advise on space to live...

[taylorannyoung]

I currently live in 900 sqft condo in Minnesota and I am wondering if that is suitable living arrangements for an F1/2? I live with my boyfriend and balinese and have been researching the savannah breed for months now...even visited a few catteries to check out the different generations. I am considering moving into a house or somewhere with more space in the next year, but that is not confirmed yet. Any tips or thoughts on my current space?

Also, I currently have a male cat who is 7 and am considering a male savannah...I notice many people on here have 2, 3, 4 boys in the home already, so I don't think it will be an issue. My cat is super relaxed and just wants to be loved and fed! I had a male kitten around him in the past and he cleaned him and seemed OK with it...... but I am thinking when they are older and how they will get along?

 

[Pam Flachs]

900 sq. feet may or may not be enough room for you, your boyfriend, a middle-aged sedate cat AND and a Savannah. I am sure you have learned through researching the breed that they are very active cats; F1's much more so, and F2's can be either very active or on the quieter side...do you have a lot of vertical space or rooms in your condo? I am referring to shelves, furniture, cat trees, or other areas, etc that a cat can climb and/or retreat to both for a potential Savannah and your 7 year old boy. Your existing kitty may not take to a rambunctious Savannah if he is easy going and relaxed....my thoughts are for you to keep researching what generation of Savannah you want to have, if and when you move to a bigger home, and keep in mind that two Savannahs may be better than one...and don't discount the lower generations. My F2 and F3 girls are very quiet and calm, while my F8 girl is hell on wheels...

 

[taylorannyoung]

Thanks, Pam!

I do have vertical space, a cat tree and I have shelving steps planned out for jumping along the wall. 10 ft ceilings in my place, but only one bedroom. That's why I am considering moving to somewhere with a second bedroom... I just wasn't sure how many people actually lived in places where they take there savannah outside on a regular basis? It's VERY cold for about 5 months out of the year in MN, so going outside isn't really an option for a majority of the year.

Who said my current cat was sedate??

Any ideas on adding a male or female into the mix? thanks again!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think it wonderful that you have vertical space...but I also love that you are considering this BEFORE you get the Savannah kitten! Kudos to you for doing that!

What I think worth considering is what if your current cat really isn't up to the energy of such an early generation Savannah? You might find a 900 sq ft apartment ok for 2 cats but what if you had to add a companion for your SV? It's worth thinking about.

I might also consider an F3 or F4 kitten as being a better compromise more likely to work well... and in future when you do move to a larger place adding an F1 or F2 at that stage. You can see some amazing F3 and F4s nowadays...compared to when I first got my SV back in 2001, the F5s I produce today are better than the F3s I produced in 2003 definitely! Don't discount those generations for the look, but they are going to be markedly easier to live with. Although one just can't make generalizations... you need to consider the individual personalities at each generation

 

[Patti]

You've talked about your physical environment and acknowledge the importance of vertical space, but what is equally important IMHO in this type of situation is you. What is your work schedule? Do you work at home? If not, will you be away from the home for prolonged periods of time? Do you have a lot of friends that visit you? Will they be able to respect the unique quirks and behaviors an early generation Savannah (or any active cat breed) might have?

I personally believe that vertical space is much more important than square footage, but the amount of time you have to dedicate to your new best friend is equally important. An early generation Savannah is much more likely to get bored if left home alone potentially leading to all kinds of trouble. You do not want to leave an early gen SV loose in your home alone unless it is thoroughly Savannah-proofed (he'll teach you if you haven't done a thorough job), and you certainly don't want to lock him up for several hours at a time either. Just some things to consider...

 

[taylorannyoung]

You've talked about your physical environment and acknowledge the importance of vertical space, but what is equally important IMHO in this type of situation is you. What is your work schedule? Do you work at home? If not, will you be away from the home for prolonged periods of time? Do you have a lot of friends that visit you? Will they be able to respect the unique quirks and behaviors an early generation Savannah (or any active cat breed) might have?

I personally believe that vertical space is much more important than square footage, but the amount of time you have to dedicate to your new best friend is equally important. An early generation Savannah is much more likely to get bored if left home alone potentially leading to all kinds of trouble. You do not want to leave an early gen SV loose in your home alone unless it is thoroughly Savannah-proofed (he'll teach you if you haven't done a thorough job), and you certainly don't want to lock him up for several hours at a time either. Just some things to consider...

Good stuff to think about! I work away from the home about 35 hours a week. My boyfriend and I kind of have opposite schedules, he goes to work around 3pm. One of us is there every few hours. I also have my days off generally during the week, and my boyfriend is off on the weekends. I think space is the key element for the time. I appreciate all the input from everyone!