F1 Pet Savannah

[Foodgoddess]

I wouldn't wait to long with the other kitten.
Now i regret that i have no playmate for themba.
My older 3 cats are just too dull.

He's almost 15week old now and 8.1lbs. (got really lucky with his size)
He plays really wild with my older cats, a younger kitten would really need to be good at getting slapped around.
I don't know how it is for other people but i think i tiny kitten would be to soft for him.
I want one but i don't dare.



Maybe if you get a lower generation savannah it would be different.

I often heard people saying get the other kitten few weeks months later, but in my case i should have taken the other kitten few weeks earlier.

I would love to hear other peoples opinion on this.

Last year, we lost our beloved cat. I swore that we were taking a break from pets, for some time...a long time. Well, naturally this didn't work. We missed having a cat...so we wound up with four in the past four months. Two domestic shelter cats and two Savannah cats. My one male is a loner, he likes the other cats, but is perfectly content on his own. The Savannah cats are F4's, and siblings from different litters. The boy is one, and easy going. The girl is a little bratty. A first she growled, hissed and kicked up quite a fuss, even under quarantine. She could smell if one of the other cats came near her room. It took a out a week out of quarantine for her to become part of the group. I decided to get four close together, because my last cat was set in her ways, and wanted nothing to do with other cats. I figured all four would grow up together. They all get along very well. The two females are the worst. They are very rough. The males are over twice their size, but the girls definitely hold their own. In fact they can be very mean to the boys. In conclusion, it is rather exhausting having four young cats, but I'm still glad we decided to go for all four right away. This way they grow up together. They all hang, sleep and play together, at some point in the day. They also go their separate ways, at times as well. They are all very different personalities, but all get on very nicely. They do make many messes, and run through the house like horses. Quite entertaining, although not so much when we are trying to view the television. We usually just pause the TV, and let them get it out of their system. Also our males are rough, but seldom too rough with the much smaller females, even when the girls deserve it. They all occupy each other when the humans are busy.
Good Luck!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I'm debating on getting the savannah and a regular cat the same time (as kittens) or if I should get the savannah first, wait a bit, and then get the other. My other thought was the whole quarantine process when you bring home a new kitten. I know how touchy kittens can be to new environments, and especially with stress of being taken away and new environment and stuff. I wouldn't want my new kitties getting sick!! =(

I personally recommend getting one kitten at a time, even if separated by only a couple months. It gives you a chance to bond closely with one before getting the next... they likely will be BFFs but the priority for you is to establish YOUR bond with them before they become friends... else it will be a longer road to establish that bond when they already have their kitty BFF.

 

[Foodgoddess]

That's very true. We actually adopted two cats first. Waited two months bought another, and a month later another. This is not ideal for the average pet owner, but I am home all day, and my husband just retired, and is home until he begins a new job. We have had plenty of time to bond, but it is time consuming bonding, and caring for four young cats.I wouldn't recommend doing it the way we did, unless you're home much of the time, and your kids are older. It is similar to having small children, except kids don't jump, and get into everything! Everyone needs their love and special attention. It's a good thing , we are a family of five humans. Someone is always "lovin" on a cat. Having four young cats is challenging. I don't know how breeders do it. Some days it is exhausting!

 

[scorpius]

I personally recommend getting one kitten at a time, even if separated by only a couple months. It gives you a chance to bond closely with one before getting the next... they likely will be BFFs but the priority for you is to establish YOUR bond with them before they become friends... else it will be a longer road to establish that bond when they already have their kitty BFF.

Good advice Brigitte. Shango was an only cat in my home for the first 2-3 months, and I think this helped him bond to me more as you said. It made Amaury's introduction easier I think...and little bro Amaury had someone to bond to when I'm gone. Also, I see Amaury sometimes watching or mimicking big bro Shango, who respects me and this maybe rubs off on Amaury's behavior at times in a good way.

Had I gotten both together, hypothetically, I don't know that I would have had the same good outcome. dj

 

[wolviechick121]

Very awesome things to take into consideration. Yeah I want them to have a bond with each other as playmates while I'm not at home, but I definitely want a bond with them, too. =)

I was thinking I'd probably get the regular domestic cat first. Wait a few weeks, then introduce the savannah. Great feedback you guys! I really appreciate it!

 

[NikkiA]

We have three Savannah boys.
Our alpha male is Diablo, our F5 SBT boy. We were debating savannah vs. shelter kittens, and we saw D and fell in love with him, and transferred our deposit with our breeder to him. He is melanistic (we actually knew so little we thought his low price was because he was not standard- we knew so little we didn't realize melanistic was standard- silly us).
D came home in November 2011. We had never had a cat before. I know we all think this, but he is the best cat on the face of the earth. Hands down. He has never met a person he doesn't like. D will be 2 in July, and he isn't heavy, he is about 13 lbs, but he has no problem putting his front paws on my hips and begging (I'm short, only 5'2", but that is still a pretty long cat). D loves to walk outside and to play fetch.
In May 2012, Jarvis, our F3 boy, came home. We bought Jarvis, in part, to give D a friend. Jarvis is a typy savannah. Gold coat, black spots, huge ears with ocelli. He is one pretty and exotic looking boy. He is much more independent than D is, but that has more to do with his individual personality than his generation. He is a calm cat. D begs for attention, Jarvis follows you from room to room, but wants to sit next to you, not on you. Jarvis is always interested in playing, and if we dare to shut him out (for example to use the bathroom), he calmly sits and waits. Regardless of how long you shut him out for. He is like a dog that way. Jarvis is about 16 lean pounds. He turned one in February.
In September 2012, our F4 boy, Mickey Blue Eyes (the kitten in my avitar) came home. Mickey is a smaller kitty, but he is still a kitten (he turns 1 in June). He is about 10.5 pounds now, and we don't expect him to get much larger. He may not be very big, but he is our lap cat. As soon as the alarm goes off in the morning, he comes up to say good morning, and have a good long cuddle. It is one of our favorite parts of our day. He is not a standard savannah, he is a "snow", but I will tell you he is one very pretty boy, and even better, a great cat.

My point with the long post? i have no F1 experience, but I can tell you that the later generation savannahs have pretty great personalities too, and can be really really lovely cats. I wanted a dog, and we got D instead. And boy, these kitties are far more fun than I could have ever expected!

 

[wolviechick121]

That's very awesome. Those sound like amazing cats!! =D I am so excited!! I think I'm waiting to move so I can have a dedicated kitty room or something - at least space to have a kitty wheel. =) I'm so freakin' excited for my savannah! =D My next phase is learning how to order a cat online from a breeder... or should I actually travel to meet the breeder and their cats?

 

[scorpius]

My next phase is learning how to order a cat online from a breeder... or should I actually travel to meet the breeder and their cats?

For me, I used 'my' 500 mile rule myself if the cat was in country (both of mine were). My first SV was 200 miles away, so I made a road trip to see him and meet the breeder at 11 weeks. I made a 2nd road trip to pick him up at 13 weeks, the date the breeder agreed to release him. My second SV was 1700 miles away, so I elected to have the breeder ship him without ever meeting him first. He was shipped via United Airlines petsafe program and he came out of the carrier purring and super loving (still to this day). So basically, I just picked which cat of the litter I liked most based off of the pictures, pretty simple for me! But I'm the type of guy once he knows what he wants just goes and does it. No hesitation, no patience

It's ultimately your choice, to visit the cat and breeder or not, and of course visiting the cat and breeder is always a good thing if practical. Do what you think is best! dj

 

[wolviechick121]

Nice. haha. I'm thinking I'm wanting to go with F3, high percentage would be great. (I know F3 is lower generation anyways, but highest percentage possible at that level ) My other thing, which I did get a message from someone and asked them the same thing, it was seeming like there are waiting lists for savannahs. Although, a lot of things I have "discovered" on my own about when it comes to purchasing savannahs have been mostly debunked thanks to all of you with your great information!! =) So I was wondering if the waiting lists I had seen mean that you blindly get a kitten, or do you actually typically get to pick from a litter. I'm sure it can depend on the breeder, correct? Really not sure how that works. And do savannahs tend to have litters at certain times of the year? I know the cat shelters in my town tend to get swarmed with kittens March-April.

 

[scorpius]

There probably are waiting lists for some litters I suppose. Probably the admins and breeders can give better insight on this.

In my case, there were never any waiting lists as far as I'm aware, but I knew that the ones I was picking would go fast. Case in point, I just put a down payment on Shango, and only 6 hours later someone was prepared to do the same! So I lucked out, else he would not been named 'Shango' today. So naturally, with my second cat, Amaury, I quickly decided on him and then a down payment. It's important to look around and find the kitten or cat you think is right for you. But yes, if no waiting list then there still may be a good chance the kitten or cat could go fast and be spoken for even before you decide. BTW, F3's are beautiful gen's, great choice! dj