About us
My name is Kimberly van Leeuwen-Bastiaan-Net. Together with my husband, 4 children, 1 dog, 6 cats, 11 chickens and 2 roosters, I have been living in a split-up long-façade farmhouse in the cozy village of Meijel since 2021. We bought our home with an eye to the future - a large family needs space, but that space would also allow us to do something with our love for animals.
Born in 1991, I grew up in a warm family where there was also room for a wide variety of pets - from dogs to cats and gerbils. Love for animals was self-evident - but my heart went out to cats.
I had my first experience with pedigree cats, cat shows and everything that goes with it when I was 12 years old and my mother decided to breed with the cat breed Burmilla. This is a cross between a Chinchilla Persian and a Burmese. At that age you get a lot as a child, and I found everything very interesting and liked to help. The care of the kittens made a big impression on me.
After a few years my mother stopped breeding, but eventually it started to itch. About 7 years later she picked it up again, with another cat breed: the Egyptian Mau. In the meantime I was an adult and I could help on a different level, and I represented my mother and the breed at cat shows, among other things.
During my school years I found a part-time job at a cat hotel. Here cats were housed whose owners were away from home for a longer period of time and wanted their cat to have the best possible care. Many of them were pedigree cats. This brought me into contact with cats in a completely different way. My work consisted of the complete care of cats, but also meant that I did a lot of cleaning - the chores that had to be done but weren't always fun. This work did eventually prepare me well for what the future would bring.
After high school I chose a study that matched my subject package and promised a bright future. In practice, however, I missed the connection with animals in my study - I switched from Applied Science to Animal and livestock farming. Here I immediately felt at home, and gained a lot of knowledge about pets, livestock and wildlife - knowledge that I still benefit from today.
During this study I had the opportunity to focus on everything related to cats and felines, and I did research on the domestication of cats, the origin of cat breeds and the negative results of inbreeding. During this period I also did an internship in South Africa, where I did research on the differences between cheetahs that are raised by their mother, and cheetahs that are raised by hand with a view to their health, character traits, offspring, etc. This period made a huge impression on me and I have many good memories of it.
After returning home I focused on my graduation, doing my best to find an assignment that matched my interests. I found this through the Zodiac Nature Watch foundation at Zooparc Overloon, where I investigated the possibilities of an ambassador program with servals. For this I wrote an extensive report on all facets of an ambassador program, legislation and regulations, ethical aspects, zoonoses, protocols and practical application. At the time I obviously did not know what role servals would play in my future.
After my studies I focused on the future. It was my dream to become a mother, and it didn’t take long before I met someone with whom I immediately felt a connection: I can now call this man my husband. We started a family together, and my children became my first priority. My ambition to work on my passion for cats and felines was put on the back burner.
However, the itch started again, especially after the birth of my youngest daughter in 2020, and the purchase of our house in 2021. We now had the space, but where to start? My career had taken me in a completely different direction, in daily life I was a permit issuer for the Nature Conservation Act - apart from taking care of my own cats, my hands-on experience with cats had been limited in recent years.
I went online on social media and through some people I accidentally came into contact with a Savannah breeder. That's how I came across a cry for help for the rehoming of a Savannah. This F3 male cat was kept in Belgium, but there is a ban on keeping Savannahs there. There was a chance that the cat would be put to sleep while he was in excellent health. A few days later I was in the car to pick up the Savannah, not really knowing what kind of cat I was actually getting but I couldn't bring myself to leave this cat to his fate. That's how Noa came into my life - instead of rehoming him, this sweet and affectionate cat can stay with us for the rest of his life.
In the context of rehoming, we took in another Savannah not long after - we actually managed to rehome him. However, the experience with Noa and this other Savannah taught me that it has a great impact on me and my family to drop everything and respond to a cry for help for (temporary) shelter.
I have kept in touch with the Savannah breeder who tipped me off about Noa all these years. Now that my children are a bit older, I felt the urge to really do something with cats again. That was the moment that this Savannah breeder sent me a message that she had a litter of F6 kittens; Wasn't I interested? It kept going through my mind, my curiosity was aroused. In the meantime, I had experience with Savannahs thanks to Noa and the rehomed Savannah, and I delved into breeding this specific breed. After consulting with my husband, the decision was made and I bought a female from the litter of F6 kittens. With Gaia, I am following in my mother's footsteps and starting my own cattery.
I have officially registered as a cattery, where I had to give a name immediately. The choice fell on the name SavVal, a composition of Savannah and serval, a reference to the cat breed and the origin of the breed.
As a member of several pedigree cat associations, it is my goal to introduce people to the Savannah as a breed during cat shows, even though Savannahs are not recognized as a breed by Dutch pedigree cat associations and we will never win a prize. It is my hope that visitors will fall in love with this beautiful, energetic and loyal cat breed, and that Gaia will delight us with a number of beautiful litters of kittens that will find a warm home with enthusiasts.
Who knows, we might see you at a cat show in the future!
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