F2 male - 3.5mo - biting problem

[GlennG]

Hi,
I have a Serval that's acting the exact same way.
NO cuddle time ever. Only bite, bite and more bite.
Me, the other cats, her toys, her cat tower etc.
24/7 in attack mode.
And GOD forbid there is shrimp, Black Forest Ham (only black forest, lol) or Chinese food in the house! She will without warning jump onto the table, in your plate and growl like crazy as she scoffs your egg-drop wonton soup!

Time outs, sprays, WEEKS of day-in, day-out continuous positive reinforcement and time-outs have done nothing. Since I got her 7 weeks ago she has been free to roam throughout the house and her habitat and used her litter box always. Now she has decided that her litter box is not needed and she just goes wherever she is that the urge arises..

HELP PLEASE!
Tell me your problem stopped!

Glenn

 

[admin]

You likely need to retrain by putting her in a smaller room with her litterbox, although Servals are not domestic, no matter what anyone had told you...Most Servals may start potty using a litterbox, but as they get older, do what they naturally do, which is why an enclosure is always necessary for a Serval. She is a bit young yet to stop using the litterbox, so retraining may work.

As for biting... Did you allow her to bite when you first got her? Have you spoken to her breeder?


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[GlennG]

As for biting... Did you allow her to bite when you first got her? Have you spoken to her breeder?


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Biting has ALWAYS been discouraged.

Breeder says "all cats are different" (aka precisely vague answers)

 

[Patti]

Your serval is NOT a cat, she is a wild animal, no matter how 'domestically' she was raised. Servals do not use litter boxes, have no interest in using litter boxes, and think everything in site belongs to them. I don't know how old she is but spaying her might help curb some of her peeing issues. As for the biting, stealing, and demanding - this is typical serval behavior and unlikely to change, in fact it is more likely to get worse as she matures.

Please be careful with what she has access to - she can shred and swallow a toy in seconds, then you will potentially be facing a $5000 surgery bill that may or may not be successful...

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

It is very very true that a Serval is a whole different ballgame to a Savannah of any generation, even F1. That is in reality WHY the Savannah breed exists, why a domestic cat version was a good idea.

As said above, you can try the tactics used with domestic cats and they might work for her early life, but in general a Serval needs an outdoor enclosure for their owner's sanity. We find F1s to be very intense and determined versions of the rest of the Savannah breed, a Serval is a hyper-version of even an F1.

 

[GlennG]

An enclosure like this?

https://www.facebook.com/zoroaster.garritano

 

[WitchyWoman]

An enclosure like this?

Can't tell if the top of that enclosure is roofed with the wire. It needs a large dog house or some other type of space the cat can go into, a kiddie pool, maybe a rope for swinging and several vertical and horizontal surfaces added to it. Part of the roof and some of the sides should have a tarp or other covering to provide shade and protection from inclement weather.

 

[GlennG]

Can't tell if the top of that enclosure is roofed with the wire. It needs a large dog house or some other type of space the cat can go into, a kiddie pool, maybe a rope for swinging and several vertical and horizontal surfaces added to it. Part of the roof and some of the sides should have a tarp or other covering to provide shade and protection from inclement weather.

She's only 12 weeks..
I am setting up play-house this week.
Pool to follow...

 

[GlennG]

Altering this for her this week!