How'd you come up with your cattery name of "Cat Vision"?

We wanted a cattery name with meaning—because we wanted to improve the breed. I also wanted this in my cattery name because we came to Vision (vision for cat breeding).

Where's your cattery located?

We’re located in the Netherlands in a small village (Fijnaart)

Please tell us a bit of yourself, your background, family, occupation(s), and how you got started with Savannah breeding.

I'm Evelyne Beek, 29 years old, and I live in the Netherlands in Fijnaart with my boyfriend and we run our cattery together. I've been in contact with animals all my life; mainly cats and horses, and I love it! I have a horse whom I adore, but I must say, cats are my life’s passion. Our cats are primarily with us as companion animals (pets). We enjoy their presence every day, and they bring enormous love and coziness to our lives.

Now something about our cattery, “Cat Vision”. We breed two breeds; Savannahs and the Kurilian Bobtail. Our cattery was founded in 2017 when we started breeding Savannah cats. We started small but grew very quickly and now have 19 cats. We also have three shelter cats we rescued from the street and shelter.

We moved in 2018 because our house was too small for a cattery. We bought a detached house and completely converted it for our cats. We now have an ideal space for the cats with several enclosures for the kittens, but mainly for the females in heat who spray. We've converted all of our garages, so our males have a nice place. We have four inside enclosures with a cat flap to the outside enclosures and a big enclosure for our Serval, Mombasa.

We only breed SBT generations for now. I like to breed cats that may go to TICA shows. We expend our cattery with our Serval Mombasa. He's very good with all our females, so we hope to breed F1 Savannahs soon.

Is your family involved with your cattery work? If so, how?

Yes, my boyfriend Andy Ooman and I run our cattery together. My dad supports me, but he prefers to not own a cat.

What's your typical daily routine at your cattery from morning till evening?

A typical day out of bed is to start feeding and doing a lot of cleaning, cuddling, and playing with our cats. All our cats live with us and make a mess of our house. It's a full-time job to be busy with our cats, but that's why we do it! I'm their staff, and I love it!

What's the best part about breeding?

The best part is when the kittens are born healthy, as that's so important for me. I love to watch the kittens being born and see them grow up—I cuddle them a lot! We love to keep kittens to improve the breed.

What's the worst/most challenging part about breeding?

What I dread the most with breeding is that sometimes it goes wrong in the cattery. A virus can enter, and the kittens get sick or worse. But also the idea that some people think breeding is easy. They don't realize what an expensive hobby this truly is and how much energy it takes from a breeder to bring the kittens properly into the world.

Do you recommend people try breeding Savannahs? Why/Why not?

People should only try breeding if they are truly serious and want to breed in the right way and with tested and good breed-typical cats!! If people come here to buy, stating they only want to try a litter once, we don't do that. Then you get those people who start breeding without a pedigree, which happens here in the Netherlands, unfortunately, a lot.

Do you have a breeder mentor(s) you wish to acknowledge?

Yes. When I started breeding, Caroline Geres of Cannelle Savannahs helped us get well on our way, and our first cats came from her. She's also been my mentor, and now she's a very good friend too. We're always grateful for her help.

What's the best tip or advice you've received from another breeder?

Start small, see what the good and bad points are of Savannahs, and learn from them
Have emergency savings for when things go wrong; i.e., a C-section can happen in an instant
Provide quarantine spaces in your home where you can put new cats, but also cats that get sick to protect your cattery
Above all, have fun and do it with your heart

What's the biggest weakness of the Savannah breed? A weakness in the breed is appearance.

Many Savannahs look like Bengals in face and pattern, and Rosetting is often noticeable. The ears and body style need work on many bloodlines. I think PK-DEF and PRA because this occurs in Savannah, and here in the Netherlands, we, unfortunately, see some carriers bred with it. Keep the breed pure, and don't mix other breeds. And don't breed with other breeds.

What's the biggest strength of the Savannah breed?

As we see it here, the Savannah is a robust breed (provided you breed with healthy cats). Our Savannah cats are never sick and very strong in their resistance.

What's the most crucial thing a breeder does?

Breeders should strive to produce healthy purebred kittens without any other breed's hereditary diseases and to socialize them to the best of our ability. For the adult cats, I think breeders should treat them like pets and let them live in the house as well (if this is possible, as, with some cats, it isn't always possible).

What should new breeders know they may not have considered?

It's not always easy to breed Savannahs, and that it isn't always fun. If it goes well, it's super nice. But there may be things that go wrong, which causes much grief and costs a lot of money. Also, the females can spray if they're in the heat, which many new breeders may not know.

Do you feed your Savannahs a raw diet, and do you recommend raw feeding to your families? Why/Why not?

Yes, we're a big fan of raw meat! Raw meat contains "good bacteria" (probiotics), ensuring that the dog or cat gets a better resistance. Raw meat contains no preservatives, chemical additives, flavors, fragrances, or colors.

If not raw feeding or supplementing, what food brands/types do you recommend and why?

We recommend foods with few additives and high protein content (for muscle, organs, skin, and energy) and little carbohydrates, which can cause intestinal irritation.

We like the brands below:

Ziwi Peak
Orijen
Wildcat (Etosha)
Husse
Acana
Applaws
Thrive
True Instinct
Riverwood
Porta 21
Taste of the Wild
Purizon

Do you have a favorite Savannah Cat website or cattery?

Yes! SKVN ( Savannah Cat Association Netherlands) and the SAVANNAHGANS® websites are favorites. However, this is sometimes difficult to read because of the language barrier for Dutch people. My favorite catteries, whereas I love their lines and the type of their cats are:

Alberta Savannahs
Sundaze Savannahs
Bastet Exotics
Drinkwater Cats
Savannah Temple
Getta Savannah
Felis Savannah

Have you bred or do you now breed any other breed of cat or animal besides Savannahs?

Yes, we also produce the Kurilian bobtail cat

What do you think about the phasing out of F1 Savannahs?

It's heartbreaking. The Savannah is a great, healthy breed and good to keep as a pet. If they're going to prohibit this, the gene pool also becomes smaller, and that's not good for the breed development.

What can you tell us about owning and breeding with Servals?

We currently breed SBT, but we do have a Serval, and honestly, he still lives in our house and sleeps in our bed. Mombasa is a super friendly serval of 10 months. During the day, we take him outside in his enclosure with his group of females. In the evening, he comes inside with the girls and chills with me on the couch. In general, he doesn't break anything in the house; he only chews on his scratching post sometimes. We now have the Christmas tree, which is also very fun for him, not for me! My Savannah F7 Navarra is in my Christmas tree more often than Mombasa, and she destroys it!

He also regularly goes to the photo studio to capture his growth by www.kattenfotografie.com. He finds no problem in the studio, and he likes the photographer. He wants to go in the car and sits next to me in the passenger seat. We don't have a litter from him yet, but he does try to cover our females when in heat. He does very well and is very friendly to all our females.

Mombasa remains a wild animal, which you can see in his behavior. If we play with him or cuddle, we can become covered in scratches. He means it as being sweet, but it's not always nice. We also have to keep a close eye on him when we go for a walk because he was so fast the last time he caught a duck. I was shocked, but the duck fortunately survived!

What special/unique traits and characteristics are specific to SBT's and F1s?

In F1, you want them to have the look of the Serval, but with an easier character. In SBT generations, I find it important they have straight, big ears, long legs, nice spots, a nice slim body as a Savannah should, and a beautiful, wild look in their facial features. They should also have a friendly character, be curious, and be playful.

What should a potential buyer of an F1 know upfront about owning one?

F1's are active and large cats that need space and an enclosure outside. They also require a special diet as an F1 doesn't eat kibble but raw meat. Some F1's like to cuddle, but F1's are NOT lap cats.

What else would you like the Savannah world to know about you and your cattery?

We are a Dutch-recognized and certified cattery, breeding is my passion, and cats are my life. We have all of our cats in the house; for that reason, I can't live without them. They give so much love and joy to our lives. We also have a website that I'm always busy with, keeping everything up to date: www.cat-vision.com. We also have a Facebook page: Cattery CatVision Savannah Kat & Kurilian Bobtail. We have F4 SBT male kittens from Cannelle Savannah Ndidi X Wyldthingz Lord Loki and a litter of F5 SBT females from CatVision Vivita Amora X Wyldthingz Lord Loki. We hope our SGC CatVision Ramsey A Miti is pregnant is from QGC Alberta Ezra, but we'll have to wait a few weeks!