Does she need a playmate?

[MorganDax]

I wanted to respond re: your boyfriend's allergies. I also have cat allergies. The SV's are not as bad for me as our friends' domestics, but there is a spectrum. In order of their ability to trigger my allergies, worst to best, they are F4 Mickey, F5 Diablo, F2 Rey, F3 Jarvis.
Mickey rubs against my face, and my allergies go nuts. Jarvis sleeps in my arms, no problem. The boys are super stars about being bathed, which also helps a lot for me. There is no way to tell until they are home.
We do have HEPA filters. I have one in our bedroom, next to my side of the bed, and another on the main floor. We also have hardwood floors and own a dyson which gets a lot of use in an attempt to keep ahead of the cat dander.

I think my boyfriend's allergies are worse with outdoor stuff like hay and pollen, and he never ever complains of the cat bothering him - he quite likes her and plays with her daily actually, and she sleeps in our bed with us, so it can't be that bad for him. Hopefully if/when I get another one it doesn't bug him either. Because at some point or another I do plan on getting another one, just not sure when. I'm so smitten with the breed. They're just too awesome!

 

[NikkiA]

I think my boyfriend's allergies are worse with outdoor stuff like hay and pollen, and he never ever complains of the cat bothering him - he quite likes her and plays with her daily actually, and she sleeps in our bed with us, so it can't be that bad for him. Hopefully if/when I get another one it doesn't bug him either. Because at some point or another I do plan on getting another one, just not sure when. I'm so smitten with the breed. They're just too awesome!

I have an allergy to an enzyme in cat's saliva. I found that out via allergy testing. . .

 

[Patti]

Be aware that different Savannahs may cause different levels of allergic reaction, depending upon the breeds that are in their background. Last year I sent a boy to his new home which already had a Savannah in it, and the husband had such a severe allergic reaction he had to get a benadryl injection, and the kitten of course was immediately returned.

Any active breed of cat would work well with a Savannah. I have Highlanders as well as Savannahs and they are perfect companions for Savannahs. Abyssinians, Oriental Shorthairs, and Bengals are also very active breeds. I think with your boyfriend's allergies it would be best for you to look for a kitten locally, either in a shelter or with a local breeder, and take your boyfriend with you so that he can see if he's going to react before you bring the kitten home. This way you can also observe the kitten's personality and decide if it might be a good fit for your girl.

As far as introducing a new cat into the family, it is definitely easier to bring in a kitten than an adult - they are just not a threatening to the resident feline. There are many threads on this forum that discuss proper introductions - when/if you get to that point I suggest you run a search from the home page to find them, or post here if you have difficulty locating the threads and we can help point you in the right direction.

 

[Rafiki]

I really don't know what the best option is to do, but there are more verry energetic breeds. Maybe you can ask shelters if they have an energetic cat that they think can handle a savannah. Here in Holland we can get a cat from a shelter with a 'try -out' period (don't know how to translate this correctly). So if it doesn't work out with your other cat, or boyfriend, you can bring them back. I don't know if thats also possible where youre from.
Then you also have the time to do a proper introduction.

But again, im not so experienced with cats as most people here, so they maybe can help you better as i do.

You can also use another good brand of dry food as treats. So not what she gets daily but. Something else, than it's not so much of a problem for her weight if you give her a few 'fake' treats.

I sometimes put a cradle with old paper in it on the floor, and then trow some treats in it and toys.. They like it here a lot.

Maybe you can do something like this to keep her busy, if you don't mind cleaning up afterwards.

I wish you all the luck, and hope you can find a good option to keep everybody happy

Ps. A friend of mine who is allergic to cats, is also allergic to my savannahs..



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wow. This is the first time I have seen the human participate in the savandalism!

 

[kimm]

wow. This is the first time I have seen the human participate in the savandalism!

If you can't stop it,, you best just join in with the fun!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

That is great advice and reasoning behind it, thank you! My boyfriend is pretty tolerant and patient, so while he likely wouldn't make me get rid of a regular domestic, even if it was making him feel super crappy, I wouldn't feel good about it, and yeah, might feel obligated to get rid of it for his sake.

I will most definitely look up "puzzle cat toys" but I had a ball feeder for her for a while because she was putting on weight and I was trying to control how much she was eating how fast, but she just went on a hunger strike rather than play with the ball to get food! Spoiled... tsk tsk. My boyfriend accidentally broke it one day though and I just started measuring her food instead and now she's back to a healthy weight.
All that aside, I'm still willing to try and get her some more challenging toys - and maybe with treats instead of her regular food that will encourage playing with them.

That first paragraph troubles me...that you can already foresee that you would "get rid of it" for his sake makes it hard to encourage you to get that second cat. As it does seem that your cat might benefit from a companion. I would think that you could find a domestic kitten that would work, but the allergy issue is a huge one. It would not be fair to get a kitten unless you could safely return it if allergies were an issue...

You mention how many toys she has, often the best way to do this is to shut away some of the toys and circulate them regularly... when you bring the old toy out again when they haven't seen it for a few weeks it can seem "new" and fun again. Puzzle toys are a great idea if your cat likes freeze-dried meat treats or the like... just adjust the other food she is getting to balance that so that she doesn't gain weight again. But having to work at something like that will help keep her amused.

 

[MorganDax]

That first paragraph troubles me...that you can already foresee that you would "get rid of it" for his sake makes it hard to encourage you to get that second cat. As it does seem that your cat might benefit from a companion. I would think that you could find a domestic kitten that would work, but the allergy issue is a huge one. It would not be fair to get a kitten unless you could safely return it if allergies were an issue...

You mention how many toys she has, often the best way to do this is to shut away some of the toys and circulate them regularly... when you bring the old toy out again when they haven't seen it for a few weeks it can seem "new" and fun again. Puzzle toys are a great idea if your cat likes freeze-dried meat treats or the like... just adjust the other food she is getting to balance that so that she doesn't gain weight again. But having to work at something like that will help keep her amused.

Duly noted. Will try the toy limiting suggestion.

 

[MorganDax]

Be aware that different Savannahs may cause different levels of allergic reaction, depending upon the breeds that are in their background. Last year I sent a boy to his new home which already had a Savannah in it, and the husband had such a severe allergic reaction he had to get a benadryl injection, and the kitten of course was immediately returned.

Any active breed of cat would work well with a Savannah. I have Highlanders as well as Savannahs and they are perfect companions for Savannahs. Abyssinians, Oriental Shorthairs, and Bengals are also very active breeds. I think with your boyfriend's allergies it would be best for you to look for a kitten locally, either in a shelter or with a local breeder, and take your boyfriend with you so that he can see if he's going to react before you bring the kitten home. This way you can also observe the kitten's personality and decide if it might be a good fit for your girl.

As far as introducing a new cat into the family, it is definitely easier to bring in a kitten than an adult - they are just not a threatening to the resident feline. There are many threads on this forum that discuss proper introductions - when/if you get to that point I suggest you run a search from the home page to find them, or post here if you have difficulty locating the threads and we can help point you in the right direction.

Thank you. Lots of helpful information.

 

[cleothesavannah]

Hi Morgan,

Your post drew to my attention because I can relate and loosing hope on what I need to do here. I work a 9-5 job and don't always have time to walk her. If I don't have all of my attention on her, she meows very aggressively and then will misbehave by peeing on my bed. This only happens when she is mad, and I even have a plastic cover on my bed now.. because she doesn't usually do on there. She knows its wrong because right after she does it, she will hide and run away from me... even before I got the chance to see it.

I am pretty positive that its because she needs a friend. I would like to help find her a friend to hang out with but cannot get another pet right now. Does this forum connect people like that? I live in Los Angeles.. and I am loosing my mind here. please help!

oh and she is an F3 (but tiny only 10LB) and really sweet and loving most of the time. 1 year and a few months.

 

[Patti]

Does this forum connect people like that?

I'm not sure what you mean by that, nor what you mean by not being able to get another pet? Is it because you can't afford it, or because you are not allowed where you live, or ??