About us
My name is Kimberly van Leeuwen. Together with my children, dog, and Savannah cats, I have lived in the cozy village of Haelen since 2025.
I was born in 1991. I grew up here in a warm family where there was room for a wide variety of pets – from dogs to cats and gerbils. My love for animals was a given – but my heart belonged to cats.
I had my first experience with purebred cats, cat shows, and everything that goes with them when I was 12 years old and my mother decided to breed the Burmilla cat breed. This is a cross between a Chinchilla Persian and a Burmese. At the age of 12, you pick up a lot as a child, and I found everything incredibly interesting and loved helping to care for the kittens. This made a big impression on me.
After a few years, my mother stopped breeding Burmillas, but eventually, the urge returned. About 7 years later, she picked it up again with a different cat breed, namely the Egyptian Mau. By then, I was an adult and could help out on a different level. For instance, I represented the breed for my mother at cat shows, among other things.
During my school years, I found a part-time job at a cat hotel. Cats belonging to owners who were away from home for extended periods and wanted the best care for their cats were housed there. Many of them were purebred cats. This brought me into contact with cats in a completely different way. My work consisted of the full care of the cats, but it also meant doing a lot of cleaning. Because of my love for cats, the chores were secondary, and I worked at the cat hotel for several years with great pleasure and learned a lot.
After high school, I chose a degree program that aligned with my subjects and promised a bright future. In practice, however, I missed the connection with animals in my studies – I switched from Applied Science to Animal and Livestock Farming. I immediately felt at home there and gained a lot of knowledge about pets, livestock, and wildlife – knowledge that I still benefit from today.
During this study, I had the opportunity to focus on everything related to cats and felines, and I conducted research into the domestication of the cat, the origins of cat breeds, and the negative results of overbreeding. During this period, I also completed an internship in South Africa, where I researched the differences between cheetahs raised by their mothers and those raised by hand, with a focus on their health, temperament, offspring, etc. This period made a tremendous impression on me, and I have many fond memories of it.
Upon returning home, I focused on my graduation, doing my best to find an assignment that aligned with my interests. I found this through the Zodiac Nature Watch foundation at Zooparc Overloon, where I investigated the possibilities of an ambassador program involving servals. For this, I compiled a comprehensive report covering all facets of an ambassador program, including legislation and regulations, ethical aspects, zoonoses, protocols, and practical application. At the time, of course, I did not yet know what role servals would play in my future.
After my studies, I focused on the future. It was my dream to become a mother, and it wasn't long before I met someone with whom I wanted to start a family. My children became my first priority. My ambition to pursue my passion for cats and felines was put on the back burner.
Nevertheless, the urge started to return, particularly after the birth of my youngest daughter in 2020. My career had steered me in a completely different direction; in my daily life, I deal with nature legislation. Besides caring for my own cats, my hands-on experience with cats had been limited in recent years.
I ventured online onto social media and, through word of mouth, accidentally came into contact with a Savannah breeder. That is how I came across a Savannah that needed to be rehomed immediately. This male cat was being kept in Belgium, but there is a ban on keeping Savannahs there. There was a risk that the cat would be euthanized, even though he was in excellent health. A few days later, I was in the car to pick up the Savannah, not really knowing what kind of cat I was actually bringing home. But I couldn't bring myself to leave this cat to his fate. And so, Noa came into my life, and instead of rehoming him, this sweet and affectionate cat gets to stay with us for the rest of his life.
I have always kept in touch with the Savannah breeder who tipped me off about Noa back then. Now that my children are a bit older, I felt the urge to really do something with cats again. That was the moment this Savannah breeder sent me a message saying she had a litter of F6 kittens. Wasn't I interested? My curiosity was piqued. I had gained experience with Savannahs by then thanks to Noa and delved into breeding this specific breed. The decision was made quite quickly, and I purchased a female kitten from the litter of F6 kittens. With Gaia, I am following in my mother's footsteps and starting my own cattery.
I have officially registered the cattery, choosing the name SavVal. This is a combination of Savannah and serval, a reference to the cat breed and its origins. Together with our Savannahs, we are striving for a beautiful future and the flourishing of Cattery SavVal.
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