Hello from a soon-to-be Savannah Dad!

[WitchyWoman]

A closed door is sufficient for quarantine. All of those things you mentioned could be signs of illness or just plain stress due to the new environment. He may also be constipated for a few days. All 4 of mine were constipated their first few days home. My F1 Atticus, who came home last month, didn't poop for 6 days. That was a record. I kept waiting for him to explode because a tremendous amount of food was going in the front end with nothing coming out the back. LOL.

Your purchase contract will probably stipulate that you take the kitten to the vet with 72 hrs of arrival for a general checkup. If you can get a stool sample by that time, all the better. If the kitten shows no signs of illness between that first general checkup and the end of quarantine, there's no particular need for a 2nd visit.

For the introduction after quarantine, I recommend putting your DSH in the kitten's room for a few hours each day for a few days and let the kitten roam the house and get used to sights and smells. Then if you have some baby gates, put them up with the kitten back in his room and let them interact through the baby gates until you see evidence that they are comfortable with each other. You can continue to switch them out -- putting DSH in the room and letting the kitten roam. You should play with both of them when the baby gates are up, maybe using a feather wand so they can chase it under the gate. Feeding them on each side of the gate is another way to establish trust. I'm thinking of your DSH in particular since she may resent the kitten and the change in her routine.

When you feel the time is right, let the DSH in the room with the kitten and supervise that first meeting. Depending on how it goes, that could be the end of the separation or it may take longer.

 

[Patti]

Remember that the quarantine period is not just to make sure the kitten doesn't come with any illness, although that of course is very important. It is also a time for your kitten to adjust to its new home, and for it to bond with you. It is also a time to allow your DSH to get used to the idea that there is another cat in the house.

Depending upon how large your home is, when you first start letting the kitten out he should be supervised at all times, and introduced to limited areas of the house until he gets familiar with them, so that he knows the way back to his food, water, and particularly his litterbox. He is after all just a kitten, and kittens tend to get wrapped up in the moment so don't pay attention to their own needs until they need to go NOW, and if there isn't a litterbox readily available they will go in the most convenient corner, or on a towel, or a piece of clothing, or whatever is convenient.

If the kitten appears to be completely healthy during the quarantine period (which should be a minimum of two weeks) then there is no need for another vet visit. A single sneeze or a single episode of diarrhea is not necessarily cause for alarm, but if it is recurrent I would have him checked out (and tested) by the vet.

 

[SV Dad]

Welcome Astral, and congratulations. You are in for a great ride. I brought my first Savannah into the house with an elderly DSH. I, too, was worried about the the energy of a kitten and an older cat. No worries. Actually worked about well for the elder cat, who was gentle and loved to play with the new kitten. He lost some pounds in that first year which was a good thing for him. The only cat I've had that really didn't take to a kitten was Rascal, when his full brother Mayhem arrived when he (Rascal) was a year old. But Mayhem got along wonderfully with out first Savannah.
All of us know... the waiting is the hardest part......

 

[Astral]

Thank you for the wonderful advice so far everyone! This is all really helping to settle my nerves and make me feel a bit more confident about my first go with a multi-pet household.

I'm prepared for the idea that my DSH won't come around too quickly to the idea of sharing territory, but I'm glad to hear about your experiences Rascal! I think a large part of our decision is the hope that the newcomer will help keep her 'young' and active for a while yet. As it is she's always been really picky when it comes to toys, but she goes wild for any bugs or birds on the other side of the window. I'm thinking having someone to play with "on her level" will do some good.

 

[Astral]

Wow, the last two months have just rocketed by! I'm so thankful too, I don't know what I'd have done if it felt like the wait was any longer.

The time is finally here and we're tentatively scheduled to bring our baby home next Friday! He'll be just a couple of days shy of 11 weeks. I know some prefer to wait until 12, but I really wanted to get the additional day off to spend with him for Labor Day. Hopefully my impatience won't have any adverse effects but I trust if my breeder feels he's ready to go home.

Expect picture and video overload come Labor Day weekend!

 

[WitchyWoman]

WooooHaaaaa! Time is getting short. I'm looking forward to the pics & vids. We only complain when people are stingy about posting those -- we've never had anyone complain about pic/vid overload and I doubt anyone ever will.

So the toys, beds, litter boxes, and food for new baby are purchased as well as vitamins for mom & dad who are soon to learn a new definition of "energy"….

 

[Astral]

Hah, I didn't even think about vitamins...hopefully we can get by on copious amounts of coffee!

We did just go on a spree for everything else though, from new carrier, bed, and cat tree to all sorts of toys and of course the essentials. Picked a few things up for our shorthair so she doesn't feel left out, too.

All that remains is to clean and prep the room, and then hope the next ten days don't drag too long.

 

[Patti]

Congrats on your pending arrival, I can't wait to see pics and videos of the new baby!!

 

[Astral]

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in pics - the little guy has been taking all of my attention the past few days and I haven't had the heart to leave him alone long enough to get everything uploaded. I'm proud to finally introduce Dante, our black smoke F6 SBT boy!

He's an incredible bundle of energy and affection, and he'll just as quickly race around the room hunting his toys as he will jump in my lap for a cuddle or nap. He's adjusted to his new home in no time at all, though he's already eager to break out of his quarantine and meet his big sister. He's already learned that the doorknob means 'out', so thankfully he can't reach it just yet...though that doesn't stop him from trying!

He's also definitely teething, and he likes to bite and chew on anything from fingers to (much to my dismay) metal lamp poles. I bought some bitter yuck to put on the one exposed electrical cord and the few other things I'm worried he might hurt himself with, but so far it doesn't seem to be deterring him all that much. I've also bought him some teething toys though he already chewed a piece off of one of them. I'm debating moving on to puppy or baby teething toys. He likes to chase and chew on his tail as well which I'm trying to discourage, but I'm worried about using bitter yuck on the tail in case it discourages him from grooming.

Anyway, here's a bunch of pictures I snapped throughout the weekend. Plenty more to come, of course!

 

[Carykd7kau]

He is a cute little guy. Ahhh Kittenhood.