Getting an earlier gen kitty

[Charley]

So I've almost got my boyfriend convinced that Jengo our F7 SBT needs a buddy. What we'd really like is an F3 but the BF is worried about integrating the 2. He's mostly worried that an F3 might be much more aggressive and be very intruding on Jengo's space. Jengo is a fairly insecure and skittish kitty and by getting him a buddy we are hoping he will open up some more. He's such a funny and amazing kitty but I'm the only one who gets to really see it - he hides from everyone else and is a little nervous around my bf even.

 

[Patty]

In my opinion, any generation of cat can be introduced to another cat. It is all in their personality. Some are more active than others. It just takes careful introductions

 

[Dantes]

So far I've had no problems with Duma (F3) with my Ragdoll Dante. Dante is the ultimate grouch, insecure and almost skittish, but yet he loves his Duma bunches and will cuddle and groom with him. I think it depends on the personality of the kitty.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

It most definitely depends on the individual personalities. I don't think earlier gens are more "aggressive" but they can be more intense and determined and that can be hard on other cats. They want to play ALL the time...and some kitties find that irritating to live with.

So saying that, my F1 Nina is pretty much at the bottom of the hierarchy here and bullied by the smallest kitty in the household, Coco... earlier generations are not necessarily the bullies of the household!

I've had F3 kittens that were really rambunctious and some that were perfect darlings... it would be a matter of finding a breeder that understood your boyfriend's concerns and would direct you to a more docile F3 kitten

 

[Dantes]

Oh, I forgot to mention that when Dante doesn't want to play with Duma, Duma plays soccer all by himself and isn't bothered one bit. Or he brings his mousey to me to throw.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I hope that continues! I don't know how old Duma is... what I have found is that other domestic cats will often cut a Savannah kitten a break for being a kitten...but once they get to a year or two they stop being so patient and start getting annoyed. That's how it went for us years ago with our first Savannah...

 

[Dantes]

Interesting. Duma is 7 months, Dante's 2nd birthday is today. I haven't yet seen Duma pestering Dante to play to annoyance, though. But I guess you're right, Alicia's Ragdoll is 3 years and Kronos (I think he's an F5) is a few months older than Duma, and she seems to have that problem. Time will tell...but I still think it has more to do with the kitty than with his generation.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I agree, it does have more to do with the individual kitties involved. Just putting it out there that it can change with age. There's a point in the kitten's development when they start pushing the boundaries...kinda like they are teenagers and rebel and act out. They can start playing a bit rougher at that time too... and if they have grown big then it might cause more issues.

 

[Charley]

Jengo is skittish with people, I have no idea how he will be with another cat. I can say this, with ME, he is talkative, whiny and extremely high energy and needs to play all day long! lol! I hope that introducing a buddy will give him someone to play with and hopefully make him less shy around everyone else. Jengo is a bit skittish with my boyfriend even, not bad they cuddle but Jengo can be spooked by him easily.

 

[finnaganagain]

We just brought home an F4 girl at 12 wks and already had a f5 blue spotted savannah who is not quite 2. Its been close to a month and they are only now beginning to be able to stand each other within a paws reach without hissing and subsequently fighting. Our F4 is an incredible girl who seems to tolerate our two wolfdogs better than the other savannah. But we have high hopes that they will become good friends as they are both such loving and incredible creatures. It definitely helps to have a calm environment and I find the best thing is to pet them both at the same time. It helps stimulate their positive responses while they are in close proximity to one another thereby (hopefully) creating positive associations.