MONTEREY SAVANNAHS
ABOUT US
Monterey Savannahs is a TICA-registered cattery and a leading Savannah cat breeder in California. This is a small scale, family-run hobby business built out of love. In addition to working our full-time day jobs, we think the Savannah cat breed is fantastic and are on a mission to deliver Savannah love to as many households as possible.
OUR HISTORY
2014: Travis Dillard establishes Monterey Savannahs as an LLC after 12 years of service in the Air Force and joins the the International Cat Association registry (TICA). He started the business with a handful of Savannah cats breeding F5 Savannah kittens.
2015: Monterey Savannahs acquires a pair of African servals and moves to Kansas to try legally breeding Savannah kittens with African servals on a farm in Leavenworth. Due to infertility issues and other circumstances, this program ended and the business had to be downsized.
2016: Monterey Savannahs moves back to California to "start over" with one Tom and one Queen, and had a first litter of F5 SBT Savannah kittens
2017 - Monterey Savannahs receives an incredible opportunity to move operations onto a farm in Paso Robles California with a generous team of caregivers (Jim, Nancy and Mark) who built an indoor/outdoor enclosure. With the expansion, we are able to add an F4, F5 and F2 Queen to our program.
2018: Monterey Savannahs moves operations to a new farm in Templeton, California with single caregiver, Jim, who lives with the Savannah cats underfoot and has built several indoor and outdoor enclosures extending from his residence, along with secluded kitty "bays" to ensure optimal seclusion, health and safety of new litters. We were also able to add one more F5 Queen to the program and now average 3-5 litters per year. We recently set up a live kitty-cam that is currently private, but may be integrated into the new buyer experience in the future so you can watch your Savannah kitten grow and play!
2019 - 2023: Monterey Savannahs hopes to begin an F3 Savannah kitten breeding program, set-up new operations in Idaho, and explore the possibility of becoming a 501(c)3 non-profit to help Veterans, the elderly, and people in need to acquire a Savannah cat as a companion for stress, trauma relief, and overall well-being.
This has truly been a business built from the ground-up and we're happy to have delivered more than 25+ kittens to happy owners around the United States. Many thanks are in order to all the happy owners, our family and friends, our foster families, and to the Savannah kittens themselves for providing comic relief throughout the years!!!
SAVANNAH KITTEN PROGRAM
Monterey Savannahs specialize in championship-class F5 SBT Savannah kittens from our high quality bloodlines, which are sought after for amazing spotted coats, their family-friendly temperaments, manageability, and competitions. We will soon be integrating F3 Savannah kittens into our program. Savannah kittens from us are not only socialized underfoot on a farm with 24-hour care, but they also receive exposure to different surfaces, animals, toys, and people to have very well-rounded personalities.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Your Savannah kitten will come with its first round of shots and vaccines, a full veterinary exam, a kennel with appropriate food, toys, a litter box, and a legally-binding sales contract to protect your rights and ours. You will receive the contract a few days in advance to review and discuss.
PAYMENT + SECURITY DEPOSIT
To secure a Savannah kitten to you, we require a security deposit (varies) to guarantee that we will no longer advertise that kitten to other prospective buyers. After making the deposit, you will receive photo and video updates of your Savannah kitten. At 10 weeks of age, your Savannah kitten will be ready for take-home. You can make your remaining payment in advance of pick-up date, or upon pick-up. We can process your payment securely online using Square Cash, but we also take cash or check. Sorry, we do not offer payment plans at this time.
SAVANNAH KITTEN LOCATION(S)
Please note: Our headquarters has moved from Monterey to Santa Cruz, and our farm has moved from Paso Robles to Templeton, California where our kittens are raised. New owners from southern California are encouraged to travel to the Templeton farm to pickup Savannah kittens directly. New owners from central or northern California are welcome to travel to the Templeton farm, or arrange for a special delivery point in and around the Monterey/Santa Cruz areas. We also fly Savannah kittens domestically, depending on the situation, and are happy to discuss this option with you.
SPECIAL VIEWING DAYS
We are a "closed cattery", which means we are not open to public visitations of the Templeton farm unless prospective buyers have made a deposit or are picking up kittens. On occasion, we will host special Savannah kitten viewing days in or near Monterey where new buyers can check out any remaining unclaimed kittens. Please check our Facebook page for updates on upcoming viewing days.
BEWARE OF SAVANNAH CAT SCAMMERS!
We take our business seriously and recognize that buying a Savannah kitten is a thoughtful commitment. Unfortunately, there are several Savannah cat scammers out there who are tainting the industry. To build your trust and confidence, we are happy to chat with you on the phone and can also do Facetime videos with you so you are comfortable with your purchase. Also, while cash and checks are acceptable, we encourage you to use a credit card if you have one to ensure that there is security and a paper trail for everyone involved.
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A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER:
It all started in Monterey, California. After serving in the military for ten years and navigating the civilian world as a Veteran, I decided that I needed a furry friend to accompany me. Since adopting my first Savannah and building an amazing companionship with him, I quickly realized that these cats are one-of-a-kind. I wanted to share this unique companionship with my friends and family, which is how I decided to start Monterey Savannahs.
As a breeding business, I was turned off by the idea of running a "kitty-mill" and wanted to keep these beautiful cats as cage-free as possible! So I set up a business model of involving foster families: these are friends and family members who genuinely want to experience a Savannah and are able to provide the right level of space, love, care, and socialization. This maximizes our ethical footprint and supports a well-rounded upbringing. From exposing them to a variety of other animals and people, to checking in regularly with great foster families like Nancy and her team of Veterans on the farm in Paso Robles, our process is hands-on all the way through.
Our goal has always been to become the leading Savannah breeder on the Central Coast, but that goal has changed slightly - now we are on a mission to share Savannah love with the rest of the world. And because our Savannahs are loved well from Day One, they are more than ready to share the love with you!
Match made in Savannah Heaven? We think so.
--Travis Dillard