Maxi came to us through Savannah Cat Rescue. He is an F1 Savannah, which means his father was an African Serval and his mother was a domestic cat. Maxi had been sold as a kitten to an owner that didn’t spend any time with him, and, as he got older and harder to handle, she wanted him gone. Savannah Cat Rescue was contacted, and they, in turn, asked us if we could give him a lifetime home.

Maxi is quite a character. He’s full of himself and thinks he’s the boss. His best friend is ZuZu, another F1 Savannah, and they spend hours playing and chasing each other. Maxi has many serval mannerisms, including head butts, wheelies, and, of course, spraying. But we love him just the same!

Moe, a Snow Bengal, was originally turned over to AniMeals a rescue group in Montana. He was rescued from an uncaring family who left him outside in the harsh winter weather in Montana. AniMeals took him in and started looking for a new home for him. He now lives at WildCat Ridge with the other domestics and hybrids. He is an adorable boy who, as you can see, always looks surprised.

In 2018 we were contacted by a rescue group in Salem, Oregon to see if we could take in a Bengal cat. The story was this cat was purchased in 2014 as a kitten from a local ‘pet shop.’ Once the kitten got older and more vocal they let him outside. Sammy roamed the streets from 2015 in a small town in Oregon until he was captured February 2018. He had a microchip and when his owner was contacted, they decided to surrender him.

Sammy was in bad shape from living on the streets, being shot at with BB guns, kicked and all sorts of terrible things that happen to a cat on their own. We took him immediately to see Dr. Lipanovich where his exam showed an abscess that had burst under his chin all the way through to the inside of his mouth, several open wounds that were draining, a broken jaw that was trying to heal, lots of bad teeth that had to be removed and fleas. But miraculously his blood work came back negative for FIV and FELV!

Dr. Lipanovich treated his wounds, pulled teeth, neutered him, gave him antibiotics and said he needed to stay in quarantine at least four weeks to allow his jaw to heal. Despite’s everything we did to him, he is the sweetest most loving cat ever!

We have all fallen in love with Sammy and are so glad that we were contacted to provide a lifetime home for him! He’s now out with the hybrid cats and doing very well. Working together with other rescues means more animals saved and we are always grateful to be able to help in any way we can. Good boy, Sammy!

Sarge, an F2 Savannah came to WildCat Ridge Sanctuary from his frustrated owner. He was purchased from a breeder (at the age of a year and a half) who had trouble selling him because of a congenital problem (Luxating Patella). Despite doing research on the breeder and trying to learn all he could about having a hybrid as a pet, he realized that Sarge was no pet. Thankfully he cared enough about Sarge to reach out to WildCat Ridge Sanctuary and ask if we could make room. Of course we said yes. This is what he had to say:

‘For the past year I have been very patient and although we have gotten much closer than we were, I feel that this task is simply too large for me to handle. I have spent a lot of time with this animal, showing him love and patience but alas I have discovered, although too late, that these wild animals are not meant for a household environment. I feel like I have failed Sarge, but my desire for his happiness means that I have to admit this situation is too large for me to handle. He has not adjusted and has very strong wild instincts. I am unable to pet him and even still he hisses every time I get too near. I have taken some pretty nasty cuts from his as well.’

Sarge arrived at WCR from Fort Wayne, Indiana in 2013. He is still absolutely hands off, but living happily with the other hybrids. He’s a very curious boy and will take every opportunity to swipe at us if we get too close. So we stay out of his way and life is good.

Sephora is an F1 Bengal who came from Texas with her domestic companion Rollo in 2016 when she was ten years old. Their owner’s life had changed and instead of selling this gorgeous girl, she wanted to find a sanctuary home for her. Her hope was to find a place that could take both Sephora and Rollo. WCR was happy to provide a lifetime home for them. They have both settled in with the other hybrid cats and doing well.

Violet was nine years old when she came to WildCat Ridge on December 31st, 2017. She is an F1 Savannah who has an unusual coat color. She came from a breeder out of state who was afraid of her. Having been attacked once, the owner wanted her gone before she possibly attacked one of her small children. We scrambled to find a way to get her here as soon as possible!

Two of our wonderful volunteers drove to Boise to pick her up and bring her back safely. Once here, she was taken in for a complete exam and spay. During the exam, we found wires protruding through her skin from a surgery she had in 2014 for a broken leg! We can only imagine the pain she has been in! Our vet had to do surgery to repair her leg and then spay her.

 Today she living large and has her own habitat out with the other servals. We tried to introduce her to other cats but found she likes living on her own. She’s doing great, and we are so happy to be able to give her a new life!

ZuZu is an F1 Savannah. His original owner bought him, had him neutered and declawed, then decided that he didn’t want him anymore. He said that ZuZu was vicious and was going to euthanize him. Thankfully, he decided to contact a friend who said she would take him. When ZuZu became aggressive with her, she called us to see if we had room for this boy. Of course, we said yes.

We found that ZuZu was not aggressive, he just didn’t like to be cornered. So, we gave him his space and found that he was a very gentle cat. He now lives with the other hybrids in Hybrid Haven, and his best friend is Maxi another F1 Savannah.

Here is the email we received from the person who took Zuzu:

I need some advice about an F1 and an F2 Savannah. I got both yesterday from someone who had these two and wanted to get rid of them because they spray in the house. This owner told me that both are really sweet cats, even lap cats, and very socialized. I took them in and now we face some challenges with these boys.

The F1 is 14 months old, neutered and front paws declawed. He is very, very aggressive and I cannot approach him in any way. He is in a kennel and he attacks the wire, the wood just everything he can get his teeth in. He smacks really hard the wire also with his front legs and when I open the door from that kennel he jumps right at me to attack me. I use a shield (cardboard) to protect myself when I want to give him new food or water. Everything flies around in his kennel when I just enter the room.

Is this a normal behavior for an F1 when they are re-homed? What is the best way to approach him? His kennel is a mess already and I really want to clean it up or change bowls in there what is almost impossible with this guy. I am pretty sure when I don’t shield myself his big fangs will go right into my hand, what I want to prevent for sure.