Help me with my Sbt Savannah. Please?

[SV Dad]

Not the best picture, one savannah, three domestics. They grey cat on the far right (legs) is currently still with us. (The savannah is our first SV.)

 

[admin]

I just put what I've read, both on this site with some posts and other cat forums.

Other cat forums are not quite as experienced with Savannahs as the breeders/owners here.

 

[Patti]

I can give her free reign when I'm home, just make sure to discourage her away from the cords and the ledge that has the 12 foot drop. Maybe get some cat tree's upstairs that way she still has her high place but in a safer spot. During work though she'll be in her safe room. I do not want to come home to a cat with a potential broken leg or at least a hurt leg, or to an electrocuted cat. With Neka I had tried several ways to keep her away from cords and that didn't work very well. Neka I did let have free roam of the apartment I was in for a lot of the time, but she also had a far different personality then Sabriel.. but also far more Pica issues than Sabriel is displaying.

Brandy, I think she will be fine if you let her out of her room when you're home. I have had kittens go to homes with balconies before and only one was stupid enough to jump (about 15 feet) - she landed just fine but never did it again! As for the cords, not sure what you have tried in the past but several options include cord covers that you can purchase at Best Buy or similar store, coating them with something noxious such as soap, hot sauce, or bitter apple, or simply taping them down to the floor or wall so not accessible to Sabriel.

Right now I'm being overly cautious of everything. I got Sabriel a little over a month after I put Neka down, so I just don't ever want to be in a situation where she dies or has to be put down because of something that I could have prevented.

I understand why you are overly cautious right now, but you have to give yourself a break, and also think about what's best for Sabriel rather than feeding your paranoia. Remember what Paige said, lymphoma is not contagious so there was nothing you could do in Neka's situation except what you did. It is extremely hard to lose a beloved pet but it doesn't mean that it will happen again. BTW, there are tests that you can run to screen a kitten/cat for infections. I have done that in the past for potential kitten owners - it just has to be done before they are given any vacccines, as they can otherwise come up positive for those illnesses.

As to another cat - A) a new one could introduce a virus or some other thing that could weaken her immune system B) I'm still not sure if she would even like another cat in her territory C) I don't currently have money for another hybrid (I just bought a new house last year, I'm only 23, and I'm doing this on my own, I have to think of all of the financial issues) and domestic cats from what I read do not like savannahs (they're scared of them more often than not) - and I am not a dog person..

It is not that 'domestic' cats do not like Savannahs - after all, Savannahs are also domestic cats! Rather, there are some breeds that do better with Savannahs than others. Very active breeds such as Abyssinians and Bengals, or calm and confident breeds such as British Shorthairs do very well with Savannahs. More sedate or shy breeds may not be able to tolerate a Savannah's active, playful behavior. However, many people with Savannahs have other domestic cats and they do very well together.

 

[Patti]

However with the tricks I've thought of clicker training her but I'm still reading though exactly how you do it or start it. She does love treats, so I'll try to figure that out.

Here is a Yahoo group that talks about clicker training:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Cat-Clicker/

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

NikkiA -
Shelby - I'll try. As for the tv or radio, every time I tried that when I first got home I'd come home to her room being completely in disarray. I swear she tried to move everything. So I tried it once without the tv or radio and I came home and it was fine. So I tested it for an hour with the tv on downstairs (without me in the room) and she tried to move everything again. I took that as her not liking the sound. She doesn't like visitors so my guess is that maybe she thinks the tv or the radio is someone else in the home... When I'm downstairs and the tv is on she seems fine though so I don't know.

Brigitte - Okay she does get more than one room when I'm with her, she get's the whole basement (well not the laundry/furnace room) but yeah. For the record it is a finished basement with vinyl flooring, not a concrete basement. As for another kitty, my vet recommends that I don't get another one. Before Sabriel I had Neka (also from A1savannahs), the whole time I had Neka she seemed to have a virus (coughing, sneezing etc.), I ended up having to put her down at a year and half because with x-ray it was shown that she had pleural effusion in her chest cavity. At first they thought it was Effusive FIP, but then through tests told me it was lymphoma, I kept her alive for 10 days after I found out, the day I put her down her pupils were different dilations and they told me it was very likely that the cancer had spread to her brain. Anyway to get back to the point, I've had tests done on Sabriel to make sure she doesn't have fiv or FeLV, but there aren't tests for everything. Right now I KNOW that I have a healthy cat, but if I bring in another cat (even with quarantine) I can't guarantee that one won't give a virus to the other or something down the line. I'm not taking any chances after what I went through last year... it was too hard.. it hurt too much! I'm fine with one kitty and as the vet told me "cats are not always gregarious" - his words not mine. But at this point I'm not sure if she would like a companion...

I suspect that what you describe actually says that your kitten is more "at home" and comfortable even in her room when there is tv or radio noise, her trashing her room means she was active and playing and being a kitten. Personally, I got a Savannah because they are active, troublemaking, inquisitive and highly amusing kitties... I may groan at the mess but I appreciate the fun they've had creating it, and I did not want a couch potato kitty.

Your vet is correct that not all cats are gregarious, but that does not mean that your particular individual kitten is NOT gregarious, it simply means that she might not need a companion. But then if she had a lot of interaction in her day with humans she may not need another kitty companion either. Or if she had a doggy companion etc... Just if all was well, you wouldn't have felt the need to post a list of issues, hence there may be a problem with her being an only kitty. That of course is your decision to make, but if it is infections that have you most concerned about adding another kitten, there are a range of tests (for example the respiratory and gastrointestinal PCR panel tests in addition to FIV/FeLV) you can do on both your existing kitten and new kitten before you bring it home that may ease your mind. You can make sure that the more common pathogens are not an issue.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

It is not that 'domestic' cats do not like Savannahs - after all, Savannahs are also domestic cats! Rather, there are some breeds that do better with Savannahs than others. Very active breeds such as Abyssinians and Bengals, or calm and confident breeds such as British Shorthairs do very well with Savannahs. More sedate or shy breeds may not be able to tolerate a Savannah's active, playful behavior. However, many people with Savannahs have other domestic cats and they do very well together.

Agreed, I have a British Shorthair here that does GREAT with the Savannahs, a very different type of cat but he's not fussed by anything and so simply ignores the Savannahs if he doesn't wish to play... now his breeder is a veterinarian which you might find gives you a little more assurance to purchase a kitten from a vet in terms of paying attention to diseases?

Pixiebobs are reported to do great too, for a similar reason to Brits I think...they are calm and confident kitties.

Patti also breeds Highlanders and she says that they do great with the Savannahs being active and playful kitties... but I think possibly less expensive than another Savannah?

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I took this video a little bit ago to show her room's layout. During the video she's lightly nipping at my toes or sock, each time I said "no" she stopped. I don't want to encourage any form of biting, even if it is play biting. For the video I put her toys in her cat tree or her pet crate so you could see the room she had. I leave her pet carrier in the room all the time so that when I do have to take her to the vet or something she's not afraid of it...

To me, that video showed that your kitten is just trying to get attention and some sort of play from you... she sees wrestling with your feet as a great idea and I can understand why. You could pick up a wand toy after saying no and redirect her energies that way...

 

[Patti]

Patti also breeds Highlanders and she says that they do great with the Savannahs being active and playful kitties... but I think possibly less expensive than another Savannah?

Oh yes, Highlanders are wonderful cats! They love everyone and everything. They can be active and playful for hours or be just as happy spending the afternoon in your lap. They get along with all of my Savannahs, even my girls who give everyone else attitude!!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Clicker training could be great I think, to enhance your bonding and to engage her mind!

As to the 12 foot drop in your house, I live in an old Victorian house with two floors and a very long drop over the banister from one floor to the next. I've never (touch wood) had a serious injury here in the 12 years I've had Savannahs here. They make me hold my breath when they walk on that upper railing, and I generally lift them off it, but I suspect they only do that to show off to "mama" and to get my attention. I have had older kittens fall down that gap between the upper landing and the stair case and it freaked me out... but I think twice in those years and no injuries. But then I had one kitten go flying through a screened window upstairs and fall two stories down to the ground and all he had was one broken toe... they can be amazing with how they land compared to how we are.

I wonder if you would have done better to wait longer after losing your beloved kitten before getting the next one... much of your worry and anxiety may be because you haven't quite processed your grief over the loss of the previous kitten. You say that Sabriel is very different from Neka...so maybe concentrating on her being different will allow you to relax and allow her to be her own self and not put so much weight on keeping her safe and instead allow her to be a silly naughty Savannah kitten? I do see the value in having a kitty room for her, but if she hasn't shown signs of pica then she just may not need to be so secluded when you are not there.

 

[Brandy DW]

Paige - I agree that other cat forums are not set up to really talk as well about savannahs, but that doesn't mean that the people who posted weren't correct that their savannahs and dsh's didn't get along very well.

Patti - With Neka I tried the bitter apple, she loved it. I tried tape, she tried to eat the tape (along with carpet, metal, plastic, toilet paper, normal paper just about anything really lol), I will not put hot sauce on the cords or anything I think she will chew because I think that's just going to far (for myself, I'm not saying other people are wrong in doing it.), and I will look into the cord protectors at best buy or petco or something to see if they could help.
Can they test for FIP before vaccines?
I agree that some domestic cats could be better for savannahs than others, but I'm still not sure if I want another cat. I'm not sure if I want to take that chance. With Sabriel my plan is now to cat proof my upstairs (including making sure the plant I have isn't poisonous to cats) and start slowly letting get used to the upstairs while I'm home.

Brigitte - I do not want a couch potato kitty either. I love playing games with her. I didn't mind that she moved everything in her room, it's her room, she can do what she wants with it. I just know that when I first brought her home she seemed to be afraid of the sound from the tv, I watched how she reacted. It is my opinion that's how she's reacting to the tv when I'm not there with her. I don't know if I'm right. I do know that when I'm not home, and the tv is off, that she does play with her toys in her room. Because each morning and each night I put her toys at different area's of the room for her to find them (along with different treats sometimes too) and the next time I see them they're almost always in different places.

Also if you look at that list of issues, one was the poo, which since I used that enzyme cleaning a two days ago she has not done since *crosses fingers that she won't*. My other issue was wondering if I had socialized her wrong because she wouldn't ever sit in my lap, but as everyone has told me sometimes savannah's don't do that.

Also looking for ways to make things better for her and with your guy's encouragement I'll be letting her free roam when I'm home as soon as I cat proof my upstairs. I don't think another cat is needed...

You're information on how your other cats have faired with long jumps/falls has made me slightly less apprehensive if she ever does feel the need to get up there and then falls off or something. Thank you for that Brigitte.

You're right when you say I should have waited. I was still grieving for Neka when I got her, I thought with a new kitten my grief would be less, but in some ways it was more. I couldn't exactly return her though upon that realization. So last year I more or less tried my best and I'm still paranoid about something going wrong. But with all the differences between Neka and Sabriel I am becoming less paranoid that something will happen to her, but I'll breathe a huge sigh of relief when she's over 2 years old (as most health problems happen to cat's before the age of 2 or when their geriatric, from what I've read at least). As for the cat room, I actually had that made for Neka (the vinyl flooring instead of carpet), I bought a brand new house last year so I got to decide some of the things (the foyer was already built though. I am doing some things the way I am with Sabriel because of how Neka was with pica, but with Sabriel's safe room she hasn't really had a whole lot of opportunity to eat carpet or chew on cords. Essentially everything I learned from when I first got Neka, I already applied before I got Sabriel - so I wouldn't have to go through some of the same mishaps. Trust me when I say waiting for your cat to pooh something out is not fun, as you guys likely know lol.

Thank you all for your replies, I am truly grateful. I will be letting her free roam when I'm home in the future after I've cat proofed the upstairs some. I will also be getting her some more cat tree's for upstairs and downstairs (along with a cat wheel, and hammock for downstairs)...