I have an f5 male savannah who is now 1 yr and 4 months old. He was 6 months old when I got him (making that 10 months that I've had him so far) and unfortunately didn't get the most handling as a kitten. I still cannot pet him, he just runs away and hides and he has never made a sound the whole 10 months I've had him. He's gotten to the point where he likes to play a little with me (mostly just running around trying to get me to chase him a little which is adorable), sometimes he'll lay on the bed with me (as long as I don't make any move to touch him), and he comes into the room when I call him. I used to feed him chicken by hand, but he started getting a little greedy with it and would swat it out of my fingers so I've been on a break from that. I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced a savannah like this and if there's any tips to help get him out of his shell more, if there's hope at all to get him to be "normal." I love him anyway, but of course I would love for him to be a more affectionate kitty and also just for more ease in care: since I can't touch him, it's quite the event trying to crate him for vet visits and such. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
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scaredy cat
- Thread starter N.Williams
- Start date
Kristin
Animal Communicator
Here are a few threads I found quickly. I can't find Becki's on Nyah although I could have sworn there was one...
http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/socializing-f2-kittens-with-their-humans.1915/
http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/my-cat-hates-me.1888/
http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/socializing-f2-kittens-with-their-humans.1915/
http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/my-cat-hates-me.1888/
To be honest, at his age there may not be a LOT of progress to be made. Even getting him at 6 months, if unsocialized to that point it is a BIG task.... but there is always something that can be improved, as long as you have the love and patience 
Given that he likes food, I might even wonder if clicker training might be good. From what I have seen on the internet, they use a little wand thingy to interact with the cat so this might be less threatening than your hand but the act of getting him to respond to you might build trust?
I have a big belief in the power of play, getting a cat to interact with you with a wand toy also builds trust with you... and they associate you with fun and good things. It can be a matter of finding the RIGHT wand toy AND the right way to interact with him with it. All cats are not the same this way. Although almost all will love the Da Bird wand toy (the one with a wand, string and feathers on the end) some are not as excited by it. Jobs here (the F5 boy I am rehoming) will play with it, he plays with everything, but it doesn't get him nearly as interested as a shape on a string and wand...so something like a little stuffed mouse or bird. He likes to catch the shape and the feathers aren't as interesting for him. Another toy many will go for is made by Go Pet like the Da Bird, it's the Cat Catcher wand toy, which is a wand with thin wire and then a tiny mouse lure (the same thing used as a fishing lure with the hook obviously cut off). So I would make sure I buy a range of wand toys to find out which one interests your boy most.
And then the way you play with him... some cats want the feather to sail through the air in arcs, the Da Bird will twirl and make feather wing flappy noises that gets them interested. Some want the feathers to swish crazily in the air. But some want the "bird" to get grounded and maybe bobble about on the ground like a wounded bird to be pounced on. Some want the mousie to be dragged along the ground (and the Cat Catcher really bounces about a bit erratically to help them imagine it is a real mouse), some want it to move fast, some want it to jerk about, some want it to inch along slowly. Some even want the mouse to sail about in the air like a bird. Some might want you to inch the mousie around a corner (of furniture etc) and then just have to go see where it is... You play by watching their reactions and seeing what motions (or lack of) get their interest most.
As to crating him, I suggest using a larger dog crate than the usual cat carrier. If you can, it is even good if you can make sure the door is propped open (or even remove it temporarily) and put his food dishes in there. Don't plan on using the crate to take him to the vet for some time, but you will desensitize him to the crate and make it not ALL a bad thing if he will eat in it... even if that doesn't work, with the cats that really hate to be put in a crate, they are easier to put into a larger one, it's not as claustrophobic.
Given that he likes food, I might even wonder if clicker training might be good. From what I have seen on the internet, they use a little wand thingy to interact with the cat so this might be less threatening than your hand but the act of getting him to respond to you might build trust?
I have a big belief in the power of play, getting a cat to interact with you with a wand toy also builds trust with you... and they associate you with fun and good things. It can be a matter of finding the RIGHT wand toy AND the right way to interact with him with it. All cats are not the same this way. Although almost all will love the Da Bird wand toy (the one with a wand, string and feathers on the end) some are not as excited by it. Jobs here (the F5 boy I am rehoming) will play with it, he plays with everything, but it doesn't get him nearly as interested as a shape on a string and wand...so something like a little stuffed mouse or bird. He likes to catch the shape and the feathers aren't as interesting for him. Another toy many will go for is made by Go Pet like the Da Bird, it's the Cat Catcher wand toy, which is a wand with thin wire and then a tiny mouse lure (the same thing used as a fishing lure with the hook obviously cut off). So I would make sure I buy a range of wand toys to find out which one interests your boy most.
And then the way you play with him... some cats want the feather to sail through the air in arcs, the Da Bird will twirl and make feather wing flappy noises that gets them interested. Some want the feathers to swish crazily in the air. But some want the "bird" to get grounded and maybe bobble about on the ground like a wounded bird to be pounced on. Some want the mousie to be dragged along the ground (and the Cat Catcher really bounces about a bit erratically to help them imagine it is a real mouse), some want it to move fast, some want it to jerk about, some want it to inch along slowly. Some even want the mouse to sail about in the air like a bird. Some might want you to inch the mousie around a corner (of furniture etc) and then just have to go see where it is... You play by watching their reactions and seeing what motions (or lack of) get their interest most.
As to crating him, I suggest using a larger dog crate than the usual cat carrier. If you can, it is even good if you can make sure the door is propped open (or even remove it temporarily) and put his food dishes in there. Don't plan on using the crate to take him to the vet for some time, but you will desensitize him to the crate and make it not ALL a bad thing if he will eat in it... even if that doesn't work, with the cats that really hate to be put in a crate, they are easier to put into a larger one, it's not as claustrophobic.
I have met a few cats like this - one was a rescue that I brought in and once out of quarantine I literally didn't see him for months. Then I would see him down at the end of the hall from time to time. I would always talk to him and let him know I was near by. One day he jumped into my lap and apparently all the fear was gone from that moment on.
I've also seen a few kittens born more shy at birth and take more time and work to become socialized. I have one here now that I simply won't rehome yet because I'm afraid a new environment will set her back completely.
I think it will just take time and patience. You may never have a lap cat, but you might find him sleeping next to you from time to time, and following you around. Each cat has their own way of expressing their affection. I agree with Brigitte regarding both the play and the crate training, very good advice.
I've also seen a few kittens born more shy at birth and take more time and work to become socialized. I have one here now that I simply won't rehome yet because I'm afraid a new environment will set her back completely.
I think it will just take time and patience. You may never have a lap cat, but you might find him sleeping next to you from time to time, and following you around. Each cat has their own way of expressing their affection. I agree with Brigitte regarding both the play and the crate training, very good advice.
Becki
Savannah Super Cat
I don't know if there is a complete thread on Nyah, but posts here and there on how she came out of her shell. This was the start of our relationship:
http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/new-to-savannahs-have-an-f2-girl.2306/page-2#post-31766
Reading it brought back memories! I also remember the first time she crawled in my lap when I had strep. That post is on here somewhere! But yes, Nyah was untouchable when we got her and we worked at her pace to get where we are today. We had to trap her in a corner to get her in the crate to be spayed, and then giving her pain meds was another fiasco. We had made some progress prior to this episode, but had regression afterward. I felt awful.
She was quarantined in our bedroom with her food in the master bath, so my husband or I would just go up there and be with her as much as possible. We didn't always try to interact, we would just read or work, just be around. It was also a lot of time on the floor while she was under the bed. She wouldn't eat out of my hand, so I would just lay some freeze dried chicken out, slowly bringing it closer to me and being careful not to make sudden moves. She started to come on the bed, and we would just freeze so she would be comfortable. She slowly started to lay closer first to my husbands legs, then on them. He was not allowed to move. We would play with her (the wand toy was used a lot in those early days) as she started to come out from under the bed. To be honest, we never thought she would be a cat we could cuddle with, so each time she moved a little closer to us or showed affection was a huge bonus!
Nyah is quirky and always will be. She won't let my 15 year old pet her consistently, but she will hang out in my daughter's room with her. She will also fly off the bed if one of us moves to quickly for her liking, though she hops right back on. She is very cuddly with me now (in fact she is currently laying on me), but it has been a year of baby steps to get here. I can pick her up, she hates it, but I can. I will admit I am not good at doing her nails because she gets scared about it still. She very recently started to give little kitty kisses out of the blue. I am not sure if that is because she sees my other savannah lick us (he is the opposite of antisocial and licks like a puppy, he is a weirdo) or just another step in her process of trust.
There is a lot of good advice here. I wonder if taking a deep breath and starting over might be good for you both, this time with no timeline or expectation on your kitty to be more than he wants to be. He may never want to be pet, perhaps he may only get to a point where he will just sit near you. But he may surprise you as well and decide to allow more.
Let me know how it goes for you. Oh, one more trick..Nyah still gets excited when she sees the freeze dried chicken jar, or if you ask her if she wants a Scooby snack, which is what we call them. I use the ones from halo, I am convinced they have some form of kitty crack as a secret ingredient, so I highly recommend you use them!
http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/new-to-savannahs-have-an-f2-girl.2306/page-2#post-31766
Reading it brought back memories! I also remember the first time she crawled in my lap when I had strep. That post is on here somewhere! But yes, Nyah was untouchable when we got her and we worked at her pace to get where we are today. We had to trap her in a corner to get her in the crate to be spayed, and then giving her pain meds was another fiasco. We had made some progress prior to this episode, but had regression afterward. I felt awful.
She was quarantined in our bedroom with her food in the master bath, so my husband or I would just go up there and be with her as much as possible. We didn't always try to interact, we would just read or work, just be around. It was also a lot of time on the floor while she was under the bed. She wouldn't eat out of my hand, so I would just lay some freeze dried chicken out, slowly bringing it closer to me and being careful not to make sudden moves. She started to come on the bed, and we would just freeze so she would be comfortable. She slowly started to lay closer first to my husbands legs, then on them. He was not allowed to move.
We would play with her (the wand toy was used a lot in those early days) as she started to come out from under the bed. To be honest, we never thought she would be a cat we could cuddle with, so each time she moved a little closer to us or showed affection was a huge bonus! Nyah is quirky and always will be. She won't let my 15 year old pet her consistently, but she will hang out in my daughter's room with her. She will also fly off the bed if one of us moves to quickly for her liking, though she hops right back on. She is very cuddly with me now (in fact she is currently laying on me), but it has been a year of baby steps to get here. I can pick her up, she hates it, but I can. I will admit I am not good at doing her nails because she gets scared about it still. She very recently started to give little kitty kisses out of the blue. I am not sure if that is because she sees my other savannah lick us (he is the opposite of antisocial and licks like a puppy, he is a weirdo
) or just another step in her process of trust. There is a lot of good advice here. I wonder if taking a deep breath and starting over might be good for you both, this time with no timeline or expectation on your kitty to be more than he wants to be. He may never want to be pet, perhaps he may only get to a point where he will just sit near you. But he may surprise you as well and decide to allow more.
Let me know how it goes for you. Oh, one more trick..Nyah still gets excited when she sees the freeze dried chicken jar, or if you ask her if she wants a Scooby snack, which is what we call them. I use the ones from halo, I am convinced they have some form of kitty crack as a secret ingredient, so I highly recommend you use them!
Ive been down this road twice...
My f5 female we named sneaky because thats excactly what she liked too do sneak around. We got her at 1 year old and she was not socialized at all. She was meant to be a breeder cat and she was relativly small so the breeder decided against using her so we ended up with her. The day she came out of quarinteen She found a hole in the ceiling of a closet and stayed there for 3 MONTHS only coming out for food and the litter box when we were not looking. Every single day my girl would sing a little song to here and I would talk to her and use a wand toy at the opening of the hole. Eventually she would come out and would stand on a water tank and rub herself against a pipe while we talked to her but we were never able to come close to petting her. We just worked with her every day until she would start walking around the house while we were there. Then she started taking little pets here and there. To make a long story short she is 2 and a 1/2 now and the most affectionet playful cat i've ever seen. she loves being petted and sleeping on us etc...Just keep up with the bonding and hopefully it works out for you. There is no rule of thumb on weather a cat is to old to be socialized.
My f2 male was more or less a wild animal when I got him haha. Still a work in progress but he has made huge strides and now loves having his neck rubbed and sleeping in the bed with us. I spend time working with him everyday day and it pays off.
My f5 female we named sneaky because thats excactly what she liked too do sneak around. We got her at 1 year old and she was not socialized at all. She was meant to be a breeder cat and she was relativly small so the breeder decided against using her so we ended up with her. The day she came out of quarinteen She found a hole in the ceiling of a closet and stayed there for 3 MONTHS only coming out for food and the litter box when we were not looking. Every single day my girl would sing a little song to here and I would talk to her and use a wand toy at the opening of the hole. Eventually she would come out and would stand on a water tank and rub herself against a pipe while we talked to her but we were never able to come close to petting her. We just worked with her every day until she would start walking around the house while we were there. Then she started taking little pets here and there. To make a long story short she is 2 and a 1/2 now and the most affectionet playful cat i've ever seen. she loves being petted and sleeping on us etc...Just keep up with the bonding and hopefully it works out for you. There is no rule of thumb on weather a cat is to old to be socialized.
My f2 male was more or less a wild animal when I got him haha. Still a work in progress but he has made huge strides and now loves having his neck rubbed and sleeping in the bed with us. I spend time working with him everyday day and it pays off.
SV Dad
Savannah Super Cat
Great advice from the breeders and members. Patience, build trust slowly, and respect their comfort zone.
Nice input Becki as I recalled it took some time for you cat to come around.
Nice input, Rick. Always helps to hear more success stories.
Good luck and keep asking questions. This forum has walked many a challenge to success.
Nice input Becki as I recalled it took some time for you cat to come around.
Nice input, Rick. Always helps to hear more success stories.
Good luck and keep asking questions. This forum has walked many a challenge to success.
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