The Savannah cat

Development of kittens

The kittens born at cattery SavVal stay at cattery SavVal for at least 13 weeks until they are allowed to move to their new owner. Cattery SavVal adheres to the pedigree regulations of the Dutch Pedigree Cat Association (NRKV).

The first 13 weeks after birth are all about growth and development for kittens. During this period, they learn from their mother, brothers and sisters what it is to be a cat, but also what boundaries are - their own boundaries, and those of others. The most important developments from week 1 to 13 after birth are listed below. This way you know what developments your kitten has already gone through.

Birth up to week 3:

Savannah kittens have a birth weight of around 100 grams.
As soon as a kitten is born, she starts looking for the mother cat's nipple. Kittens will kick their paws against their mother’s belly to stimulate milk production.
A newborn kitten is deaf and blind – they instinctively find their mother by smell and touch.
By 9 days old, a kitten’s birth weight has doubled.
From day 10, the kittens’ eyes open, but their vision has yet to develop.
By week 3, the kitten can actually walk, although still wobbly, on straight, outstretched legs.
Once the kittens can walk, they also discover what playing and wrestling is – siblings are now more than just a source of warmth in the nest.
From week 3, the first baby teeth break through; in addition to mother’s milk, the kittens are introduced to soaked, solid food.
Kittens are introduced to the litter box and begin toilet training for life in the home. When the kittens are 3 weeks old, their birth weight has quadrupled and they weigh around 445 grams.

Week 4 to week 6

Kittens are increasingly aware of their environment and are becoming curious about everything that happens around them.
The kittens' vision and hearing continue to develop and are getting better and better.
From week 4, the kittens are introduced to other rooms in the house and to their housemates. They gain new impressions in this way.
As more baby teeth come through, the soaked, solid food makes way for real (kitten) cat food.
The kittens' ears, which were small and folded at birth, are increasingly standing up.
The baby blue color of the irises is starting to change color.
The kittens are playing and wrestling with each other a lot. The mother cat is also a nice plaything.
After toilet training, most kittens are already reasonably litter-box trained by week 5.
When the kittens are 6 weeks old, they occasionally go on adventures on their own.
Although the kittens still like to drink from their mother cat, their diet increasingly consists of solid food.
When the kittens are 6 weeks old, their average weight is around 780 grams.

Weeks 7 to 10

From week 7, a kitten can regulate its own body temperature and is no longer dependent on its mother for warmth.
When the kittens are 8 weeks old, the final eye color is generally already clearly visible. However, the eye color can become even more intense up to the fifth month.
A 9-week-old kitten can already weigh 1 kilo. At this age, they weigh around 1,125 grams.
In week 9, the kittens are introduced to the vet - they are examined extensively for the first time and are vaccinated against cat flu and sneezing disease.
From week 10, the kittens' diet consists almost entirely of solid food; if the mother cat allows it, this is supplemented with mother's milk.

Weeks 11 to 13

During this period, it is important that kittens can play with other cats. Brothers and sisters of the same age in particular help each other to recognize (bite) boundaries during playing, wrestling and wrestling. Both the kittens and their future owners benefit if cats learn to master the "cat language" well at a young age.
In week 12, the kittens visit the vet for the second time. During this visit, they are vaccinated again against cat flu and sneezing disease and are then fully vaccinated.
When the kitten is 13 weeks old, it weighs around 1,863 grams.
From week 13, the kittens can move.

Socializing kittens

Socializing a cat starts when they are still kittens. The experiences a cat gains in the first months of life determine its eventual character, behavior and well-being later in life.

Because socializing can have such an impact on a cat's behavior, we at cattery SavVal find it important to inform you about this. This also means that you are aware of the method we use when socializing our cats and kittens.

Socializing cat

By socializing we mean that cats learn to interact with other cats, with people and with other animals such as dogs. Socializing also means that cats get used to normal, household sounds (think: people walking through the house, children running around, people laughing, cooking and vacuuming) and to strange, unexpected sounds (think: the garbage truck, the doorbell, barking dogs, fireworks).

Socializing a cat is not something you do on the side - it takes time, even with young kittens. Socializing starts by getting them used to people and living with people at an early age. Kittens that grow up isolated in a separate enclosure and have limited contact with people will never grow into balanced, relaxed and social cats.

The most important weeks of the socialization period of a kitten are between the third and seventh week of life. During this period it is important to carefully introduce the kittens to different people outside of their own family, and potential future owners.

Even when the kittens have moved and are living with their new owners, it is important to keep an eye on socialization until at least the 14th week of life. But even after this, it is important to continue to pay attention to the desired social behavior of the growing cat.

Influence of mother cat

Kittens learn a lot from their mother, and she plays an important role in the socialization process. Does the mother cat react fearfully to the sound of a vacuum cleaner, or does she growl at the garbage truck? The kittens respond to her signals, and there is a good chance that they will develop the same reactions. But the kittens also pick up positive behavior from the mother cat. A well-socialized mother cat with a friendly and stable character is therefore an important prerequisite for well-socialized kittens.

Socialization of kittens at cattery SavVal

At cattery SavVal we make sure that the kittens are born from sweet, affectionate mother cats that meet the breed standard. Our kittens are socialized with the help of other cats, adults, children and dogs.

The kittens are born and raised in the house. In this homely environment they come into contact with normal daily sounds and unexpected sounds as described earlier from birth. Our kittens spend the first weeks of their lives with their mother in a separate room; the mother cat can move freely through the house during this period.

At a calm pace, which suits our other cats and the dog that live at cattery SavVal, we will introduce them to the kittens. So that the kittens come into contact with other cats and a dog at a young age. The kittens are held daily by me, my partner and our children. In this way we socialize the kittens with adults, but specifically also with children. We also ask friends and other family members to visit us and the kittens regularly, so that the kittens get used to strangers in the house, who also bring their own things and for example a camera (with accompanying sounds). In addition, we introduce them to care activities, such as cleaning the eyes, checking the ears, feeling the paws and clipping the nails.

3. Available kittens and prices

We currently have one kitten available .

On December 19, 2024, Gaia and Amadi (cattery African Savannah) became proud parents of an F6 male kitten, named Apollo. You can read more about the pregnancy, birth and development of the male kitten from our A-litter via our blog.

Gaia

Apollo

Amadi

Prices kittens

At cattery SavVal we only breed kittens of the fifth generation (F5) or lower.

We charge the following prices for both male and female cats:

Savannah kitten F5 € 1,750.00
Savannah kitten F6 € 1,250.00

If you want to buy a Savannah kitten for future breeding, different prices apply for both females and males. These prices are available on request and depend on the appearance of the individual kitten.

4. Viewing and reserving kittens

Are you interested in (one of) our kittens? Then you can schedule a viewing with us via the contact form. Viewings are only scheduled when the kittens are 5 to 6 weeks old. The kittens are still very vulnerable at this age; there are therefore a number of house rules that you must take into account during a viewing.

House rules for viewing

Please disinfect your hands upon entering with the disinfectant we provide.
Please take off your shoes once you enter.
If you want to play with the kittens, you can do so with our toys. We also have cat snacks on hand that you can give during the viewing. We kindly ask you not to bring any toys or cat food/snacks yourself.
Please bring your partner or a friend to the viewing to pet and cuddle the kittens. Children are also welcome. However, we ask that you do not touch the kittens and always ask permission first. Inform your companions of this rule and ensure that this rule is observed during your viewing.
Always approach the kittens (and other cats) calmly. Don't know how to pick up or hold a kitten? Ask us, and we will be happy to show you and help you.

As a dedicated breeder and cat lover, we want to make sure that the kittens end up in a good home. We therefore ask people who want to view the kittens a few standard questions about, for example, the home situation, work pattern and other pets.

Reserve kitten(s)

After a viewing you can make your final interest in one of the kittens known. It is possible that we ask additional questions or ask for photos of the house/garden to know what kind of household the kittens will end up in. When we have concluded that you can offer a pleasant and healthy environment to the kitten, it is possible to reserve the desired kitten. Of course it is possible that you have chosen a duo, that is also possible and we only encourage it.

Fill out our contact form to make a reservation. After you have made a reservation, we ask for a deposit. Only when the deposit is received, your reservation is final.

If there is a lot of interest, you can be placed on a waiting list. In that case, there will only be a deposit if a kitten is available.

5. Purchasing a kitten

At cattery SavVal we think it is important that you think carefully before you buy a kitten. It is important to first list all the pros and cons of a (new) cat in the house. After all, you want to take a kitten into the household, but that kitten will grow up to be an adult cat. Do you have the time, space and attention for that? In addition, it is important to be clear about the reason for choosing this breed, the Savannah.

We recommend that you have the answers to these questions before you make an appointment for a viewing at cattery SavVal. Kittens are often hard to resist once you have seen them. There is a chance that at such a moment you do not know what the consequences are of your (possibly spontaneous) choice.

As a breeder of Savannah cats, we know the breed. We would like to help you and ask you a few relevant questions that you can take into account:

Welcoming a pet into your life is just like bearing the (financial) responsibility and care for a child until they go to college - a Savannah lives an average of 17 years. Can you offer a Savannah everything this affectionate cat needs for a cat's entire life?
Does the social, active character of a Savannah suit you and your lifestyle, and will this still be the case in 10 years?
Do you find a Savannah mainly beautiful, or does its energetic and enterprising character really appeal to you? If you cannot answer both questions with a resounding yes, we recommend that you delve into other cat breeds.

You can choose a Savannah as a companion animal, but you can also choose to show or breed with your Savannah.

As a companion animal, it is important for every kitten to look at its character, but especially that there is a "click" between you and the kitten. If you have show and/or breeding plans with your Savannah kitten, the appearance is also important - in that case you want your kitten to meet the breed standard of the Savannah and not have any insurmountable beauty flaws. But keep in mind: Not every beautiful Savannah is necessarily suitable for showing or breeding. Here too, character plays a major role, but other factors are important, such as being able to travel well, liking to be held for a long time, being able to withstand physical examinations well, etc. In addition, show quality kittens and kittens that will be used for breeding in the future are more expensive than kittens that are sold without breeding rights and are purchased solely for company.

When you have carefully considered the above matters, and are still as enthusiastic as before to welcome a Savannah as a new friend into your life, we hope to welcome you when we have a litter of kittens. Keep an eye on our website, blog and social media for this. We communicate via these channels when we have kittens available.

Documents, pedigree and tests

When the kittens from cattery SavVal are 13 weeks old, they can move to their new owners. Cattery SavVal brings the kittens to the new owner itself.

When the kitten arrives at the new owner, the owner has a: European pet passport, pedigree, health certificate and the kitten is chipped. When we bring your kitten(s), you will receive the following documents and information:

Kitten purchase contract
Information on issuing/sending the family tree
EU pet passport
Chip information
If necessary, rabies declaration

Declaration of Health
Information on breeding rights/non-breeding rights
Information on deworming and defleaing kittens/cats
Information Savannah
Kitten package

Pedigree

All kittens born at cattery SavVal have a pedigree from the Dutch Breed Cat Association (NRKV). This is a document that contains the breeder's data, the kitten's ancestors and various data of the kitten itself. One of the kitten's data is the official color of the kitten. This color is determined by testing the DNA coat color of both parents of the kitten. Cattery SavVal ensures that both the mother cat and the stud cat are tested for DNA coat color, so that the official color of each of the kittens is correctly stated on the pedigree.

If you buy a kitten with breeding rights from cattery SavVal, you will receive the official pedigree after payment. However, we expect that most of our kittens are kept as pets; in that case you will not receive the pedigree immediately. This will be sent to you after proof from the vet that the kitten has been castrated/sterilized around 7 months. It is strictly forbidden to use a kitten without breeding rights for reproduction.

Cattery SavVal consciously chooses not to have kittens castrated/sterilized at an early age, in order to prevent possible medical problems later in life. We trust the future owners of our kittens to adhere to this condition of purchasing one of our kittens. In the event of demonstrable violation of this condition, you will be excluded from purchasing our future kittens.

De-fleas/worms and vaccinations

Cattery SavVal ensures that all kittens are dewormed and treated against fleas as necessary during the first 13 weeks after birth.

When the kittens are 9 weeks old, they are vaccinated against cat flu and cat flu . At the age of 12 weeks after birth, these vaccinations are repeated.

Do you live abroad? In that case, the kitten will also be vaccinated against rabies from 12 weeks.