Buying First Savannah advice

[NikkiA]

Welcome ReptileQueen!
We don't have an F1, but we are lucky enough to share our lives with an F5 boy, an F4 boy, an F3 boy, and an F2 baby girl who rules the roost.
Don't be afraid of a smaller SV. Our little girl is weighing in at 11 pounds at almost a year old (her birthday is the 12th of august), and she is MORE than enough SV. She is almost as tall as our 2d biggest boy, F5 Diablo, just with a much more dainty build.
Our biggest SV is our 4 year old F3 boy, Jarvis- he is 22 pounds of muscle. I will warn you, when a 20+ pound cat doesn't want to do something, it isn't going to. You are going to be the one who has to adapt to what it wants.
A lot of great advice has been given here, so I don't have much to add except for this- SVs are a MAJOR time commitment, and when they are bored, they will create something interesting to do. Ours learned how to open our fridge when they got hungry, and we were at work. . . so now we have a new fridge.
They will turn anything into a toy, and while they are wonderful, every now and then they will smash something purely for the heck of it. That said, they have more than enough love to give to make up for some smashed and shredded stuff.

 

[WitchyWoman]

You can find The Atticus Diaries by entering it into the search box. I'd link it for you but I'm using Tapatalk and it's a pain.

Leash training should start after the 2 week quarantine is over and when the kitten is comfortable with you and the house. Two of my 4 love walking on leash. My F1 is very big, hates wearing a walking jacket, and is too strong to safely handle should he get scared so now we walk all of them in a cat stroller.

Find a good walking jacket and put it on the cat for a few minutes a day and gradually increase the time until the cat stops acting like it's going to die or is paralyzed. Helps to play and give treats to keep cat's focus on anything but the jacket.

Then attach leash and let cat run around the house, closely supervised, until it gets used to the leash. Short walks outside at first to get accustomed to sounds and smells. Dangle a feather wand or favorite toy in front of cat to try to convince it to walk a straight line.

I think it's a good idea to take a soft cat carrier along until you and cat are comfy with walks. Always prepare for the worst. If cat gets frightened by something, you may not be able to carry cat home unless it's in the safety of a carrier. Carrier will help calm cat and make it feel secure.



Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[SV Dad]

I recommend reading the Atticus Diaries!
http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/the-atticus-diaries.4428/
All 207 pages!
Then not only can you be ready for a F1, you can have a generous stock of alcoholic libations set aside.

 

[Patti]

I would recommend doubling up on the walking jackets/leashes as an additional safety measure. Also, don't forget the child proof covers for the doorknobs. If you have latches for doorknobs that push down to open rather than the twist type you will probably need to change those as well.