Propsective new owner - UK

[PandP]

Hello

we have been thinking of getting a Savannah and have spoken on the phone with a couple of breeders in the UK to ask many questions. We would really value the opportunity to discuss with other owners in the UK (London and home countries areas) and wonder if anyone would be prepared to be in contact with us? We are home a lot and like the companionship and quality of relationship and intelligence the Savannahs have, but we do need a life and have family thing to do!

One of the things we realised is that we will first need to make many changes to secure our home. We have owned a cat with some challenges before (he was a wild kitten from a farm) but he would be sure to come back if he ever went out and he became very attached to us. He died many years ago and we only now have the heart to consider a new cat.

We notice from some of the videos that some owners have gone to great lengths to make their home a cage whilst others seem to have fairly unrestricted doors etc. Our house has a lot of windows so full security from jump outs etc will be a challenge and we want to see what other owners have done. We wonder whether some of the window mesh things we see advertised in the UK are really up to the job and whether a clever cat like a Savannah will just work out how to remove/open them.

Paul & Paula.

 

[Moggieslegacy]

Hi Paul and Paula

I don't have a lot of experience with Savannahs, but I have succeeded in keeping an F7 SBT and an F6 contained through a complicated system of enclosed porches, enclosed walkways around the perimeter of the house and a couple interlinked free standing enclosures, and now about a 1/3 of an acre with what appears to be a cat proof fence. I built wood framed heavy wire mesh screens for my upstairs windows as in the summer the air flow is really important. My doors to outside all have a screened entry way with another door, or they lead out onto an enclosed porch.

How difficult it is to keep a cat in seems to depend on a lot of things. Do you have an urban or rural lifestyle? Are there a lot of different people going in and out and are they all able to be responsible? I suspect it is harder to keep cats in if they see you out in the yard doing chores all the time, if there isn't a lot of scary stuff going on outside, or if they have been out on a leash and decide they want to be out all the time, and also whether they tend to be well behaved or have a rebellious streak.

There is a active Facebook group for people living with Savannahs in the UK, and another for people in the UK who want to put up a cat proof fence around their garden, or build a catio, which also offer a wealth of information. So does the search feature in this group!

Others here can probably provide more info than me, but I hope this is a start!