house like a crazy person trying to get them - it's quite a sight. He's also become quite a catnip thief and we've learned that whoever is holding the catnip container, they better hold on with both hands because Zoom will bat it right out of our hands and then jump into the spilled pile of catnip with such a look of pure joy on his cute little face - his is such a comic and every day we look forward to his new mischievousness!
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Zulu-Zoom at 8 Months |
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Zoom is now 8 months old and he just gets sweeter every day. He is my 9-year old son's constant companion and they have so
much fun together. I took all 4 cats in to his classroom a few weeks ago
(I know, I'm crazy) and although all the cats were a big hit - Zoom seemed to be the
favorite of most people. He was so friendly and let everyone pet him and made himself
right at home. I think all the kids went home wanting Habari’s…
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Zoom continues to get along great with anyone he meets and I've had quite a few people
that are amazed at how friendly he is after meeting him for the first time,
he just comes at them with head butts to their legs and purrs up a storm - he's just
a charmer. |
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I recently bought one of those children's collapsible play tunnels that are
10 feet long for the cats to play in and they are having a blast - Zoom will go flying
through that thing and then wait outside the entrance to pounce on the next cat that
comes out. Although poor Cinnamon is no longer any match for her big brothers.
Zoom has now topped 15 lbs and he just keeps growing. He is now the same length
as Zuri and almost as tall. I’m guessing that by 9 months he may surpass Zuri
(1 ½ years old and 17 lbs.) in weight. He's an absolute delight and we are so
happy to have him in our family! |
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Zulu-Zoom at 10 Months | |
Zoom is undeniably the sweetest cat we have, he is just a loving, suckling, kneading machine and our whole family is smitten.
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With the holidays approaching this will be a short note (I’m too busy keeping the cats out of the “tree” room.) Hee hee. Zoom has now surpassed Zuri, our F-1 Savannah and is weighing in at a hefty 18 lbs. He is longer, thicker and almost as tall as Zuri and I’m guessing by one year old that he will be even taller than he is. He eats like a horse and is always the first one in line when it’s treat time. I was surprised that he doesn’t like the Dingo Chicken Jerky treats though, but Zuri and Zende were happy, that just means more for them!
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Zulu-Zoom at 1 Year |
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Zoom is now one year old and it seems like he’s always been a part of the family. He is everyone’s undisputed favorite that comes to visit. He is the best combination of everything that you’d want in a cat. He is so stunning to look at, but it’s his sweet personality that really wins people over. Everyone comments on how he has the cutest face and he really does. I can’t decide if it’s the eyes or the big ears or what it is, but he’s just a doll.
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We had a 6 month old baby visit a month ago and he was so interested in Zoom and so I took him closer and was showing him how soft Zoom’s fur was (I know, big mistake) and he grabbed a big handful before I could stop him and Zoom never even made a peep - he’s just so laidback and sweet.
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He’s become a lot more lazy now too and spends hours laying in the sun or sleeping in front of the fireplace with the other cats (that is when he’s not eating…which is almost a full time job for him…) He is over 20 lbs now and I’m guessing he’s not done yet… He is now as tall and as long as Zuri, but much thicker. He is also very doglike and sort of lopes along like a dog, if that makes sense. It’s hard to describe…but his mannerisms are much more dog like than cat like.
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We let him out on our deck after a big snowstorm a couple of weeks ago and he was fearless – jumping in the snow, which in some places was up to his belly, and chasing the snowflakes as they fell and digging in the snow. It was so cute to see… He’s just a joy and I encourage anyone who’s looking for a beautiful cat with an outstanding personality, to seriously consider a Habari from Dale & Holly…
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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
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