Savannah Cat Breed

My grandma recently sent me a newspaper clipping of a kitty breed I'd never heard of before. It's called the Savanah cat. It is a cross between a Serval & a domestic house cat.
I accidentally threw away the clipping, but I looked up the breed online...

"Savannah cats are an extremely loyal and people-orientated cat breed. They enjoy games of fetch (much like a dog) and are easy to train to walk on a leash."

I was very interested in the behavior...after all, as fun as it would be to own a baby cheetah, it would grow up & could be unpredictable.

"If the Savannah is properly socialized, they will quickly take to new people and other pets. Some Savannahs have been known to head-butt people or even pounce on people as a greeting.

"Savannahs are very intelligent, curious and love to jump. A Savannah can jump up to 7 feet high from a standing position, and you will probably find the cat on top of cupboards, doors and refrigerators. This cat breed is not afraid of water at all. The Savannah will play or immerse themselves in water.

"Savannahs like to “talk” to their owners or other pets with a mixture of chirping and meowing sounds. Don’t expect the Savannah to be a lap cat or a cat that can sit still for long periods of time. They need regular interaction and exercise, and games that involve running and jumping are much appreciated."

I got all the above information from: http://www.cat-breed-info.com/savannah-cat-info.html

The colorings depend on the domestic cat its bred with.

It's funny...the colorings of most of them look like Wiggles when he was a kitten & his markings were very pronounced. But that would make sense, because some of the domestic breeds they use are Egyptian Mau (which is what Wiggles is part).

Now, I'm not saying you should go adopt one!! I just thought it was interesting... Let me know what you think of this new breed...or what you think of cross breeding...

"Kitties, kitties, kitties...a joy of life...go with the flow...masters of relaxation..."

Tiffani-Joi

My Honest Thoughts About Kitties

I'm not sure about you, but I think a lot of people misjudge kitties. Just, because they meet one un-social kitty, who might possibly have scratched and/or bit him or her, they now label all kitties the same way: Aloof, independent & heartless creatures who can do just fine without love & attention.

Now that attitude makes me sincerely sad for those people. Those who have never opened their hearts to find that kitties can quite clearly be just as much of a loving, warm & friendly companion as doggies. I am a kitty luver to the moon & back! I'm sure you know that by now & I am NOT ashamed to say that doggies are cute, cuddly, funny, sweet etc... If I was able to get a doggy I would jump at the opportunity.
Now:
~I don't expect everyone to be the same way
~I don't expect dog owners to feel the need to get a kitty
~I don't expect all non-kitty owning pet owners to understand the joy that comes from owning a kitty
What I do expect is animal luvers in general, accepting of the fact that people have different opinions about pets & not feel the need to criticize a pet species just, because they choose not to own one. I personally would never get a pet snake or reptile of any kind, but I would never tell a snake owner that were crazy for owning one, people have their own opinions & choices.

You might have experienced the people who, when it comes to the topic of pets you feel the need to justify why you own a kitty. That should never have to happen, in my opinion.

Personally, I don't quite understand why a person can laugh at something happening to a kitty (like being stuck in a shower & suddenly turning the water on full blast). But if the smallest thing happens to a dog, now it is deemed an injustice. Why are cats treated like a creature, while dogs are more like a baby? Please don't confuse my saying that all non-kitty owners are like this. I have friends who don't own kitties, but still love them.

A good question to ask is this. If a person got a doggy, but assumed that all that was needed was to feed the dog & let it in & out of the house; how do you think that dog would start to act? He would probably try harder to get the attention at first, but in the end he would get depressed. Seclude himself, & maybe not even want to be around people anymore... Could you really blame him though?

Now lets look at the stereotype many people label on kitties. You need to feed them & clean their litter box...then they go their own ways as independent creatures & you go yours. If that's what we as humans assume & act upon, isn't it possible that it could really be the doing of the owner that makes a cat so unsocial. That maybe we can actually push our kitty into seclusion. If a cat is teased & tormented in a home, can you blame him for biting & defending himself...not wanting anything to do with people?

These are some big questions. My honest opinion that can be quite controversial (like the rest of this post) is that I believe kitties are like barometers in a way. We treat them fairly, with love, affection, attention, playing, no teasing/tormenting. They will return the favor. Now obviously kitties & doggies do have different personality types...cats do not have an instinct to fetch a ball...& bring it back to you. They don't always come when you call, you can't really walk them on a leash. BUT, I can tell you, whenever I was hurt, my cats were always right there beside me...literally.
The first time I fell off my scooter I was 6 or 7...I came home wailing, because I fell & then slid into gravel, (my knee got the worst of it). Tyler jumped onto the counter where I had been sat down, rubbed against me a couple times & laid down next to me, purring like a motor boat. Even though I was crying quite loudly, he didn't leave until I did. That wasn't the only time I scraped my knee very badly & it wasn't the only time Tyler stayed with me until I was better.
Whenever I'm feeling under the weather, Wiggles will find me, lay down against my leg & purr like a motor boat & not leave me until I get up.
I'm sorry, but if that's not devotion...I don't know what is. What I do know, it that I wouldn't trade my Wiggly-Woo or have traded my Tyler baby for a million dogs who could fetch & walk on a leash & roll over. Because in the end a pet is more than just the animal you feed & take care of. It you let them them, they can take care of you. He or she is family, a companion who's all ears, who won't judge you or call you crazy. He or she will give you what you give first. In the end this is the exact reason why I have this Kittie Blog. =)

So if you aren't bored with my "ranting" & are still reading this...thank you! I've never posted anything like this before, but it feels good to get it off my chest.

And if you skipped the whole middle section, because it looked too long & are just reading this...I don't mind. This post was really just for me to get some of my thoughts verbalized.

I don't really know who reads this, but if you are, feel free to comment or something...anything. It's funny how a blog kinda makes you feel like you're talking to yourself. No offense, but I'd kinda rather to talk to Wiggles. But because you (whoever you are) read it, I'll keep writing...slowly....

"Kitties are the perfect barometer of affection. You treat them right...so will they..."

~Tiffani Joi

Goodbye Tyler

Hello Everyone,

I haven't been writing for a while...I've been a little sad. Tyler passed away in August and I just didn't feel like writing about it. I will only say a little bit...I don't want to bore any of you who read this.

He just developed a disease thta turned his eyes and the inside of his ears and mouth yellow. I forget what it is actually called, but we found out that is has no cause and no cures that have been found yet. It was a hard time for our whole family and took many tears from me.

It seems odd now writing a kittie blog with only one kitty, but I guess as long as I have one it still makes sense.

Here are some pictures of Tyler during his last week with us.

We kept both kitties seperated until the end when Wiggles became so sad that we decided to let them say goodbye to each other. The pictures above are from that day. Wiggles was so sweet...it was like he knew to be gentle .

"When its time {for your pet to go}, find some comfort in knowing that God will be waiting for him."

~ Sarah

Miss Mew & Little Sister

My Auntie Heather and Uncle Peter sent me some pictures and "bio's" of their two cats.
There is Miss Mew (aka Moo or Missy) a little furry girl named Little Sister (aka Sis, Sissy). Here--in my Auntie and Uncle's own words--are thier biographys:

"They love to play, sleep and watch the birds through the window.
Missy is 12 years old now and Sister is about 4 years old.
They are not really good friends, but they tolerate each other!
Sister was born in our garden and then the next year had a litter of kittens in the same place! We found good homes for her babies and then she decided that she would stay with us.
Moo came to us when Uncle Peter found her, a small kitten at the time, alone and crying in the woods several hours north of Toronto. He brought her home to me and she has been with us ever since.
They both have highly developed vocabularies, and are sure to tell us what they require."

I think Little Sister and Wiggles look like they could be brother and sister.

"Dogs have family, but cats have staff."
My Auntie Heather (or whoever said it before her)

Ducks in our Swimming Pool

Hey everybody!

I thought this was the cutest thing and I wanted to share it with you. It isn't all about the cats, but it involves them.
We have a pair of ducks that are visiting our pool daily now. I'm hoping that they have a nest or something in our back yard. A couple of days ago my mom saw some big birds fly into the pool. I stood up and looked and found a male pecking at a female. Well, I didn't like that, but then my mom and I saw that it was two males fighting and one was standing on the female. It looked like she was going to drown. (Don't worry this story has a happy ending.) Then one of the males backed away as the other male stood up in the water and flapped his wings. He then went over the the female and they both got out of the water. The male who had lost got out of the water to, but on the opposite end. The pair of ducks looked sooooooooo cute together and the story reminded us of The Inheritance, so we named the female Edith (Edee for short) and the male James Percy (J.P. for short). Of course we won't see the other male duck again...his pride was too hurt. But we named him anyway, Lord Arlington.

I'm hoping that in the spring we'll have a bunch of little duckies.



The kitties are very happy about it all. They love watching them. I don't know what they are thinking when they are watching the happy couple, but they are having fun. Even now Tyler is asleep and the birds are still in the pool. And Wiggles is out catting around I guess. I assume that means they've decided to accept the Edee and J.P. as part of the family.

All the entertainment cat's will ever need is a window with some birds outside of it.

Tiffani-Joi

Magic Worm

I always like to get my kitties something for Christmas and I couldn't think of what to get them this year. Well, my mom and I went to visit my grandma and we went to a huge mall where she lives. We were walking around and I saw this lady demonstrating "The Magic Worm".
Anywho, so I saw it and I thought, Tyler and Wiggles would love watching that thing moving. So I bought one.

Needless to say they loved it.

"If you are nice to your cats now, they will still love you then."
Tiffani-Joi

Seeing-eye cat?

I just read a story in a magazine about a cat and a dog. Now you've all heard of a seeing-eye dog, but have you ever heard of a seeing-eye cat? Neither had I, until now.

There was a family who had a dog and a cat. Well, the dog lost his eyesight, so their cat, would lead the dog around, by nudging his his shoulder. This cat would take the dog to his food and water, he would lead him outside and would even follow him when he went on walks with his owner.

Now if there are any non-catlovers reading this, you've got to admit, that cats are sweet, special, and SMART. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the dogs have to be trained to be seeing eye dogs? Yes they do. Did this cat get trained? No he didn't.

I do love doggies to though, so I must allow that the seeing-eye dogs do a lot more than just nudge people around and are very smart as well.

I just wanted to share that story with you. I hope it touches your heart.

Please email me any sweet stories about cats, that you know.

If you are worthy of its affection, a cat will be your friend, but never your slave.

Theophile Gautier

Walking

Have you ever tried to take your cat for a walk on a harness and leash. If your cat was like my Tyler then he must have been sniffing everything (including ant hills), sitting down in the dirt to lick his paws, then racing off again after seeing a bird. In the meantime, your arm is feeling like it has been pulled out of its socket. You probably never knew your cat had that much strength.

My family and I keep our cats indoors all the time, since our area in southern California is desert, there are desert animals, including coyotes that would love to make a cute kittie into dinner. There are other reasons why they are indoors too, but that is the main one.

Tyler is fascinated with the outdoors and will go outside whenever he gets the chance. Wiggles doesn't care as much, because he was a barn cat and lived outside before we got him anyway. Anywho, whenever my mom, dad and I would go for a family walk, Tyler would always watch us go and meow sad goodbyes. We thought about taking him on a leash with us, but after remembering the last time, plus the HOT ground we decided against that. Still, we felt bad for Tyler so we got him a cat stroller.

Now he LOVES to go for walks. He loves it so much that we actually have to spell the word W-A-L-K when we want to go by ourselves, because if we don't, Tyler will be at our feet in less than thirty seconds meowing and going by "his buggy," then coming back to us. It is very cute. All we have to say is, "Tyler, do you want to go for a walk?" and he will jump down from the couch and hop right in.

He will lay down in it and when we get home he will hop down, make a trip to the litter box, get something to eat, then settle down for a nice cat nap just like nothing had happened.


If you are feeling sorry for poor Wiggles being left alone while the four of us go on a nice walk, don't. We tried to take him for a walk many times, but when we put him in he jumped right back out before we could even touch the zipper, let alone zip it up. So instead he is our welcoming committee. Whenever we get home he is always by the door and meowing (not a sad and lonely one, but a "hi its nice to see ya again" kind).

"There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat"

Tay Hohoff

Do Cats Always Land On Their Feet?

This is funny. We have all heard and read that a cat always land on his/her feet, because while still in the air they twist and blah, blah, blah. I as well as you believed that until a certain incident occured at my own home. So I am here to prove that cats don't always land on their feet.

One day (5 years ago) Tyler was sleeping on my parents bed very near the edge. He had done that before and had never fallen...until that day (5 years ago).

My mom and I were reading a book about the Civil War, when Tyler opened his eyes and started to stretch. We watched him yawn, try to touch the sky and look cute. What happen next went by so fast it is a wonder I know what happened at all, but lucky for you I do know. One minute Tyler was reaching for the sky and the next minute he was gone. Yes he had fallen off the bed. If that wasn't shocking enough he hit the ground ON HIS SIDE! (cue dramatic music).

We knew this, because in our old house (where this unfortunate incident occurred) there were big full length mirrors on that particular side of the bed where Tyler fell off. So through the mirrors we saw him falling.

Anywho the point is he fell on his side, not his feet. Although if he had been fully awake, aware, and watching perhaps he would have landed on his feet. But instead he was still sleepy, drowsy, and yawning. The poor little guy probably had no idea what had happened. He had just awoken up from a lovely cat nap and was recalling his dream about delicious chicken, when all of the sudden he was hitting the floor on his side. Needless to say he has never slept on the edge of a bed again.

"Even when you are sure a cat has done something unintentionally, the truth of the matter is that, that was exactly what they meant to do all along."

Tiffani-Joi

*Picture from physlink.com

Books To Read With Your Cat

There is a book called Three Stories You Can Read to Your Cat. I used to read it to Tyler before we got Wiggles. He would walk around while I was reading it, interrupt me with "questions," and rub my legs. I always laughed at the stories especially The Yummy Bug. Another cute book is Bedtime Stories for Cats and Three More Stories You Can Read to Your Cat. Even if your cat won't sit down long for you to read them to him/her they are still fun to read yourself.

Tip: If you see your cat sleeping start reading the stories softly, like a lullaby. If your cats ears are twitching you will know he/she is listening.

My cats love to read in general. If either my mom or I start reading Tyler will hop onto my mom's lap and Wiggles (<--picture) is usually on the couch by one of our heads listening. If we are reading in another room with the door closed, they will sit by the door and "cry" until we let them in. If you have any books that your cats love to hear, please email me or leave a comment.

"Like a graceful vase, a cat, even when motionless, seems to flow."

George F. Will

Hello Kittie Luvers

Hello Kittie Luvers!



I think (being kittie luvers) we all agree that cats are special, lovable, snooty at times and sometimes downright stubborn animals. They do exactly what they want to do when they want to do it, even if you don't want them to, but for some reason we still love them.


Take my two cats in this picture (left is Tyler 8 yrs. old right is Wiggles 2 yrs old) they jump onto countertops, go in rooms they know are off limits to them and want food just as you are getting comfortable. But then they do something so cute that you can't be mad at them anymore.


Anywho this is a blog where kittie lovers can share their cute and funny stories about cats. Is you cat so smart that he/she could be a great star in a movie, maybe he/she can do math, speak French or sing. Even if your cat isn't a "prodigy" or extremley smart, please leave a comment or even better email me a picture of you cat and a little bit about him/her. Favorite food, toy, funny thing he/she does to get attention. I would love to post the picture and "bio." My email is TiffaniJoi143@gmail.com. Also if you have a quote about kitties (something that you heard, saw, read or made up yourself) please email those to me as well. I can always use some more.



That is all for now. Hope you enjoy this blog.

"Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later."

Mary Bly