Sorry, no costumes to speak of but I managed to get some shots of the little monsters this weekend. Pris is actually looking larger than Nuke finally. My helpful volunteer assistant operating the feathers only got a couple of flesh wounds from friendly fire incidents.
I got a quick photo update on Pris this morning at a month and 4 days old now. What did U2 say about the devil inside ;-)
The little dude opened his eyes. Here are a few choice views at 9 days old.
After a very long few months waiting I had Nuke and Boris retested for Corona titers (FIP). The results came back lower. So that is awesome announcement 1.
Rama's breeder had litters being born in Dec. from her young Serval stud
Tazz. The first litter born supposedly had one male. It was unclear initially if he was spoken for but then he was slated to go to me. Then not long after the sex change fairy visited and he turned out to be a she. This is a theme I am unfortunately getting used to. There were 2 more litters born in Dec. from Tazz (F1 generation). And that leads me to the next and most important announcement...
Allow me to introduce Balarama.
Balarama is a 50% Serval F1 Savannah male. His mother is beautiful golden Serengeti named Viola.
Balarama has yet to open his eyes fully. We can't wait to see him in typical F1 form exploring and making trouble. Nuke and Boris and I will be preparing for the coming mayhem that is typical of a well socialized Savannah F1. We still miss Rama every day and we are hoping Balarama will have a fraction of his personality. More pics on the way and he should be making the trip west in about 9 weeks.
--Mark
I have the extreme displeasure to finally report that Rama contracted FIP and I ended his life back on July 24th. He was such a special friend to me and to his little brother Nuke. We have both been traumatized by the loss and I don't know what we would have done without each other to lean on. I recently found the stash where Rama had been putting all the Starbucks drinking straws he stole from me. They were under the refrigerator. It was his favorite thing to do and it is the single memory that never fails to make me miss him the most. He was a big cat and very capable of inflicting damage but he was the most gentle cat I ever met. He had a soft gentle voice and I never felt his claws out of fear or anger other than as a gentle reminder. His short life was a gift to everyone that met him. I have his ashes with me now and when the time feels right they will be scattered at an open space preserve where I frequently mountain bike. It's close to nature and there is an informal pet cemetery so he will be surrounded by well loved furry friends. It is likely through the kindness of Rama's breeder that another F1 Savannah kitten may be joining the family. We are waiting to see if Nuke or Boris are likely to pass FIP on to a new member of the family. Sadly, Rama's dad has recently passed so another kitten will not be related to him. Even so the Savannah breed is part of my soul now and I think Rama would want me to give Nuke a little brother to play with and to keep me on my toes. Maybe he will like stealing my straws as much as Rama did.
--Rama
