General F5 Questions

[MJM]

Hi All,

Thank you to everyone who gave me some tips re: counters in this thread: http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/counters.6019/#post-106683

We've started to see some signs of recognition in Nala that she knows what's going on. Of course, that doesn't mean she's consistently following the rules, but at this point I think that she appears to know she's not supposed to be on the counter is a solid first step.

Everyone was so helpful, I thought I'd put a few more questions out there to take advantage of the collective knowledge. Both my wife and I had family cats as children, but are both knew to having a Savannah (SBT F5) living in our home. Which leads me to my first question.

1) How different should we expect an F5 to be from a typical domestic? With cats it seems very difficult (for me) to gauge what is a breed quality, an individual personality, or just a phase/occasional quirk.

2) Christmas tree? Is it a case by case basis or do they pretty universally see them as their own playgrounds?

3) Diet...we currently have Nala, at the recommendation of the breeder, eating a high protein, no grain kibble. She eats it, no problems. I know at the higher breeds raw food is strongly encouraged...but seeing how she seems fine with the high-protein kibble, is there any real need to change? She does not get any human food at all, but she certainly has a strong natural instinct that she WANTS milk!

4) Treats? We have not given her any kind of treat since we got her 2.5 weeks ago. I appreciate that all the treats are mostly junk food, but is there a preferred brand/package that is better?

5) Training...is a F5 very trainable in your experiences? We probably won't try to adapt her to a leash/harness, but if she's likely to find basic tricks (fetch, sit, etc) stimulating, then we're more than happy to put in the time and see if she's interested. I just don't know at what generation training is less likely, if at all?

If you have any tips on any of these subjects, I'm all ears!

 

[Rafiki]

Hi MJM,

1. For the most part, a Savannah is simply a domestic cat but one that is more active and more interactive. They tend to want to be involved in everything you do. But, as with all cats, they are individuals and the personality will vary.

2. Case by case. I have had a tree up with mine but only with non-breakable ornaments. My beautiful cut glass ones will stay packed away for the foreseeable future.

3. Cats are obligate carnivores and would normally get most of their water needs fulfilled by the meat that they eat. As a result, cats in general do not have a strong urge to drink. My female SV drinks several times a day but I have not seen my male PB drink in over 2 years. Avoiding grain and going with high quality protein is important. Feeding canned food is generally considered better than kibble because of the moisture content. Many on this forum feed either raw or whole prey.

4. Treats do not need to be junk. The favorite treats around here are all freeze dried meat as follows:

• Fresh is Best freeze dried duck hearts or chicken hearts (they prefer duck)
• Fresh is Best freeze dried duck fillets (current favorite)
• Fresh is Best freeze dried duck necks (I give about 1/3 or 1/2 of one at a time)
• Bonebons freeze dried duck feet
• Purebites freeze dried chicken breast
• Whole Life freeze dried chicken breast
• Halo Liv-a-littles freeze dried chicken breast
• Purebites freeze dried shrimp

5. Savannahs are very trainable....but they seem to excel at training their humans instead. My SV taught us how to play fetch on the 3rd day. Leash/harness training is always a good idea in that it gives you an extra option if your SV needs to leave the house for any reason. Many of them thrive on seeing new sights. Savannahs love to interact and as such may be easier to train than other cat breeds. On the other hand, "No" tends to translate into "Later, not now" in their little brains so the end result may vary!

 

[MJM]

Thanks so much for the quick response.

It's great to know that there are some good treat options out there. A few of those brands you mentioned aren't available in Canada it looks like, but Purebites is, so I'll look into ordering some online.

We seem to have gotten pretty lucky on the drinking front. She's generally pretty curious across the board when it comes to water. She hasn't shown any real reluctance to drink, and definitely always wants to drink straight from the tap. Although we're trying not to encourage that behavior too much just being mindful of water conservation, etc.

 

[Rafiki]

Thanks so much for the quick response.

It's great to know that there are some good treat options out there. A few of those brands you mentioned aren't available in Canada it looks like, but Purebites is, so I'll look into ordering some online.

These products are all available on Amazon....not sure if Amazon.CA carries or not. I also use a seller on Ebay for the Fresh is Best products.

The freeze dried chicken breast is also known as "kitty crack". We sprinkle these crumbs onto food and the cats devour it.

 

[NikkiA]

Welcome to being owned by a Savannah!

It really is like nothing else

We have an F5 SBT who got us hooked on the breed. For the first two years, he ignored the tree. He no longer ignores the tree. Now, he must climb it.

So we try to limit his exposure to it

He walks on his leash and harness, comes, stays, and plays fetch. He is the best behaved of our bunch. You are in for a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, some training, and several how the heck did she do that's.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

1) A Savannah, especially at SBT, is pretty much on the high energy end of the domestic cat spectrum...similar to an Abyssinian. They also can be quirky and very individual (also very like the Abys can be!).

2) Case by case...there are some that find they can put up a naked tree for a few days, and the cat plays with it then loses interest, and then they are free to decorate...and there are some that are obsessed with killing the tree. Mine are on the troublemaking side, but I have found a system of Ssscat motion detectors and scat mats keep the tree safe each year. So far.

3) Raw meat as a diet is encouraged no matter the generation. My British Shorthair came to me raised on a raw diet. My F5s are more likely to demand raw from me than my two F1s...who are happy with canned and kibble mostly. A raw diet is the healthiest option, it can be a pain so kibble is definitely more convenient.

4) For treats, freeze dried chicken treats are pretty healthy being 100% meat...and are one of the most universally accepted treats I've tried.

5) It probably depends on the individual cat on how trainable they are. I know that Marilyn the Cat Coach has her F5 Savannah well trained using clicker training...

 

[Kristin]

Hi from a fellow Canadian! My 2 F4s don't bother the Christmas tree at all...the presents on the other hand...

I believe in a raw food diet no matter the cat, as others have mentioned above. It is biologically appropriate, is carb free, and has natural moisture. I do a combo of pre made raw and whole prey.

I give my cats dehydrated meat as treats. Purebites is a popular one, as is Crumps. I also give them dehydrated hearts.

My cats are both leash trained, although one better than the other. They both know sit, although I didn't do anything further. I'm sure it depends on your individual cat and her willingness to learn. Neither of my cats like fetch


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[Jim & Baghira]

Baghira is a F-5 SBT And will do just about anything for treats. By treats meaning dried raw meat. We are lucky we have a dog and cat butcher right down the street and can get our raw and dried raw meat from.
He is great on the leash walks by my side...and if he does get interested in something all I have to do is call him and he comes.
If you want to see some of the things he does I can post a video. He loves doing clicker training with my wife.
Ohh and he´s not interested in the tree, But our Siberian is lol.

 

[MJM]

All great info.

We put up the tree last night and have left it undecorated. So far she seems mildly disinterested at best, but then again, we haven't covered it in shiny "toys" yet.

Perhaps we'll consider the leash/harness training. At this stage it seems like any activity to keep her mind active is good for her. All things considered, for a 6 month old kitten she seems generally well behaved outside of the odd time where she gets over-excited and becomes too aggressive with biting. She hasn't really tried to destroy anything (yet) and sleeps through the night. We've jokingly started to call her the Rooster though, as she consistently believes that 6:30-6:45AM is the right time to play her first game of "Attack the Feet in Bed."

 

[Patti]

Everyone has given you great advice and suggestions, I really don't have anything to add... except count your blessings that your little beastie waits intil 6:30a to wake you up - typical roll call for a Savannah is more commonly 4-5am!!