Spot Me Out

Do you know how to tell the Difference?

When clients and friends come to our cattery they are astonished at how I can tell them all apart. Well the answer for me is easy but not everyone knows what to look for in order to identify each and every one, so let me give you some tips. 

The Distinct Differences

There is one thing about the Savannah Cat that never EVER changes, its spots! Each cat has their own unique spotted pattern which I call their "Fingerprint" You can always look at the cats and tell them apart by the spots. Main ways that I describe these patterns are if they have a flower pattern, a line of spots, lots of small spots, large distinct spots, clusters of spots, etc. Sometimes it is very hard to tell them apart but once you really sit and look at the pattern you will find something that sticks out to you so you can determine if that's your cat. 

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Another thing I tend to recognize is the pattern of lines on their face and around their eyes. Me being a girly girl and former hair dresser I have fun names for this. ;) The lines on the side of their face are sometimes black, orange, bold, or broken, I call this their "mascara" The cats also often have markings in between this "mascara" that can be dark or light, more bold than not or also spotted, this is their "blush". Then we come to the "eye liner" this is the part around their eyes that is often a very light or bright white in color. If you move down their necks they have bands around their necks..... take a guess at what this is called.... yup, their "necklace" The "necklace around their necks are often what I call broken which is where they do not completely come together. At times, they have multiple "necklaces" and most often in different shades of black and gold. 

The Maturing Differences 

Just like humans, all kittens are born with blue eyes. A very common question we are always asked is if their eyes will stay blue. Sometimes they will but most often they change to a green, gold or hazel color.  Kittens eyes do take time to develop and their quality of vision always comes before the color change. Kittens eyes typically will change their color between 3-6 months of age. Most of the time the kittens will be in their new home at this age so it is very hard for us to give a precise answer. 

Another thing that can happen is that the color of their noses can change. From my experience, we have had kittens born with pink noses that end up with a dark outer rim and sometimes born with this dark outer rim and turn mostly black. They say that cat noses can change with temperature, mood, blood pressure and that the lighter the cats nose the more you can see it change. But as far as our little hybrid kittens go, I think it is just part of their maturing process.

Figuring It All Out

Now that I have given you some of my helpful tips on how I like to discern the differences between our kitties why don't you go have a look. See if there is anything that stands out to you or helps you decipher your cats "Fingerprint" 

Tell us your helpful tips or show off your cat's beautiful features on our social media pages!

UNTIL OUR NEXT CAT CONVO

-Amanda

Exercise your Pet

Keep that kitty movin'

As most of you Savannah lovers know the Savannah breed is very active, playful and somewhat destructive at times. Keeping your kitties engaged in playtime, walking, and dates with other furry friends can really reduce the possibility of bad behaviors. 

Discouraging Bad Cat Behaviors With Exercise & Training

Given this propensity for extra propulsion and playfulness, this could also be a gateway for more destructive behavior patterns if not trained properly and given plenty of exercise. Similar to toddlers and young children, parents will often attempt to “tire them out” as a pathway to a less naughty kid and the same is true for our four-legged friends.

More Fun With Less Damage Done

Also given more activity, many cats tend to be less destructive with fewer bad behavioral habits. But some of this comes along with training that also discourages rough housing and other aggressive behaviors that could potentially put them at risk for injuring themselves, other animals, you, friends or family members.

When it comes to playtime and exercise routines, it’s important to remember how we interact with them is just as important as participating in the process itself. For example, encouraging them to attack hands and feet will send a message that this behavior is acceptable. This could cause an unsuspecting child, visiting friend or relative to be swatted, scratched or bitten when they may be simply trying to interact with your cat.

Put Them On A Leash, Capeesh?

Savannah cats are also very intelligent and many pet owners will often choose to train them to walk on a leash, which is actually much easier than you might think. You should first introduce them to the concept of wearing a harness since they’ll be much easier to control using this type of a device. It also greatly reduces the risk of them choking or slipping out of a collar while you’re out and about.

For some more information and suggestions about exercising with your pet, check out the infographic below. With more activity, playful exercise and given the proper training, you and your cat will be much happier and healthier in the long run! 

 What fun things does your cat do for exercise?

Until Our Next Cat Convo

-Amanda

- We would like to give a special shout out to Jenn Johnson for helping us put together this weeks blog post!