Hello from Switzerland

[John Popp]

No matter how much time you spend with them, in a heartbeat they can become bored and whatever you are doing is far more interesting than what they were doing. As others have said, they are always right in the middle of everything.

With the children's toys, there may be some interest in them but probably more interest in how someone interacts with them. On their own, chest the risk of a choke hazard or bowel obstruction.

Not having the cats in the bedroom is something I can't imagine. Left to their own devices for the evening can only spell trioubleunless they have their own room to retire to. From time to time we do crate our SV boy, primarily when we are doing something that poses a hazard for him. Sometimes just when telling him to get down or no for the 132nd time didn't sink in.

In all, they are the greatest of pets and the truest of friends. The cost of that is in part your home has to be constructed around their needs, and anything you wish not to see broken needs to be locked away. I would also strongly recommend spreading out the first and second kitten acquisitions so they have a good bond with the caretakers before having a partner. It also sets the level of expectations as to what two of them may accomplish when they put their heads together.

 

[Hina]

Not having the cats in the bedroom is something I can't imagine. Left to their own devices for the evening can only spell trioubleunless they have their own room to retire to. From time to time we do crate our SV boy, primarily when we are doing something that poses a hazard for him. Sometimes just when telling him to get down or no for the 132nd time didn't sink in.

I second that one too !! Savannahs are social and they need to be around people. Our F5 needs to be around us EVERYTIME ! He wants to know everything that's going around him. And it's not just to play. I spent all day sick in bed yesterday and Sasha refused to budge from my side. He kept me company all through the day and night.

 

[NikkiA]

Our SV boys sleep with us 9 out of 10 nights. They do not do well with being locked out. They cry incessantly.

All three of our boys love kiss.

Two out of our three boys are neither destructive nor have problems with eating random things. Our F4 boy will eat anything he can fit in our mouth....

 

[Tort518]

I thought for a while that my youngest Savannah was at risk for eating small items, but I have found that he's pretty good about things. He'll play with stuff and I still keep a close eye on him, but he is smart enough that if I take something away he knows it is not food and will not try to eat it if he gets hold of it again.

As a kitten he discovered a box full of foam packing peanuts and loves to play with them, but doesn't eat them. I thought I had been thorough in cleaning all of them up, but still find him playing with one every now and then.

He is also into EVERYTHING that he sees me doing. When I try getting dressed for work in the morning he will try to grab socks away from me when I reach for them or he will lay on the shirt I am about to put on and bite it playfully if I reach for it. He makes a game out of lots of things so that he can be involved in whatever I do.

I suspect my two Savannah's would be fine with children because they were socialized as kittens in a family environment, including sleeping in bed with the young children. Look for a breeder that does wonderful with socializing their kittens and I doubt they will be a problem. It likely all comes down to teaching the child how to behave with the kittens.

 

[Rafiki]

We do not have kids but Rafiki was great with my niece and nephew when they visited. She also shows a great deal of interest in the kids across the street - I think she wants to help them improve their soccer skills.
Toys would be a problem however. She is very hard on toys and refuses to believe that they are not all hers.

 

[noknok]

Our son was 5yo when we got our first SV, an F2. He was 7yo when we got our second, an F1. We love them, but these are not easy cats to have. Legos have to be put away in our house, or they get 'lost'. Neither cat wants to eat them, but they get played with a lot. Soccer balls have to be stored, or they get popped & shredded. Shoes with laces have to be put away or the laces are chewed. School projects have to be put away. No shelf is safe - they jump to all of them and will push books and other objects off to make room for nap space. Our house is the cleanest one in the neighborhood - everything is always put away by necessity. So, it's not impossible to have a clean house with small kids, but it is a ton of work! The cats are allowed in our room, but not in bathrooms (they chew on faucets, toilet paper, open toilet lids, etc) or my sons room, which is the only place he can work on long term projects without them getting wrecked.

The other thing that we are running into is that Schengen states don't all allow high % SVs. We are possibly moving to Europe, but getting the cats cleared isn't so straightforward. CITES defaults to ignorant, Byzantine local ordinances, and there is not a lot of good info out there and many websites that claim to know hybrid law are flat out wrong. High % SVs can't travel under the normal pet travel scheme and sometimes need licensing and/or outdoor housing. Be careful! You might want to go with an F5 or later generation to minimize hassle.

 

[Patti]

@noknok if you have any information on the European laws I would appreciate it if you could forward them to me at patti@jasirisana.com so that I can update the HybridLaw.com website - thanks!

 

[noknok]

@noknok if you have any information on the European laws I would appreciate it if you could forward them to me at patti@jasirisana.com so that I can update the HybridLaw.com website - thanks!

Patti, I've written to you - check your email!

 

[Patti]

I got it, thanks!