About us
My name is Irina. I was born in Ukraine, grew up in Latvia, but since 2005 living in South Africa.
I’ve always had pets (cats, dogs, parrots, hamsters, rats, fish). My first pet was a beautiful tuxedo cat, Kuzya (I found him outside as a tiny homeless kitten and brought him home; he grew up into a big handsome boy)
Our kittens have a special place in my heart. I’ve seen savannah cat somewhere online around 15 years ago. It was like WOW! One day!)) …10 years later, we brought our first Bengal at home and fell in love with this breed completely ❤️
My son gave me an idea of breeding “Let’s get a girl -he said..maybe we get lucky and might have kittens one day?” So I’ve done some research on breeding and loved the idea of “working towards improving the breed and being part of that work” ..so in 2017 I got my first breeding licence and queen, Zara, in 2018th I became a savannah cat breeder.
I’ve started with 3 queens and 1 boy. The first year was a year of intense research and serious studies. I had to learn a lot, and I do still learn and research, as there’s always something to learn out there. I had a great mentor (Mandy), who I am thankfulfor because I learned a lot from her.
I love breeding those beautiful cats! Showing is a big part of breeding (at least for an idea of the right direction). I do show my cats/kittens and already have got: 2x “Best kitten of the year”, “Regional winners”, “Double Grand Champion” and hoping for more titles in future🙏
I use contracts/health guarantees for new owners of my kittens.
Savannahs are the only cats I breed.
I spend a lot of time talking to people interested in Savannahs. I am happy to help other new breeders and encourage them to focus on good health and quality.I do mentor a couple of breeders, as it is important to share experience.
I highly recommend that all of those who are interested in our kittens visit our website to find more information regarding these amazing cats.
I am a member of the Cat Association as well as a member of SACC and TICA. All our cats and kittens are TICA registered and are of high quality.
Our kittens are well socialized as we spend a lot of time with them.
My typical day with cats would be mostly looking after cats (cleaning, scooping, feeding, cuddling and playing with kittens is my favourite part😄🤗
It takes a lot of my time to care for my cats and kittens, as they love interactions.
My biggest sacrifice I have made to breed cats is travelling.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
First, pick a kitten of your choice from the Available Kittens page. Then send us an email with information about yourself/family and current or past pets. After choosing your kitten, we will send photos and updates of your kitten.
If you will be having your kitten delivered, we take care of getting everything booked, the required paperwork, etc.
All of the paperwork (health record, veterinarian health certificate, contract, health guarantee, microchip information, and Trupanion paper) will be attached to the top of the kitten’s carrier in a plastic envelope when you pick them up at the airport.
We are very flexible with pickup days/times if picking up in person and can book white glove deliveries and flight nanny deliveries weeks in advance if needed.
We provide everything they need (including a carrier) for their trip home.
All of our kitties are spayed or neutered before going to their new homes for several reasons.
We like to manage their recovery.We are able to monitor the kittens 24/7 and know the warning signs to look for during the recovery process.
Spaying or neutering at an early age is easier on a young kitten than it is on an older cat. Young kittens have a thinner layer of fat on the abdomen than older kittens/cats, which makes the surgery itself quicker/easier and the incision healing time faster (thus decreasing the chance of infection). Kittens shed anesthesia much quicker than adult cats. Within 15 minutes after the surgery, young kittens are typically awake and starting to play. Older cats take longer to arouse and often require much stronger pain medication. Young kittens are very resilient and heal quickly. Within a day, kittens are completely back to normal, playing, eating, and unfazed by the surgery. The hardest part is trying to make them take it easy.
Spaying or neutering early eliminates the risk of a kitten developing a bad habit of spraying. Once kittens reach 5-6 months old, they enter puberty if not spayed/neutered and often spray to mark their territory as a result. (both males and females will do this.) Sometimes this habit is impossible to break. When kittens are spayed or neutered early, they never experience the hormones that drive the need to mark their territory.
Having our kittens spayed or neutered prior to leaving our home decreases the chance that our kittens end up in the wrong hands. We would never want our babies to be a part of a kitten mill or bred unethically. We want our kittens to go to forever, loving pet homes, and we feel that early spay/neuter gives them the best chance at obtaining this.
I’ve been getting asked a lot recently about how to become a breeder to make some extra money. We do not sell unaltered kittens simply because I do not have the time to mentor but here is what you need to know:
It’s hard work. It’s expensive. It’s stressful. It’s messy. Emotionally draining at times. I’ll do my best to explain everything you need to know.
The basics—
Your house will require expensive renovations. Most people realize that male cats who aren’t neutered spray. They require their own separate space with a nice ventilation system that can be cleaned floor to ceiling because, man, it stinks. I’m very lucky that one of our boys doesn’t spray at all. Most do a lot!
Most people don’t realize that female cats in heat also spray! Even more so than males! Especially if you have more than 1 cat, they will pee everywhere like it’s a competition. Cats are in heat for a week as often as every few weeks. So, you’ll also need a nice, large, easily sanitized & fun place to house your spraying queens when they are in heat but can’t be bred yet. (Cats should only be bred every 8-10 months but go into heat every 3-4 weeks for 5-10 days at a time). You’ll spend hours cleaning this area each week.
You can’t just house the queens and studs away from the family and ignore them. Not only is that cruel, but stressed/unhappy cats are a lot more prone to diseases. You need to set lots of time aside every single day to interact and give love to all of the cats & kittens.
You’re always on call. If you’re near a due date or have tiny kittens, you can’t leave the house unattended. Vacations are impossible without tons of planning and having someone you 100% trust to follow routine and know what to do in an emergency. Weaning kittens are prone to weaning diarrhea, which, if not carefully monitored, can quickly go bad.
It’s a never-ending learning experience. There is always more to learn and new challenges.
It’s expensive.
Cats with breeding rights are obviously expensive. The renovations are expensive; pregnant/nursing cats & kittens eat A LOT and require premium food. Mine have a can of wet food up to 4 times per day each, and the food is $1.50+/can in addition to their premium kibble, which is also expensive. Veterinarian bills. In addition to routine care, there are unexpected things like diarrhea in kittens, infection from birth, a birth defect, and fading kittens. & then, of course, with every birth there is always the chance for the unimaginable.
Litter, cat toys, crates, trees, heating for kittens, flea prevention, and worm prevention. All of this adds up.
You’re responsible for the kittens you bring into the world. Not just for the time you have them in your home but forever. You’ll spend time screening new families. You do your best to find perfect homes, but that’s not enough. The kittens need to be microchipped before leaving so if any of your babies ever end up in a shelter, you will be notified. It’s your responsibility to make sure they always have a loving home for the REST OF THEIR LIVES.
You’ll spend lots and lots AND lots of time cleaning, grooming, clipping nails, weighing kittens, training kittens, supplementing kittens as needed, & sometimes completely hand-raising kittens with feedings every 2 hours around the clock. Lots of sleepless nights worrying about kittens, waiting for a mama to give birth, assisting in births, going to vet appointments, talking to excited families/sending pictures, and socializing kittens. Dealing with the legal aspects.
Most breeders make very little money when it’s all said and done.
I’m sure I didn’t even cover half of it, but I felt like I should share the work that goes into it so nobody gets in over their head. I was fortunate enough to grow up watching family breed/show labs, so I knew some of what to expect.
You see the price tag for a kitten and think you could make an easy buck, but as you can see, there is SO much more behind the cute pictures.