My Savannah Male F2 needs a friend

[Viper_im]

My male has had a mate (female Maine coone) for the last 5 years. Unfortunately a vet gave her a shot of long acting steroids for itching and put her in congestive heart failure, and after all attempts to save her, we lost our beloved cat and him his partner in crime.
I would like to get him another partner but don’t no if a male or female would be better, and what type of kitten I should get him.

Any advice?

 

[admin]

Perhaps another female, since that is what he is used to? And I'm sorry for his loss and your loss. You can get another savannah or a kitten from a shelter. Doesn't have to be a Savannah.


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[Viper_im]

He does want to play rough at times, he’s 6 years old and last time I weighed him he was 21 lb. I did consider a regular cat but am worried might be too small. That’s why I was thinking a larger cat to be able to put him in his place. Don’t get me wrong he is extremely loving and affectionate, but does have spouts when he wants to play and he likes to play rough

 

[Patti]

A Maine Coon could work, or an active breed such as an Abysinnian (even though they're quite small in comparison) would probably fit in as well. I think you'll just have to be careful that a kitten doesn't get intimidated by your big boy, so take introductions slowly, and let the kitten take the lead on how quickly you put them together (after the usual quarantine period, etc).

 

[John Campbell]

My male has had a mate (female Maine coone) for the last 5 years. Unfortunately a vet gave her a shot of long acting steroids for itching and put her in congestive heart failure, and after all attempts to save her, we lost our beloved cat and him his partner in crime.
I would like to get him another partner but don’t no if a male or female would be better, and what type of kitten I should get him.

Any advice?

So sorry to hear this.... I can certainly understand your losses. Something does not sound right, did the Doctor advise you that the shot could cause that, You may have some recourse on that. You would think that there should be something even though I know you cannot bring her back now. To be honest, on Vets now days after the Episode years ago, I really have a hard time trusting them and there does not seem to be enough of "Holding them Accountable"

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Unfortunately, steroids are not benign and there are adverse effects like you sadly discovered. If a cat has an underlying issue...and for a Maine Coon heat issues are a breed-related thing. For peace of mind, I would recommend heat-testing your cats...it's as simple as a cardiac ultrasound and you can get any indication that your cat has anything to worry about. We breeders should do this yearly with breeding cats, it doesn't prevent heart issues but it can help monitor and remove severely affected cats from programs.For Maine Coons there is a DNA test that detects I think about half of the HCM issues. Not all and it is no guarantee.
I think a female kitten often works best with male cats... and obviously in the past this seems to have worked well. A kitten generally is easier to accept. I think that you could either choose a Savannah or a Maine Coon or really most other breeds. What generation is your male Savannah?