I want to buy a savannah cat because

[Trish Allearz]

Hey, guess what? Your Cleo has wild genetics from somewhere in her bloodline too. Oh, sure, it's teeny and we tend to tell ourselves that cats are domesticated, but who are we fooling? Release a cat into the wilderness and most will learn how to survive without any issues. Thrive? Perhaps not, but survive. Release a Chihuahua into the wilderness (on the flip side-- our canine companions) and what do we get? A dead dog. Cats are only as domesticated as we tell ourselves.

My Savannahs thrive with 'regular' cats-- including a one-eyed old man who is 14 years old and a cranky old black lady who is 14 as well. Savannahs are cats are cats are cats. Some get along well with others, some do not, etc. Just like any other cat or kitten, regardless of the breed or not.

 

[tj_johnson]

Darlene, I'm very sorry for your loss, and am happy to hear you have adopted another cat!

Our experiences, for what it's worth:

When we decided to get a Savannah (about nine months ago), we shared some of your concerns. We have a very affectionate and somewhat dominant male cat to consider, as well as a shy and skittish female cat. Both are about four years old now, and they were our primary concern in adopting a Savannah (or any other cat, for that matter).

Both of our cats are rescues and we wanted to make sure we adopted a kitten who would fit well into our family.

In the end, after lots of conversations with breeders, we chose a female Savannah who has been a perfect addition to our home. Our male cat has "adopted" her like she is his personal baby kitty, and our skittish female tolerates her as well. All of the cats get along (for the most part) and nap together, play together, etc.

Monkey, our Savannah, is an F2 with an exceptional personality. She has energy and can be "destructive" where paper towels and TP are concerned, but she's really just a super curious, smart cat who approaches everything she does with a lot of enthusiasm. She has plenty of moxie and isn't afraid of anything - but gets along just fine with our super shy, skittish female cat. There's no intimidation, etc. going on.

However, perhaps most importantly, she's an individual, just like our other two cats, and Savannah personalities seem to differ as much as personalities do in any other cats - or people

Regarding the size question, this is not something we particularly cared about. To be honest (and I'm sorry if I offend anyone), I don't understand the obsession with size. Our first priorities were health and personality, and the emphasis our breeder put on socialization.

That said, Monkey likes to weigh herself by sitting on the bathroom scale (!), and her last weight that we saw a few weeks ago was 10 pounds (at about 11 months old). She is long legged and petite, and absolutely perfect just as she is.

My strong recommendation would be to spend time talking with your breeder, meet the cats via Skype or YouTube video if you can (or visit if that's possible) and prioritize health, socialization and personality above all else

 

[WitchyWoman]

All of those concerns you have can occur regardless of the size and breed of the cat. Generally, not always, a male cat matures to be more mellow than a female.

I had the same concerns as you when I got my first SV. At that time I had a 14 yr old female DSH diva. Juba came into the house and immediately respected her. She put him in his place when he got too cheeky and he listened. Juba is 16 lbs. Then I brought Taji home and he bullied Maggie unmercifully. She did not, however, ever attempt to draw boundaries with him which I found puzzling. And for all the harassment he gave her, he'd just sit and let her take his food away. Taji is a 10 lb F6. Then I brought in Maliik who was a very large kitten and Maggie immediately put him in his place and he was terrified of her. He's 22 lbs.

Maggie lived to be 18 and Taji never let up on her and she just took it and only occasionally bopped him in the head. When she got very ill with kidney failure though, Taji was the one who kept her company most often. This picture is from a few days before she died.
So, you have to weigh the pros and cons, risks and benefits, search your heart and in the end take a chance.

 

[Darlene]

All of those concerns you have can occur regardless of the size and breed of the cat. Generally, not always, a male cat matures to be more mellow than a female.

I had the same concerns as you when I got my first SV. At that time I had a 14 yr old female DSH diva. Juba came into the house and immediately respected her. She put him in his place when he got too cheeky and he listened. Juba is 16 lbs. Then I brought Taji home and he bullied Maggie unmercifully. She did not, however, ever attempt to draw boundaries with him which I found puzzling. And for all the harassment he gave her, he'd just sit and let her take his food away. Taji is a 10 lb F6. Then I brought in Maliik who was a very large kitten and Maggie immediately put him in his place and he was terrified of her. He's 22 lbs.

Maggie lived to be 18 and Taji never let up on her and she just took it and only occasionally bopped him in the head. When she got very ill with kidney failure though, Taji was the one who kept her company most often. This picture is from a few days before she died.
View attachment 14923 So, you have to weigh the pros and cons, risks and benefits, search your heart and in the end take a chance.

Thank you for all the replies. I think, in the end, my cat is lonely and she needs to have activity in the house.

 

[Rafiki]

How about asking the breeder to point out the non-dominent kittens in the litter? It was very obvious when I visited at 8 weeks that Rafiki was submissive to her brother. Jammu (pixiebob) was the dominant kitten in his litter. When we brought Rafiki home, she was submissive to Jammu well.

My breeder showed me numerous examples of former kittens in their new homes with dsh cats. It was funny to me that even though some of the SVs were twice the size of the dsh, they were submissive.

Again, to me the size of the cat didn't really matter, the personality did. You should be able to find a SV that is not aggressive and work with the kitten to keep it that way.

 

[Trish Allearz]

Please see www.saveoursavannahs.wordpress.com if you've any worries about dsh x savannahs getting along. Easy fix.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Patti]

I agree with what everyone has already said. If you're wanting a big cat it's highly unlikely that you'll find it in an F3, F4, or F5, Savannahs are assertive and persistent - but that is different from aggressive. If Cleo runs away your new kitten may chase her, but if she wants to get to know him/her and play then they will undoubtedly get along fine.