25-Year-Old F1Savannah Cat ROCKSTAR Has More Than Earned His Name
I've always been a bit of a "Cat Lady" and become familiar with Savannah's in the early years of the breed, finding them intriguing. I'd brought two domestic cats into my relationship when I married, but my husband, Matt, wasn't a cat lover. However, he understood us to be a package deal and came to like the cats more than he'd care to admit, even today. My domestic cats lived to the ripe old ages of 16 and 20, and we had a wonderful life with them. Matt never failed to remind me he didn't want more cats once they passed on, but I couldn't fathom my life without cats. So when they both passed, there was about one year without cats—and it was probably the longest year of my life.
We found out in the Spring of 2010 I was expecting our first baby and were thrilled. But, sadly, I couldn't carry to full-term. I was off work after the miscarriage when I received an email from Savannah Cat Rescue (SCR), which at that point, I'd been on their email list for over three years. This email spoke to me, being I was so sad about our loss, and it was the perfect time for a diversion.
Matt came home and saw the open email where two F1s were available for adoption, needing rehoming together, and he asked about their story. I explained, and he said, "Well, you applied, right"? I replied, "You said no more cats." He looked at me and said, "I think you need those cats." He was right. I DID need them…oh how I needed them. So I anxiously applied.
I received an email stating I wasn't chosen to adopt those two but advised me of an older male recently surrendered back to his breeder, Nicole Greig of Wagati Cattery. I was very excited to explore this option; however, a bit uneasy when I'd learned he was a senior cat. I had years with my previous cats, and the thought of taking in a cat that may not have long to spend with us was concerning. I also worried he might not be “adoptable”, and others might be apprehensive about taking on an elderly cat. It made me rethink making him part of our family.
I discussed it with Matt, and he was very supportive of applying for this senior cat as he'd not seen me as sad as I'd been those weeks after our pregnancy loss. I'm pretty sure if a giraffe or elephant were up for adoption, he'd have agreed if he thought it might bring back my smile. So I contacted Wagati and applied to give the old senior boy a home.
I remember Nicole advising me of his age and how she hoped his new home would offer him some "quality last few years" as he was nearing 14 years old. After much correspondence, Nicole chose us to give this guy a home. That was 11 years ago! Eleven incredible years with this amazing boy, and we look forward to more. He's energetic and lovable and absolutely a perfect fit for our lives. He'll be 25 on his next birthday! Most people are shocked at his age as he doesn't seem to have any idea he's elderly. The breeder advised me that his pushing 14 when adopted was a rarity. He's one of the first Savannah's ever bred when the breed first started. He moves a little slower, takes the stairs one at a time, no longer leaps in a single bound, sleeps longer, and his vision has started to fail. Despite all of those things, this boy is still quite remarkable. I often wonder what a handful he must've been as a kitten, knowing what a handful he was as a 14-year-old adult! Even now, as he approaches 25, it's impressive how much spunk he still has.
In the days leading up to bringing him into our home, I prepared a small area and implemented a slow introduction into our home to not overwhelm him. However, he had other plans. The very first night after we got him settled in, while we sat in the living room discussing him and still in awe of this amazing creature, out of nowhere, we hear the door open, and out he comes. We then discovered his skills of opening any door and better understood what the original owner meant by his inability to keep him from escaping; this being one reason for his surrender. We knew the first night we had some challenges, but he settled in amazingly well. It's like he knew I'd waited my entire life for him. He was energetic, unruly, but lovable and very social. He proved to be demanding when hungry or if we weren't giving him attention when he wanted it. He was likely going to give a love bite, more of a pinch with his teeth. It didn't take long to know this guy was going to run the house, which was ok with us. My non-cat-loving husband was quite smitten as well and agreed our new cat was definitely in charge.
The cat was large and in charge and stunning, but his name left something to be desired as it was a very odd name and didn’t suit him at all…but should we change it? Will a cat that old adapt to a new name? We started calling him the new name, and he responded enough for us to make it official and buy the ID tag. His new name and a fitting name would now be "Rockstar."
"Rockstar" would prove to be the perfect name as we saw his personality and antics. In true Rockstar fashion, he could trash a room like a partying Rock Star, stay up all night and sleep all day, and had a following of fans as everyone that meets him sees how special he is. He's never known a stranger and when he enters a room, and everyone takes notice.
In his early days, we had to spend much effort securing the home as he was the most intelligent animal I’d ever seen. He’d watch everything we did and learn exactly how things worked. He even attempted to open windows once he saw how they operated. I have teeth marks on windows, doors, and doorknobs throughout our home. He also learned how to use the toilet merely by his observations. He had a toy box full of toys and loved his flying feathers on wands and playing fetch. However, sometimes, he’d play at 3:00 a.m. He’d make a chuff sound over and over to get our attention and when that didn't work, he'd start throwing things into the bed. If no reaction, he'd go into the bathroom and open and close the vanity cabinets, slamming the doors and make such a commotion, he’d certainly get us up. Matt sometimes could sleep through this. I’d lie there awake waiting to see what he might do next. He was truly entertaining even in the middle of the night. I’ll admit he was and still is a bit spoiled, but I wouldn't change a thing. Some sleepless nights were worth the entertainment and joy he’s brought to our home. We finally learned to wear him out about 11:00 p.m., and that buys us some extra sleep. We even attempted locking the door to keep him out, but he'd shake the door until it seemed like it was coming off the hinges.
One instance, he woke us up banging something up and down the hallway making a ton of noise, only to discover it was a small bottle of liquor from a gift basket. Then a few nights later, after he attempted his usual methods of getting our attention to no avail, he jumped on the desk and started banging the keyboard. He’d discovered the shortcut to the music library and woke us up blaring ACDC "Hells Bells," which I might add from a dead sleep is rather disturbing. We laughed about his Rock Star-like week. Finally, we had to shut down the computer at night as he discovered how fast we jumped out of bed. He did this every night if one of his other antics didn't work.
A few years later, we had the pleasure of adopting another male F1, Sultan, who we thought might be a good partner in crime. After much patience and effort, we successfully merged them—that’s another story—the merging of two F1 rescue males! Sultan and Rockstar became the best of friends, as I’d hoped. It helped the middle-of-the-night play sessions, as they had each other, which finally gave us some much-needed sleep.
I genuinely think having another cat with him has contributed to his long life. They enjoy each other's company, but they play hard and rough at times. Minutes later, they’re grooming each other or curled up together napping. I think the younger cat, Sultan, who’s now 15 years old, has helped Rockstar get up and move at times when he may not feel like it. My beautiful Rockstar is showing his age a bit, and his once beautiful eyes are cloudy and not working as well, but he’s still very active.
I pursued options to help his vision, but the vet felt it’d be too stressful and dangerous to attempt to correct due to his age. He still carries himself with confidence and runs this house. He still has his favorite toys he carries around, but doesn't fetch as he used to, nor are there leaps for flying wands. He’s still quite vocal and manages to find every roll of toilet paper in the house or cardboard to chew up…and that's okay If he has the desire to be ornery and active. He most certainly shall be given that freedom to do so. That's what we love most about him.
We discovered early on with broken lamps, speakers, vases, furniture, etc., that our "stuff" wasn’t as valuable as him. We learned to rearrange, and if we valued it, it was up to us to secure it. I have often said if you’re “high-maintenance” and find value in ”things” more than your pets, please rethink becoming a Savannah owner. Rockstar and Sultan have a room of their own and lots of stimulation in our large home. One of their favorite perks is their bridge that goes across our great room. They enjoy looking down upon their kingdom. We also tend to call our half bath the "Boys Bathroom" as this is the toilet they choose to use from the bathroom options they have.
We’re so grateful to share our home with these spectacular cats and they’ve brought us much joy. Rockstar and Sultan both came to us after having other owners, but you’d never know they ever had another life before this one. I saw a sign once that said something along the lines of “working hard to give their cats a better life”. I'd have to say that's been our sentiment, however, we aren't joking about it. We’re working this summer on a new project to add to their lives. It's the least we can do for our fur babies, especially this year, to celebrate Rockstars' 25th year of life. I'm excited to get it completed. It's funny that both were "rescues," but I also feel they were the rescuers because they add so much love and joy to our home. I’m beyond grateful for that opportunity 11 years ago to adopt this senior cat and so happy the "few" years the breeder thought we’d have with him turned out to be much longer. We never stop admiring his beauty and appreciating his big personality, the need to be the center of attention, and most importantly, "Rockstar" was a perfect and well-earned name.
Subscribe (free) (by visiting the banner on our home page) and receive each quarterly issue to your inbox.
Share this article on your own social media platforms.
Leave a Comment below. (this is VERY helpful to our growth and Google recognition)
Follow on Instagram.
Follow on Twitter.
Follow on Pinterest.
Follow on Youtube.
