Did I make a mistake?

[waitingforgeorge]

Well, George has been home for 3 weeks today. He is still very supervised which I can't see changing in the near future. My old DSH has chosen to remain on the high road out of reach as much as possible until the last 2 days, now she has decided no whipper snapper is going to change her lifestyle (too much ) so she walks around and when George gets within 10 feet of her she makes this god awful noise-hiss african lion noise and charges him. He is very respectful, backs down but still follows her from a distance, I consider all this very normal and acceptable for this period of time with him in the house. As long as I enforce boundries if needed and make sure the old lady gets just as much attention and her lifestyle is not seriously affected by George I'm sure over time they will work things out however it will be between them. seems like cats have there own idea of time, not really very concerned with ours.

(as a side, on this site I saw someone used a snugglesafe in their new cats bed so I got one. What a great product, 3 minutes in the microwave and it is warm for 10 to 12 hours I swear. Everynight I put it in George's basket and I can hardly drag him out of bed in the morning. I bought it on Amazon. Maybe that would help the kitten)

 

[melissam87]

I think it is way too early to tell. How old is Nikita? If she is much older, then it may take longer for her to decide to accept the little one, in my experience. Also- we humans always have this idea that cats are dying for other feline companionship. She could accept the new kitten and never play, cuddle, hang out with said kitten- some cats simply accept new kittens, but don't fall in love with them.

I thought that Savavnnahs were the type of breed that need more companionship than other breeds. At least that's the impression I got after reading lots of literature on them. Maybe I was mistaken. Nikita is 3 years old. So I felt she was young enough that it wouldn't be too overwhelming. Time will tell I suppose.

 

[melissam87]

Melissa, I think you just may have rushed the introduction and maybe need to back it up a step or two.

Maybe give it some more days, we generally recommend two weeks' quarantine, no matter how hard it seems for you and the new kitten. During this time swap out the pet beds which allows Nikita to smell the kitten without the kitten's presence. Make a fuss of Nikita, extra treats, playtime. But just understand she's dealing with a shock to her system. Yes, you've brought this kitten into your home as a companion, but Nikita doesn't see the appeal right now. No doubt she will in time... although two female cats might only come to tolerance rather than close friendship.. I'd probably have chosen a male kitten to increase the chances they'd be great friends...

Unfortunately time was of the essence. I'm only home full time for now because of knee surgery. I did see a few males that I liked but they all came with a sibling and my complex only allows 2 pets per household. When I saw this female in the shelter she was so adorable. I walked by her cage and she stuck her paw out and got stuck on my pants. She looked up and let out this cry like she was begging for someone to take her home now. I was weakened by her cuteness. Lol. Is that usually the case with two females? Im hoping her motherly instincts will take over at some point. We shall see......

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think that for Savannahs as much as any cat, it depends on their individual personality whether they need a companion or not. Savannahs are a very interactive breed so likely they will need a companion... but we do get into Rescue Savannahs that need to be in only-pet households, or households with no other cats.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I don't think anything is true for all cats...so whether she will become friends with the new kitten I just don't know. I just know from my years of doing rescue work that spayed females often accept a neutered male companion easier than another spayed female as companion.

What I am pretty sure is true, is that with time and patience you can have a household where they at least cohabit together peacefully for the most part. Time will tell whether they are great friends though...

 

[melissam87]

I would wait 2week quarantine no matter how hard it is!

This should make you feel better.... It took Pergie 6 to 8weeks to accept Keeba!!! That is them in the avatar picture. Pergie was PISSED and I was prepared for it! He hissed, growled and spit!!! I took it very slow and Pergie did not even see him face to face for almost 4weeks. I put up a screen door at week 4 and every time he would walk by he would spit at him and Keeba just wanted to play LOL! I did let Keeba out after the 2 week time, I would just switch them back and forth from the quarantine room.. Keeba is the easy one he could of cared less he was being hissed, growled and spit at he just wanted to play. Chloe meet Keeba at about 2.5 weeks she was fine with him she just wanted to make sure he knew she was the queen and he knows it lol.

Hang in their give it lots of time and take it slow. their is no reason to hurry something you want to last a lifetime!!! try not to stress either they pick up on that.

Thank you. I hope at some point I too can change my avatar to something that resembles yours.

 

[melissam87]

I don't think anything is true for all cats...so whether she will become friends with the new kitten I just don't know. I just know from my years of doing rescue work that spayed females often accept a neutered male companion easier than another spayed female as companion.

What I am pretty sure is true, is that with time and patience you can have a household where they at least cohabit together peacefully for the most part. Time will tell whether they are great friends though...

Well,

(as a side, on this site I saw someone used a snugglesafe in their new cats bed so I got one. What a great product, 3 minutes in the microwave and it is warm for 10 to 12 hours I swear. Everynight I put it in George's basket and I can hardly drag him out of bed in the morning. I bought it on Amazon. Maybe that would help the kitten)

Thank you. I will check that out. I also heard that the pheromone oils may help.....

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Yes, trying the pheromone calming collar might be a good idea for Nikita. Or the Feliway pheromone diffusers, although with those make sure you use enough of them to cover the space you live in. You may need more than one diffuser for the whole house...

 

[F1hybrids]

I am a little confused as to if it is actually a SV you have or a cat you think is a SV. Not that it matters. Anyways a kitten no matter the breed tends to bond with its original owner most of the time and will need time to reconnect. Savannah cats are very people oriented most of the time but they are like people they can have their moments, heck they could just not care for some one but that is not the majority. Your cat is showing classic systems of being an adult feline brought into a home with another adult feline who by the sounds of it does not feel like sharing

If you kitten smells I would like to know if the poop smells. A kitten should not have an "odor". Is it like a sweet smell that is gross, or a smell that when it hits you immediately think that is an odd odor?

I suggest a cat tree or two ones where they have inside huts so the cats can be separate hidden if they wish but at the same time make sure they are not needing compete for space.

These trees have free shipping.

I like this one because they can go high, high is safe feeling for a cat.
http://thepaws.com/cat-playstation-p-1351.html?cPath=36_49
http://thepaws.com/tall-pagoda-house-p-1350.html?cPath=36_49


This is an example of what you don't want right now, it is too small so the cats will compete for who it belongs too and it does not provide the security they are looking for at the moment.
http://thepaws.com/floor-cat-tunnel-p-1307.html?cPath=36_45

 

[admin]

Well, George has been home for 3 weeks today. He is still very supervised which I can't see changing in the near future. My old DSH has chosen to remain on the high road out of reach as much as possible until the last 2 days, now she has decided no whipper snapper is going to change her lifestyle (too much ) so she walks around and when George gets within 10 feet of her she makes this god awful noise-hiss african lion noise and charges him. He is very respectful, backs down but still follows her from a distance, I consider all this very normal and acceptable for this period of time with him in the house. As long as I enforce boundries if needed and make sure the old lady gets just as much attention and her lifestyle is not seriously affected by George I'm sure over time they will work things out however it will be between them. seems like cats have there own idea of time, not really very concerned with ours.

(as a side, on this site I saw someone used a snugglesafe in their new cats bed so I got one. What a great product, 3 minutes in the microwave and it is warm for 10 to 12 hours I swear. Everynight I put it in George's basket and I can hardly drag him out of bed in the morning. I bought it on Amazon. Maybe that would help the kitten)

I am going to try that snugglesafe, Cindy...I would love to try and get Zuri to sleep at night.