Age of Savannah

[Silke]

Hi,

I will purchase a F1 or F2 Savannah. The F1 will be older when he is shipped to me. Till what age should I consider to take him? Is the bonding more difficult when the cat is 20 weeks old compared to 16 weeks? How about 24 or 26 weeks or even older? Till what age should I consider taking him?
Where is the difference if the F1 is older?
I am a bit concerned if the kitten is already bonded to the breeder or other Problems might occur.
I can take either the F 1 or a F2 which is not born yet. Due to CITES it may take longer. ( I was told about 1-3 months till the export permit is issued an then the Import permit will take time too).

I prefer to take a cat more quickly because my F3 is playing too hard and needs a cat which can take up with his energy and my F 5 is a bit stressed due to his energy level.

 

[WitchyWoman]

Silke, there's no way to know for certain how long it will take an older kitten to bond with a new family. It depends most, I think, on the temperament of the kitten regardless of generation. If the breeder socializes the kitten well, exposing it to new people and places, the chances of the kitten being more adaptable may be greater but that still can't be guaranteed.

You'll need to make sure the breeder makes as accurate an assessment as possible of the F1 kitten's ability to adapt. I believe it would be safe to assume that an older kitten, no matter the generation, may take longer to bond with a new family and then be prepared to be patient and do what is necessary for bonding to occur.

 

[Trish Allearz]

As someone who has an older F1 kitten who is adapting, I'd say the younger age is easier and more malleable. 12-16 weeks are probably the easiest ages for a baby to change homes, but obviously, you can bond with older babies as well-- it just takes a bit more patience, a bit more time.

 

[Patti]

I have rehomed adult F1s in the past without a problem, but as the others have said, it all depends upon the personality and socialization of the individual kitten/cat, and your breeder would be the best person to tell you if the F1 you are considering would handle rehoming well.

I don't know where you are importing from, but I have heard of CITES taking up to six months to process from the US, although I don't think it ever took me more than three months when I've had to apply for CITES.

 

[Silke]

Thank you very much. The cat will be exported from the us to Germany.

 

[WitchyWoman]

Thank you very much. The cat will be exported from the us to Germany.

Silke, did you know that there's a breeder in Germany? http://www.savannahcats.de/home_en.html

 

[Silke]

yes, there are a few. But the breeder I got my cats from is breeding F1 and F2 in us only. My breeder says that they are well socilized.