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Zuri ~ F1 Savannah Cat
In December of 2002, I discovered the Savannah cat breed and became obsessed with learning all I could about these beautiful cats. I visited every website that I could find that had information about Savannahs and completely fell in love with the breed and became very eager to add one to our family. Given the investment involved though, I wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with both the breeder and the cats that were used in their breeding program.
After many weeks and countless hours of research I had narrowed my search down to Select Exotics. I was so impressed with their website; they had the most beautiful cats and so much information that I immediately emailed them to be put on their waiting list for an F-1 male. Dale and Holly Hummel at Select Exotics were so wonderful to work with (they put up with all of my many emails and phone calls) that I was also able to fly out to visit their cattery in Illinois. They welcomed me into their home and I was very impressed with their facility and their cats. It was so wonderful to see all the Savannahs and Servals in person - believe me when I tell you that without a doubt, pictures do not do these beautiful cats justice. If I could have, I would have taken a few home with me, right then and there! These cats were not only strikingly beautiful with their gorgeous spots, but they were huge!!! Some of the F-1 females that I saw had to be over 30 lbs, I thought, but they were actually 15-18 lbs. Their size was very deceiving because they were so tall and slender, similar in build to the serval. It was a wonderful experience to be able to spend so much time with all these great cats.
I was also impressed that the mothers-to-be and new mothers with kittens were all kept in their own areas in the house with a live-feed camera on them so Dale and Holly could keep watch over the kittens and mothers without disturbing them. The wonderful care and love that these cats and kittens received really helped me feel very comfortable about my decision to adopt a beautiful Savannah from Select Exotics. I had set up a time to visit about a month in advance and had the good fortune of arriving a week after their first litter of the Spring season arrived. I was able to see my new beautiful kitten (Zuri) right after he was born - he was so tiny and beautiful that it was hard to leave without taking him with me.
It was a great experience to be able to see the cattery and to meet Dale and Holly in person and I felt very fortunate to be able to get such a beautiful kitten from such wonderful people. As sad as I was to leave, I felt that Zuri was in excellent, caring and capable hands.
Zuri at 2 Months
After 2 long months of waiting and lots of pictures, Zuri was able to come home to us at 8 weeks of age. I picked him up at the airport and he was sooo adorable, a little spotted fluff ball - he was obviously scared though and so happy to be in my arms and out of that carrier. He spent the 2-hour drive home inside my coat sleeping. When we arrived home, our 2 other cats, Zende, a 3 month old F-3 Chausie and Cinnamon, a 1-yr old Siamese were very excited to see who the new arrival was. After a few days of negotiations on their part, they became great friends and playmates.
I took Zuri into the vet the day after he came home and he weighed in at a whopping 2 lbs at 8 weeks. Our vet went on and on and on about how
beautiful he was. I think everyone at the vet's office came into the examining
room while we were there to see him. He is gorgeous and his color is
stunning, like a mini Serval! He is so sweet and loves to be petted, chirps like a bird when he can't find me and follows me around like a dog - he is wonderful!!!
Zuri has really adjusted well and is a wonderful addition to our family. He loves to play fetch and will play for hours or until your arm falls off. He adores our other two cats and is able to run off some of his excess energy with them. He plays so nicely with them, but it's very obvious that he is already the Alpha male of the bunch. My husband believes that Zuri thinks he is even the alpha male over my husband. TeeHee…
I was really anticipating a wild time with an F-1 Savannah and an F-3 Chausie in the house, but they have been really cuddly and playful. I think having each other to play with really helps. No destruction so far. I definitely think that one of the most important things that anyone considering a Savannah should think about is getting a playmate for them. These wonderful hybrids have so much energy that we humans just can't keep up with them and they really need someone to play on their level.
Neighbors are already dropping by for no reason to sneak a peek at him - he is very popular!!! Zuri is an absolute sweetie - full of lots of love and lots of head butts too.
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Zuri at 3 months
Zuri is keeping us entertained 24 hours a day with his wonderful antics. He has 2 speeds: Mach 3 and comatose. Every morning he races around with Zende for about 2 hours non-stop and then will collapse and spend the next few minutes panting up a storm. Nothing prepares you for the sight of your cute little kitten panting like a lion or tiger. It is an amazing sight! After their morning of fun, they usually collapse together and sleep for a couple of hours.
I'm continually amazed by how well he has adapted to our family and schedule. I was fully prepared to have our house wrecked by the cute little fur ball, but I am relieved to say that he is an angel (although he does like our artificial tree - I'm not sure how long before all the leaves are gone.) He has complete reign of the house all day and night and we have not had any problems. (Fingers are crossed here.) He faithfully uses the litterbox and I'm amazed how gentle he is with us. When we feed him boiled chicken for a treat - he grasps our fingers and holds on so gently with his claws - it is really sweet. He loves to sit next to us and be petted, but doesn't like to be held for long periods of time, which I've heard is pretty common for Savannahs. We have found his favorite chew toy though - plastic drinking straws! He loves them and chews on them until they are destroyed. At 13 weeks he is eating like a Serval and weighs in at 4.4 lbs. Each day it seems as if he is growing before our eyes.
Everyone that we know now wants a Savannah. People stop by all the time just to see how fast he's growing and to play with him. He is so beautiful that another breeder that saw his picture thought he was a Serval kitten. That says so much about the quality of Savannahs that Dale and Holly help to produce.
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Zuri at 4 months
Yesterday morning, I made waffles for the kids, set them on the table, turned around to tell them to come and eat and when I turned back to the table Zuri was in the waffles, his face full of syrup and scarfing them down as fast as he could. Then tonight, I made spaghetti for Isaiah, set it on the table, again turned to call Isaiah and by the time I turned back again he was scarfing down the noodles with butter dripping from his chin. It was hilarious! And when it's time for his boiled chicken breast treat- look out, he gets so excited he can barely sit still. It's amazing what he eats; brocolli, cantalope, bacon and french fries are also some of his favorite foods. He weighed in at 5.8 lbs, but he looks much larger because he is so tall and long. He really resembles a Serval in body type, long and lean.
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Zuri at 5 months
I think what surprised me the most about Zuri is how gentle he is with the kids. We have a 9 year old daughter, Lexi and an 8 year old son, Isaiah and they are wonderful with our cats, but there have been times when Zuri didn't want to be carried around and Lexi would continue to carry him or try to hold him. Every time that this has happened, Zuri has never tried to bite or nip or scratch. He only chirps loudly to let her know that he's not happy. He definitely is not a lap cat though - he does not like to be held or carried and although he will sit next to you, he will not sit on our laps. But he always has to be next to me and if he loses me, he will chirp until I let him know where I am. He's a doll! He has a new climbing toy too, our 4 poster cherry bed. He climbs up the posters like they are trees, my only concern is that he will try jumping onto our ceiling fan from there. He also loves to perch on top of our china hutch and can jump 4 feet from a sitting position and 5 feet if he has a running start - it's an amazing thing to watch. Zuri is the fastest cat that I have ever seen, even at this young age. When playing with a feather toy, neither my husband or I can move it fast enough for him, he gets it every time. (Almost every time, my husband told me to change that, he's concerned about protecting his alpha male status J) We should have named him lightening!
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Zuri at 6 months
Zuri was neutered and weighed in at 10.5 lbs at 6 months. The vet was amazed again at his growth rate and how tall he had gotten. Since the neuter, he has become much more laid back and loving. He purrs a lot more and head butts so much and just recently he has started having the ridge of hair down the center of his back stand up on end when he is really happy and purring, which I understand is a big Serval trait - it's so cool. Zuri loves to play and wrestle with our Chausie, but seems to prefer his quiet time with our Siamese. They will spend hours grooming each other and sleeping on each other - it really is so sweet. I think Zuri's loving nature is due to the early socialization that he received from Holly & Dale, which is so important in the early weeks. He truly is an exquisite feline!
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Zuri at 7 months
Zuri continues to amaze our friends, relatives and neighbors with his size and beauty!!! The Savannah Cat Club had a 2004 Calendar Contest and out of 77 photo entries and 13 winning photographs, Zuri had 5 of the winning photos. One breeder stated that he was the "Ultimate Savannah" that every breeder should strive for.
His new favorite activity is trying to turn on the ice maker in the refrigerator door - he loves to chase the ice cubes around and attack them. He is just tall enough now to reach it and once he learns how to open the door we'll be in real trouble. He absolutely loves water too - he loves to chase after ice cubes in our whirlpool tub that's filled with water. He will attack the ice cubes, grab them with his mouth and jump out of the tub, put them on the rug, then jump back in and get another one. He continues to do this until he's gotten them all, it's so funny!!! He is the smartest cat that I've ever known!
My husband is not a cat person at all, but even he is won over by Zuri. Zuri is like a dog in every way - loves water, loves to play fetch, eats like a horse (or dog), is leash trained and will come when called. In fact, I've gotten so used to having Zuri come when I call him, that a few times I've forgotten and I've tried to call our other 2 cats and they look at me like, "You've got to be kidding…". He has all the great personality traits of a dog, but he's litter trained and eats regular cat food. He is the perfect pet in my opinion!!! I'd have 10 more just like him if I could, but then I'd need a new husband. TeeHee…
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Zuri at 8 months
Zuri has become our "Water Cat" - he is obsessed with water! Anytime we turn on a faucet anywhere in the house, he comes running at breakneck speed to dive headfirst into the stream of water. He bats at the water with both paws, sticks his head under the stream as the water is pouring down his head and back and then proceeds to shake like a dog. He gets everyone within a 5 feet radius soaked - he is so funny. His fur seems more like that of a water animal too, where the water seems to sit on the surface of the fur without getting him wet like a regular cat’s would – another serval trait, I’m guessing…
His other favorite new "trick" is to search out and find any water glass, which he then proceeds to pull over with one paw, towards him and then play in the water as it pours onto the table, desk, etc. He absolutely loves it! A couple of months ago we bought him a pet drinking fountain, where the water is filtered and trickles down a spout and he loves to drink out of that too. He is just a water baby! Even with the water antics, he is the most wonderful cat and so special to our family…He definitely keeps us entertained!
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Zuri at 10 months
The time has just flown by and I can’t believe that Zuri is already 10 months old! Zuri continues to grow like a weed and is towering over the other cats these days. Although our F-3 Chausie outweighs him by 3 lbs - Zuri weighs 13 lbs now, everyone who comes to the house goes on and on about how huge Zuri is. I think his height really makes people think that he’s a lot bigger than he actually is – he’s very tall and slender. Zuri puts away lots of food too, especially his treats of “Dingo Chicken Jerky” for dogs. He absolutely loves the stuff and gets so excited when he sees the bag come out. He also has a love for bacon, this morning he swatted a piece of bacon right out of my daughter’s hand. He has recently learned how to open doors (we have the lever type) so now we are really in trouble. At least he hasn’t figured out how to open our cupboards yet, but I’m guessing that will be happening in the future -
these Savannah’s are so smart!
He is definitely ruling the roost as the alpha cat over our F-3 Chausie and Siamese. His favorite place to be is anywhere that is high, he has commandeered all of the top shelves of the cat trees as his and loves to sit above our kitchen cabinets and look down upon the little people. Hee hee…
As he has gotten older he has become much more people oriented, he follows me around everywhere and loves to be involved in what I am doing and he is so wonderful with the kids. He spent most of the afternoon today in a fort that my 9-year old daughter had made for her and the cats. They were in there just having a great time, although the last time I checked all three cats had fallen asleep, Zuri included. We are in the process of getting our house repainted and we have had people coming and going many times a day and Zuri has been so friendly with everyone and needless to say everyone that has seen him has been impressed and a few were even speechless. It’s so funny to see the expression on people’s faces when Zuri pops his head around a corner and saunters up to them.
He is a remarkable, intelligent and gorgeous cat and we feel very lucky to have him as part of our family! A big thanks goes to Dale & Holly for letting us have such a sweetie!
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Zuri at 11 months
I can't believe that Zuri is almost a year old. He has blended in with our family so well and he's always the first one to greet me at the door. I do have to admit though, that there is one negative aspect to owning a Savannah as wonderful as Zuri - I seem to spend so much of the day playing with him and petting him, that I'm not getting as much of my cleaning and other housework done. The hours seem to fly by when you’re involved with such a wonderful pet!
Zuri has gotten so big and tall, but still weighs only 14 lbs, although he does looks like a 30 lb cat. To see the huge size difference, our Siamese cat, Cinnamon weighs 10.5 lbs and Zuri just towers over her… I finally got the tape measure out and his height from floor to his spine (not head) is 15 1/2 inches, his length from the base of his neck to the base of his tail is 21" and he can reach up to 40" when he stands on his back feet. His jumping abilities continue to surprise us also. He can jump from the floor to the top of the refrigerator and yesterday my husband was playing with him and had his feet under a blanket. Zuri didn't know they were under there and when he walked by my husband twitched them and Zuri jumped backwards 3 feet without turning around. It was so strange to see a cat jump that far backwards while still facing forward. He did it several more times to see if that first was a fluke and Zuri did the same thing each time. I think we may have a future long jumper/high jumper on our hands.
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Zuri at 12 months
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Happy Birthday Zuri!!! Zuri is now one year old and the experience of owning an F1 Savannah Cat just keeps getting better and better. As I look back over the year I am amazed at how quickly it has flown by… it just seems like yesterday that we picked him up at the airport and now he’s a year old already. He’s such an important part of our family and is so sweet. I just love everything about him.
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Each day I am still amazed at his exotic looks and actions - especially the way he walks. He strides/saunters like a cheetah with the tops of his shoulder blades moving in a way that is so wild and really indescribable, especially when it comes in the package of a house cat. The way that Zuri pounces is also so wild - instead of just jumping on something, he jumps straight up, vertically about a foot in the air and lands in a huge pounce on the poor toy or unsuspecting cat. I read while I was researching SV’s that servals use their large ears to locate prey and then use their jumping ability to pounce over the tall grass that is so prevalent in the African Savannah on their unseen and unsuspecting prey. Every time that I see Zuri pounce, I am reminded of that story because it is so unusual.
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Zuri has been the best pet ever and because we’ve been so happy with Dale and Holly at Select Exotics we are adding another new brother to our family –a new Habari kitten named Zulu. I guess you could say that it’s a birthday present for Zuri too! We are so excited to have Zulu come home with us and we are sure that he will be as wonderful as Zuri is! A big thanks to Dale and Holly for blessing us with another wonderful kitten! We are so excited and promise to take many pictures of Zulu along with continued updates on Zuri too as he grows and matures...
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Zuri at 16 months
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Zuri has grown and matured so much in the last four months and has head-butted his way into my heart, almost as if he were my own child. He is my constant shadow and the first one to greet me at the door. His loyalty would rival the best dogs, in my opinion. Words simply cannot describe what an incredible cat he is. He is such a stunningly beautiful cat that everyone who enters our home immediately oohs and aahs over him and I’ve also had to start carrying pictures of him in my purse because everyone wants to see how he’s grown. His personality has become sweeter too – he has always been a very affectionate cat, but it was always on “his” terms, now it’s all the time, which I love. He is sitting at my feet as I write this patiently waiting for me to finish.
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He has grown so much since he was a year old and has finally started to put on some weight in addition to his height and now when he walks, his muscles really stand out - he reminds me so much of his father Keystone, the serval. He now weighs 17 lbs. and every pound is pure muscle, although he still looks long, tall and lean.
His favorite activity is going for car rides with me and sitting in the front passenger seat looking out the window and going for walks with his walking jacket on. His favorite lookout is on top of the kitchen cabinets among the foliage (fake) with his girlfriend, Cinnamon (our Siamese). He loves to look down at all the little people…
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Zuri still loves his Dingo Chicken Jerky, only now instead of just eating one piece several times a day, he is eating 3 pieces each time. We’re going to have to start investing in their stock because we have to order it in bulk. He also likes to watch Lexi, our daughter, make homemade ice cream and is always the first one to get a taste to make sure that it’s okay.
He has been like a big brother to Zulu-Zoom (our newest Habari kitten addition, also from Dale & Holly) and his patience with him has been so sweet. He grooms him and plays with him, but most of all, he puts up with all his kitten silliness and antics. He is so wonderful and has helped Zoom to feel right at home. We can’t wait to see what the next few months bring…
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Zuri at 2 years
Zuri is definitely the Big Man on Campus at our house and at 2 years old he rules the
roost, even though he is no longer the biggest. Our F-3 Chausie and Habari are both
20 plus lbs. now and although they are bigger in size - Zuri is still the King!
He is so wonderful and I cherish every moment that we get to share in his life.
He is the "father figure" to all the other cats and lets them know what they can and
can't get away with, but he does it in such a sweet manner, which I wouldn't expect from
a F-1 SV, but he has continued to be just a great cat.
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He adores me and follows me everywhere and has really become "my" cat. Zuri is a
kneading, headbutting, purring maniac with me, but only when the mood strikes him.
He loves to jump up on me and headbutt me and the complete adoration coming from him
is something that I've never experienced before from an animal - he's very devoted.
He is without a doubt the most affectionate to me and only me,(although our Habari is
the most affectionate in general to anyone and everyone) and thankfully he's never
been jealous of the other cats, which I had worried about. |
Zuri is the quintessential alpha male, ruling the roost and letting everyone follow
his lead. Now that he's no longer a teenager, he has become very laid back
and loves to spend hours cuddling, laying in the sun and sleeping with our Siamese,
although he still makes time to run and play with our new Safari kitten, Kali.
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After 2 years with Zuri, I would have to say that the experience of sharing your
life with an F-1 Savannah is truly a remarkable gift and if you have a good sense
of humor and don't mind if your cashmere sweaters and fleece blankets get eaten
or your water glasses are constantly tipped over, or all the other mischievous
things that they are bound to get into, then you should definitely experience the joy of
owning one of Dale & Holly's Savannahs. (or Safari's, Habari's or Chausies, they are
all wonderful.) They will enhance your life with their love, antics and mischievousness.
I wouldn't trade Zuri for anything and am so glad that he has come into our lives…
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Please be patient as the slide show of Zuri loads
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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