A new cat in town

Last year when we visited family for Christmas, my brother's new cat kept us all entertained with cries and scratchings, mostly during the night, as she was convinced that behind the closed doors of our bedrooms a handsome male cat awaited her, and she wanted in. Fortunately this behavior abruptly stopped after a little visit to the vet, although after that little visit Piper not only did not want anything more to do with male cats, she did not want anything to do with any of us.


This year when we visit there will be a new male cat in residence, although Piper will now have considerably less interest in him for his male qualities than as a general playmate. The friendship should prove an interesting one, as Piper is about the size of a chipmunk, and the new cat, of the Savannah breed, will grow to be roughly the size of a small elephant.


Okay, more like the size of a dog. In fact, Savannahs mimic many dog-like actions, such as walking contentedly on a leash, rolling over on command, fetching the newspaper, chasing neighborhood cars, getting into friendly scraps with other neighborhood dogs, visiting the vet after getting into friendly scraps, etc. Owners of both a Savannah and a dog may at times be confused over which is which:


"Honey, where's the cat? I haven't seen it for a couple of days now."


"It's sitting on your lap."


(pause) "Well, then where's the dog?"


The new cat's name will be Kuda, not to be confused with the seahorse of that name, which is distinguished from the cat by the fact that it generally does not have spots (although scientific evidence suggests that early models may have had spots). But Kuda will likely enjoy water as much as a seahorse, and given how smart Savannahs can be, will probably figure out in his first hours in the home how to open every toilet lid in the house and, under the guise of "play and exploration," completely empty the bowls of their contents.


Curiosity leads Savannahs to thoroughly explore their environment, which includes the tops of high cabinets and Christmas trees, and possibly also the inside of refrigerators, microwaves, car engines, etc. Savannahs are also known for engaging freely in "head-butts," or an unexpected pouncing upon someone, which is an affectionate greeting that conveys the animal's happiness to see you as well as a curiosity about whether you are food. 


The cat may also hiss, which is nothing new for a cat, but the sound has been described as more of a snake hiss than a cat hiss. According to Wikipedia, this may alarm people unaccustomed to it. Um, maybe, yeah. Especially if it happens in the middle of the night.