1st savannah arrival prep

[dominic marinaccio]

Haha! I do but I wouldn't want to deprive him of window bird dreaming while I'm gone anyways unless he's with me on a leash, which he's going to be by my side everywhere, I'm not comfortable letting him roam the house unfortunately. We have a large family and its too much liability on them cracking a window or door darting.

You can read about Atticus here http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/the-atticus-diaries.4428/

Will your cat have access to a whole apartment or whole house or be confined to one room? Either way, some things to consider are:
electric cord covers so he doesn't chew them and get electrocuted;
put away anything you don't want to get broken;
if you have window coverings -- curtains, blinds, shutters -- they might not survive;
many cats love to pee on anything containing feathers so if you have down pillows or bed covers, you'll probably need to change them for non feathered things.

 

[WitchyWoman]

but have you ever heard of serious problems with interactions?

Well sure, some animals just don't get along. Proper introductions are important. Keep the kitten in quarantine for 2 weeks, then let the dog in with supervised visits. Considering the size difference at first, the kitten might be a little intimidated so be sure to go slow and at the kitten's pace. Once you're sure the dog and kitten are getting along, you can try very short unsupervised visits but obviously never leave them along together until the kitten has grown a bit. And make sure that the kitten has lots of escape routes and high places to go when he needs to be away from the dog.

 

[dominic marinaccio]

Okay that's excellent advice! He means alot to me too so I'm sure with patience and his personality they'll be buds. I love your Atticus thread!! Gorgeous kitten and such a brilliant idea to be able to go back and reminisce. Thats my favorite part about this adventure, none of my friends really "get" it, Its awesome knowing theirs this community to relate to

Well sure, some animals just don't get along. Proper introductions are important. Keep the kitten in quarantine for 2 weeks, then let the dog in with supervised visits. Considering the size difference at first, the kitten might be a little intimidated so be sure to go slow and at the kitten's pace. Once you're sure the dog and kitten are getting along, you can try very short unsupervised visits but obviously never leave them along together until the kitten has grown a bit. And make sure that the kitten has lots of escape routes and high places to go when he needs to be away from the dog.

 

[tdbradin]

Witchy is correct.
I've never had any problems, but I supervised thier interactions. If my mastiff got too rambunctious she was told to settle down. Her paw was bigger than Venus initially. But they are the bestest of friends now.
Here is the supporting picture:

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[dominic marinaccio]

WHAT A BEAUT. I love the large dog breed, I totally get it. Thats funny thats how I've been imagining Bentley and Tarzan to be! Have you considered a 2nd SV? Just curious bc its already in the back of my head for his company, or has your mastiff been able to fill that role?

Witchy is correct.
I've never had any problems, but I supervised thier interactions. If my mastiff got too rambunctious she was told to settle down. Her paw was bigger than Venus initially. But they are the bestest of friends now.
Here is the supporting picture:

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[dominic marinaccio]

BTW, can I just say Atticus is a fricken stud!! (Of course not in the literal breeding terms haha) he has soo much serval in his features, especially face. How old was he when he shed out of that fuzz coat?

Well sure, some animals just don't get along. Proper introductions are important. Keep the kitten in quarantine for 2 weeks, then let the dog in with supervised visits. Considering the size difference at first, the kitten might be a little intimidated so be sure to go slow and at the kitten's pace. Once you're sure the dog and kitten are getting along, you can try very short unsupervised visits but obviously never leave them along together until the kitten has grown a bit. And make sure that the kitten has lots of escape routes and high places to go when he needs to be away from the dog.

 

[tdbradin]

WHAT A BEAUT. I love the large dog breed, I totally get it. Thats funny thats how I've been imagining Bentley and Tarzan to be! Have you considered a 2nd SV? Just curious bc its already in the back of my head for his company, or has your mastiff been able to fill that role?

Oh don't even get me started on the 2nd savannah topic! I have been been fighting hard to wait. I think just about everyone on here can speak about my issues with that lately! I do want to get another so Venus had someone to rough house with though.

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[dominic marinaccio]

Oh don't even get me started on the 2nd savannah topic! I have been been fighting hard to wait. I think just about everyone on here can speak about my issues with that lately! I do want to get another so Venus had someone to rough house with though.

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Honestly! I'm getting far ahead of myself but I can't help it. Might sound strange, my single hesitation was feeling like it would take away from my bond with Tarzan. I'm sure he'd have a different feeling about it and love the partner in crime.

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[tdbradin]

Honestly! I'm getting far ahead of myself but I can't help it. Might sound strange, my single hesitation was feeling like it would take away from my bond with Tarzan. I'm sure he'd have a different feeling about it and love the partner in crime.

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You can read my posts in the "Meet Venus" thread in the introduction area. All of my noob trial and tribulations are in there. My whole reason for getting Venus originally was to help with Tess. We lost our male Mastiff, Mason, due to age and she took it real hard. Self mutilation due to bad depression and OCD behaviors brought on by the passing of Mason is what our vet said.
I wasn't ready to bring another large dog into our home so I started looking for alternatives. I came across the savannahs and liked what I read. I adopted Venus and the rest is history. She healed the whole family.

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[Patti]

I'm worried about the stress of a long 10hr car ride, bc I'd prefer to pick up securely in person, how do you ease the kitten for that stretch?

This is why I usually recommend shipping or flying in to pick up a new kitten - in the long run it's less stress on the little guy. However, you can invest in a 36" or larger crate (if wire be prepared to cover it with blankets) that will fit food and water dishes, as well as a litter box. You could even hang a hammock in it.

I'm prepared for quarantine period, and will be spending the majority of the days with him, how leniant should I be with showing friends,fam

If you are talking about family who lives with you then you will probably need to allow brief visits from them, but if he's yours then you should spend the majority of time with him to ensure the bonding process. If you are talking about family not at home, and friends, I would try to delay their visits for as long as possible, up to two weeks if you can manage it - remember he is going to be stressed out by the new move so any additional strangers will simply add to his stress.

I was looking at the pet whistle GPS, I like that it tells you if he's left his zone

If you are planning on keeping him indoors, which I would HIGHLY recommend, there should be no need for GPS. If it turns out that he is a door darter then you may want to consider something like this. PLEASE do not let him wander outside without a restraint such as leash or being in a buggy.

I've built a large cat tree and bought a petmate one with other misc toys

Sounds like you're well prepared!

I don't want to lose any of the rambunctious traits, will getting him fixed effect this? What's a good age to do so. Is it true they seem to grow more?

Neutering a male cat will not change his personality, only his drive to find and breed females, and his need to spray his foul urine everywhere. Neutering at a young age (e.g., at three months old) does contribute to growth since the hormones that develop with maturity are also the ones that tell the growth plates in the long bones to stop growing. Of course they always stop growing at some point so whether or not it makes a significant different in size is probably relative and individual...

You will not regret becoming the new owner of a Savannah kitten and I'm sure will soon be his devoted slave. Do you have any pics to share of him?