Christmas Trees in our house

I get asked regularly how I can have a Christmas tree in the house with all these very active felines... and there is a process that works well for us, so thought I'd put in on my blog to refer people to....

First I have selected a corner of our front living room that is a little like an alcove, we live in a Victorian house and it is beside the fireplace where it is set in a little and then there is a corner, this allows me to clear a corner of the room and then use Ssscat motion detectors to deter the kitties from going near.

I get my Ssscat motion detectors at Pet Club but I know most people haven't access to this great chain of pet stores, Petsmart keeps them though... http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751025 . Basically they are a can of compressed air with a little motion detector fastened on top, it detects any motion within a yard of the can and then spurts out a little spray of air suddenly. Cats hate the sound but of course it is not harmful.

I put these out on both sides of my little alcove so that it basically protects that corner of the room, I put them out for a few days with just an empty corner of room so that the kitties start to learn to avoid that part of the room. Then I bring out the tree, I only have an artificial tree as I've always thought that a REAL tree would be way too tempting. It's a nice one and looks pretty realistic though and tricks most folk that come to visit us. I put that up and leave that for a few days before I think put the ornaments on...so a gradual process rather than all at once.

It is important to have the motion detector things with their rear side against a wall, so that the cats cannot creep up on them and slap them over, they'd like to do that. If they can't do that, then they never seem to get close enough from the front to do that before it squirts air and them and they run away.

This is my experience to date, of course this year we have a new batch of kittens that have not seen the tree before and they just might be the ones to break the system! It's safer to say "yet" than "never" when it comes to these clever troublemakers, LOL!

Dukie checking out the tree carefully...

Trying to creep up on the the detectors...


BUSTED!!!!!

Candy and Lalara in their Christmas dresses

We just had too much fun with the kittens, dressing them in pretty Christmas costumes and snapping away. Candy is on the left, and Lara on the right... both Katie's daughters and about 4 and a half months old.

Baz does Santa...

It's a medium sized dog costume from Petsmart... perfect for our Baz.

Pretty little Ginger

Ginger is the sole remaining kitten from Kiki's litter as yet unplaced. Of course we don't mind as she is the sweetest thing and one of my favorite lap warmers!
Ginger got her mama Kiki's huge upright ears and long legs, she really is developing into a very pretty girl. So if she stays, she'll likely go to shows with her sister Thandi for a bit...

Katie's girls again

Candy and Lalara looking so cute, I couldn't resist and had to get a pic of them. They're growing up into such lovely girls. Candy is still the sweetest kitten in the world and Lara is a complete pistol of a kitten. Nothing she won't try at least once.

DreamSavannahs Aziza comes home!

JN and I travelled to New Orleans, had a couple very nice days there and then hopped in a car and drove to Tina and Julian's home in Mississippi. We were so excited, we got to meet our Missy's Serval daddy and lovely Savannah mommy, and of course visit with Tina and her great kids. And then we got to take home the coolest "souvenir" ever from a trip, an F1 kitten!

Aziza is amazing, she's perfect of course! Her looks are wonderful but her personality is better. She's exuberant and fun-loving and affectionate. She has the same voice as Missy and a lot of the same mannerisms. It's going to be so much fun having those two in the same house!

Katie's girls are such princesses!

Look at them sitting up there. Girl on the left is Lalara, who will be staying on here, the cutie on the right is Candy who is going to live up in Canada. Candy is her mother all over, so similar in looks and personality. Very human-oriented and of course both have spots down to their toes!

Pic of Kiki and her two cool-toned babies... The boy is draped over her. He loves to snuggle with kitties and people alike. His personality reminds us a lot of his maternal grandfather Kashka, so sweet! All are growing lovely long legs and big ole ears, very pleasing. They're pretty crazy nowadays, finally learning to jump onto my lap and not climb up my legs (ouch!). If I don't tidy up, I come into my office where they are living to chewed up papers... definitely "my kittens ate my homework" kinda stuff :-)

Here's three of Kiki's babies. At the back is the girl we are keeping, she needs a name soon! then there's the dark boy whom is just my little love right now. And in the front is the complete charmer, he's going to live in San Diego and already has stolen his new mommy's heart. A wonderful litter of kittens, they are just joys to be raising!

This little boy of Kiki's is completely ridiculous...so very confident of his appeal! He and his brother are immediately asking for my lap the moment I am in the room, their sisters always follow but the boys are complete lovers. I don't mind ;-)

Kiki's babies are on the run!

Kiki's babies (F4C) are very outgoing, sociable and adventurous. Poor Kiki!

At four weeks of age, they have left their birthing crate and are not looking back. They've discovered toys, wrestling and chewing on fingers... they think humans are great jungle gyms. Kiki is ready to have a nervous breakdown but they are ready to take on the world :-)

Also in Cat Fancy...

Imagine our surprise to not only have our precious Daffy featured on the cover of the Cat Fancy magazine, and see her in the article AND the centerfold, but turn that page and there is yet another familiar kitty face!

Dino is our new SBT Savannah stud. This picture was taken at one of his first shows, he was such a cute and personable kitten.

Dino has just proven fertile, he's sired his first litter of babies this month at ~11 months of age! We look forward to seeing how they develop now..

Cat Fancy magazine, August 2009

When a friend showed me her subscription copy of the August issue of Cat Fancy magazine I felt a chill. I knew that cat, it was one of mine!

Daffy was a special kitten, when she was born we intended to keep her and show her. But at her first show, she was too young for the ring but we had her in the benching cages to get used to the show hall atmosphere... Jamie Christian came up saying how he wanted a Savannah to show. He is a very persuasive man! Before I knew it, I'd agreed to let him take her home. He was on the other side of the country (Ohio to my California) and he showed a lot. It was a great opportunity to continue promoting the Savannah breed. But we missed our Daffy girl, she was full of personality!

Every time I'd visit her at a show she'd be loving on me...and the judges...and everyone. Christian insists that she loved him best and I know he was right. He'd say how she was the only cat he'd ever had that danced on her hindlegs to greet him every night at the door... what a cat! Daffy charmed judges and exhibitors, I'd meet folk in California at shows that were introduced to Savannahs by Daffy and I was so proud.

Sadly, Kirembo Dafine Kike of Kingsransom is no longer with us. She tragically fell prey to an upper respiratory infection that progressed so quickly it was not able to be treated in time. She died way too early, and we grieve her still. For her to be immortalized on the cover of Cat Fancy magazine (and centerfold too!) was very special to us all. Daffy was a wonderful Ambassador for the Savannah Breed.