Turkey Cat!

I wouldn't have thought Panzer would like turkey but he did. He was really curious about the smells and the food items, but he really wanted the bird. So for being such a good kitty I gave him some turkey. Although it was cooked he still seemed to really enjoy it warm. Even more so with the gravy stuff on it. Not human gravy, but a special vita-gravy for cats that help get him his nutrients.
Nothing else has really changed except for a few social experiences he needs to adjust too at home. This last week he got his final shot for this year and until next year he's all set. The vet bill for all the special shots run between $30-60 a pop so that wasn't really a surprise to me. One thing to keep in mind when taking your Savannah cat to the vet is to ask them for killed virus shots. You're breeder will instruct you on what is best for your cat but we chose the vaccines from Fort Dodge. I'm not if this is the only company that makes the killed virus types, but they worked out and he is A OK. :) Also it's good to note that a cat carrier is a great idea for a domestic cat... but not so much for a Savannah at the f2 level. He basically busted out in a few minutes and would rather have been walked in on a harness so he felt more freedom. The next time he goes it will be on a harness for sure. As for the training involved in getting a cat to walk on a harness that's a different blog.

Panzer up close...

Panzer and Monkey. Monkey is a 3 year old marbled tabby.

Fetch

Every morning Panzer likes to get up and play with both my wife and I separately. He wakes up early to play with me before I go off to work and then when she wakes up they do their thing. With me he likes to play fetch with the blue rat toy. It's really odd to play fetch with a cat in the first place. But, when the toy is a 8" knotted, squeaky dog toy its even more hilarious. He's growing bigger and stronger by the day. Just yesterday he jumped about 4 ft high from a gallop to grab at a toy my wife had in her hand. The other cats aren't being as prissy as they have been over the last month and that's been a nice change. Monkey is still jealous of Panzer, but that will fade with time. They argue and scrap but Panzer is not effected at all by this. He thinks its playful and loves it. Sometimes he gets his butt kicked but he learns fast. Now he can own Lou just by jumping on his back and riding him like a horse. Lou is kinda chubby so he found his weakness and uses it to show his dominance. With Monkey Panzer is more playful, but he still has to prove his status in the gang. Right now Panzer wants to move up the chain of command so his mini battles with Monkey are short but often. Sam is much bigger and faster than Panzer right now so those two don't really battle. They wrestle and play but Sam is still top cat. Until he gets bigger Panzer won't be able to take on Sam's position so I figure he's just waiting until that day comes. At his current rate of growth that will be within a few months. I'd guess he's about 10 lbs now, 12" from foot to shoulder and 17" from neck to rear. He head is smaller in proportion to his body so I expect another growth spurt by months end. By years end I'd say he will be 12 lbs, 13" tall at the shoulder and maybe 18 inches or longer. As he gains muscle playing with us soon he will easily tackle the 4' jumping and be moving on to 5+. As the days roll by his wild instincts are coming out and the kitten that is so cute and lovable is slowly becoming a cat. Someday I will miss all this wonderful play time we have and his innocent curiosity, but by then I'm sure he'll have us finding interest in some of his other exciting characteristics. I hope when he's grown up he's a benevolent ruler and keeps the crew together as our family grows. Thank the heavens for this experience... I should have been went to school to work with animals :)

Breakfast cat??

I'm the manager at Mr. Clucks! I love chicken!

So normally you'd think that a cat wouldn't be too interested in human breakfast food. Bacon, eggs, english muffin... etc. Well Panzer decided today that he likes all of that stuff and dove into my wife's breakfast. Yes, he had his own food which he ate, but the temptation was obviously too much for him to control his urge. Now it's not really all his fault since she hasn't set any rules for sharing food with him. Like a dog if he thinks its OK to beg or share human food he'll just walk up and take what he pleases. Patiently I'm waiting for the day she leaves out her meal and he's 25+ lbs of grown kitty cat who wants a bite of her sandwich so he just takes the entire thing. He doesn't do that with me because I've raised big dogs most of my life and losing a meal via sneak attack really sucks.

Anyway I guess since he likes chicken meat his desire for eggs isn't too weird. I'm starting to think that he has moods and his day is completely dependent on what kind of mood he wakes up in. Today for instance he wanted to run and play, jumping like his grandparent Serval cat into my bedding. The running off back to a spot he could pounce. I really need to get a video of this up here but it's hard to both be the prey and take video. I'll figure it out eventually.

Snoozin'

This is a picture of a cat sleeping. He's really tired because some how he managed to break the arm off a solid oak chair in my living room. Let me tell you that is not a simple task to undertake. The chair has wooden arms that are about 2x2 thick and this thing has lasted years. I'm guessing that he head butted it, flew into it chasing another cat or just flat out ran into it sprinting. I would have taken a picture of it and posted that up here but I thought this was more interesting than a broken chair.

At 9 lbs he's quite the little devil at times. Imagine a 25+ lb version of this running around the house *playing*. I'll have to get him a buffalo or a moose to play with at this rate. Either way he sure is fun to hang out with so it's no big deal to me. Panzer 1, Chair 0.

V-day

Panzer had to go to the vet again today to get some more shots. It's good to know that the shots he needs are not like a regular cat, they need to be killed virus. Why? Well the normal ones may kill him. I'm no veterinarian, but I trust my breeder and she said not to give him these type of shots because he may get very ill and even die from it. Needless to say I was so scared they were gonna mess it up I asked like four times if they knew he needed the killed virus shot.

As for Panzer he liked the trip. He loves people and going new places. This cats like curious George or something. He just walks around and checks it all out with very little fear. It's what I admire about him... the fearless nature he's been given. He's free of all the worries and just enjoys playing and investigating the world we all take for granted. With a flood of compliments from the vet staff he didn't even cry when we left and drove home. We may have found some really good treats that give him all the vitamins he needs. They are called Nu-Cat. So for now we're gonna see if we can get him his supplements using treats and that gravy I mentioned earlier.

Spunky little feline

Undisturbed sleep? No, just a 5 minute crash next to dad.

So for the last few days Panzer has been all into sheets and blankets. Hiding in them, jumping on the bed when we are trying to make it, flying out of nowhere to grab or feet, running past me while I sleep at full pace bouncing off my a$$ like a jumping board. It's hilarious because he's not rough, just 8 lbs of clumsy kitten. Hes grown now to be taller in the shoulders than Ninja, and it as tall as our oldest cat Lou. He's gained about half a p0und in a week or two, maybe closer to 1 lb now. He stands right around 12 inches from foot to shoulder, and he's gotten about 2 inches longer from neck to tail. Also his tail is getting very think near the butt. The vitamins are working great for him, and I would recommend that any one try this gravy we found at PetCo. It has tons of vitamins, and he LOVES it enough to not eat the other cats wet food.

One thing that is very surprising to me is that he is so loving. He never scratches us anymore when we play, and he lets us dress him up and hold him as long as we're moving around. He likes to ride our shoulders and be held like a baby. In the morning and at night he has a cry for this that is specific to his need. When I do it he purrs and cuddles like no other cat I've owned. Granted he then gets bored and flies out of my arms, but it's cute to say the least. He doesn't like to be help on our laps though. He'll sleep next to you, let you lay with him as he naps but don't bather trying to keep him still. Just work on his schedule and its all good. Speaking of that I read a good article on kittens that said you should not wake them when they sleep/nap. This is when they grow so just in case you were wondering it's best to have places out of the way that he or she can sleep undisturbed for as long as they need.

This last week marked the start of the harness training. He really doesn't mind it too much, but being outside is really not his thing yet. I'm guessing he's still too young to really want to get out and roam around with confidence and I don't want to scare him. I do harness him and hold him so he can meet the neighbor, he dog Ian and the cat Boots. His name is really Dart but I like to call him Boots :) Or Captain Whiskers.

Goof ball

Stock up on the toys

Our Savannah loves his toys. He really plays with all of them throughout the day. His favorite toy is a raccoon tail teaser toy with a small bell on it. Getting his prey drive working is always fun, but the older he gets the higher he jumps and faster he reacts. So that means you really have to work hard to get the toy away from him long enough to actually play with him. Day to day he changes moods and so his routines may vary. One day he's all playful and running around playing with the other cats. The next he sleeps all day and wants to be held. Out of all the cats he is the most affectionate. When I get home from work Panzer is there to greet me. If I don't pick him up and give him some hugs and such he cries until I do. At first I thought it was food he wanted, but he has a different sound for that. After he gets some attention then he'll go and munch on some chicken. My wife and I found some really cool cat gravy at PetCo that's full of vitamins. We we're looking for food and we just happened to find it and he really likes over his chicken. The other cats like it as well, but they get their gravy in the canned food they eat. Panzer is NOT a fan of canned food. The only stuff he likes is the stuff he isn't allowed to have because it isn't good for him. The other cats love it too, but for whatever reason its like kitty crack to him.