14wk male F2B aggressive adaptation to new home

[schlieperk]

Thanks Deborah for the great advice. Diego surprised me the other night when I was laying on the floor covered with a blanket, he climbed up on my chest and looked me straight in the eye just sniffing. I think that showed a great deal of progress on the "contact" front. Still he seems afraid of my hands. We'll keep working on it.

Oh and I'm too arrogant to be defeated by a kitten I've decided that even when he does manage to scratch me, it doesn't hurt bad enough to be afraid of it. He should not be picking up on any fear or defeat from me. There isn't any. LOL.

Keep the advice coming.

 

[WitchyWoman]

That's great!! I used to wonder if Maliik realized that my hands were attached to the rest of me and not alien lifeforms in their own right. But, I also had to shove meds into him for the first month he was home so he associated that unpleasantness with my hands. That's all he could see because I had to wrap him in a towel to give the meds. Now he thinks my feet are highly suspicious.

 

[admin]

sounds like diego is feeling more comfortable. keep up the good work!

 

[Kurt Mylar]

I got pretty lucy with Loki. I had built a cat scatch for the breeder that was at my house for two weeks with Tiger and Bintu all over it not to mention my blood and sweat. I then delivered it to her house and it was there for 4 weeks. So when I brought Loki home it was like he already knew my cats. Not one hiss or meow they took him under thier wings. I think that if you are able when you are looking for a SV and you have picked a breeder bring something that has your scent and or cat scents on it. It made my life alot better and the cats where not in a up roar that I brought the DEVIL home.

 

[casper75]

Thanks Casper. I will give that a try. Is there an effort to make Savannahs legal in Aus? My wife is an Aussie, and we plan to move back there some day. I'm hoping that they change that rediculous law.

Since I've set up my FB page I've had over 60 likes & most of them have come from this community so I'm extremely great full I'm currently working on a video for my page & It's progressing well, I'm coming over to the US In 2013 so I hope I can catch up with a breeder so I can meet these beautiful cats & so far I'm keeping In contact with 2 breeders who are amazing people. One breeder put her phone up to her F1 queen's ear & I started saying hello & she was actually replying back In her own way it was a very moving experience & It's something I'll never forget.

 

[schlieperk]

Alright folks, another week (or so) and time for another update. Diego is still showing some small sign of improvement, but the trek is far from over. I'm sorry to say that he is still confined to the one room. I just don't want him wandering the house with the other animals until I am able to pick him up or at least guide him back to his safe zone.

He seems to be coming out of his shell more than ever. I'm seeing him spending more time on the floor close to me than he used to. He used to only come out of his tree when it was time to eat or play. He is also being more vocal at times which is always entertaining. He has a perch that allows him to look out of the window and he enjoys his time up there too. He is eating well and growing fast. At 4 1/2 months he is already the size of my adult Egyptian Mau.

The downside is that he is still unsure of me at times. Most of the time if my hands are hidden, he has no issue with approaching me and sniffing me. He will chase a toy right into my lap and stay there once he has caught the toy. At times, I can hold a toy in my hand or bat a toy around on the floor in front of him and he shows no concearn for my hands at all. However, if I attempt to pet him, he hisses and swats at my hand.

Also, he was doing well with taking treats from my fingers, but has started a new problem. Every time I offer him a treat by hand, he approaches with a hiss. He will usually take a couple of treats like this, but when I put my hand down with a third treat, he strikes me. I swear, yesterday he cut my thumb nice and deep and was 5 feet away, licking the blood off of his claw by the time I realized what had happened. Now, everytime I hit the spacebar...it hurts. Ouch Ouch Ouch.

On Wednesday it will have been 6 weeks since I brought him home. I do see improvement, but I would like to hurry things along. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

 

[Eolsurion]

Hi, I am also another male, I think we are out number 3-1 here, but that not a bad thing.

You I was thinking, I believe there is a bond between the two of you now. They say absence makes the heart fonder ... Zeus (my f2 male is really affectionate after not seeing me for a long period of time)

Have you tried not visiting him for the majority of a day? And then seeing how he reacts?

 

[Medesha]

Vakai was just like that when I first got him. I think he only hissed at me once, though, and he was younger than 14 weeks when I got him.

I kept Vakai confined to the bathroom for a few days, and I read to him, and played with the wand toy. I'd definitely keep bringing the toys closer to you when he wants to play- there's always the pain when they jump, claws out, but it did get Vakai used to coming close to me.

... this is probably the wrong suggestion, but have you tried loving him by force? Pet him, he hisses, keep petting him? One of my feral kittens was a bit odd, I put her on my lap, amidst her complaints, and kept petting her- she was growling and purring at the same time.

 

[WitchyWoman]

Maybe it's time you introduced him to another cat(s). One of the suggestion our lovely breeders on here gave me when I was struggling with Maliik was to let him see how my other cats interacted with me. The theory being that if he saw my cats enjoying being touched by me, he'd begin to see the bigger picture. Maliik relaxed considerably once he had contact with my other SVs and it became easier faster for him to get used to being touched by me.

 

[admin]

Vakai was just like that when I first got him. I think he only hissed at me once, though, and he was younger than 14 weeks when I got him.

I kept Vakai confined to the bathroom for a few days, and I read to him, and played with the wand toy. I'd definitely keep bringing the toys closer to you when he wants to play- there's always the pain when they jump, claws out, but it did get Vakai used to coming close to me.

... this is probably the wrong suggestion, but have you tried loving him by force? Pet him, he hisses, keep petting him? One of my feral kittens was a bit odd, I put her on my lap, amidst her complaints, and kept petting her- she was growling and purring at the same time.

I would not force him...