New F3 - 13 week boy behaviour

[John T.]

Hi All,

Rhexy has been with us 3 weeks now and we are definitely in training

I wanted to share and ask you a couple of questions regarding his behaviour:

1. He meaows constantly...not like in desperation, but just walks around jumps on things, etc, and all the while meaows... If i take him and cuddle him in my arms he slows the miaowing or stops... Is that normal, is something missing, is he upset or...?

2. When we initially brought him home, he used to make all kinds of noises: chirps, hisses, meaows, etc. Now 2-3 weeks later it's just meaows....Has he forgotten the other sounds or...?

3. We started letting him sleep with us in bed....(a real nightmare must watch out not to hurt him).. Is that a good/bad/indifferent habbit to start?

4. I got a leash and a kitty harness and put it on once every couple of days and play with him in the house...he doesn't seem to mind terribly. If I want him to be a walker, and a car passanger, is it ok to start now? Or wait a bit? How does one start - just walk him around the back yard initially and then start going further or....?

5. Water - I see a lot of people with cats in shower, at the sea, in the sink etc.. Mine is curious about water, but when he gets wet he seems to want to lick the water off more than to actually play in it.... has anyone water trained their savannah and what are the steps

6. Raw food - important or doesn't really matter. I want my boy to grow as big as possible - and I am feeding him excellent quality cat food (Encore and Royal Canine). So should I feed him raw meat or does it not matter as long as he gets plenty of high quality food?

7. Any other things anyone else can think of in terms of start stop continue (eg. start doing this, stop doing this, and continue doing this) would be kindly appreciated.

That's it for the minute guys and gals - many thanks for any input you may have!

 

[John T.]

These are some pictures of Rhexy sitting in his favourite spot - on my laptop while I am on the internet....

 

[WitchyWoman]

Rhexy has been with us 3 weeks now and we are definitely in training

I wanted to share and ask you a couple of questions regarding his behaviour:

1. He meaows constantly...not like in desperation, but just walks around jumps on things, etc, and all the while meaows... If i take him and cuddle him in my arms he slows the miaowing or stops... Is that normal, is something missing, is he upset or...?
Sounds like you have a talker. Wouldn't worry too much about it as long he is otherwise healthy. You are reinforcing the behavior by cuddling him so he has already decided that it's a good way to get attention. Smart kitty

2. When we initially brought him home, he used to make all kinds of noises: chirps, hisses, meaows, etc. Now 2-3 weeks later it's just meaows....Has he forgotten the other sounds or...?
Normal -- nothing to worry about. He may or may not continue to make those sounds as he grows and he may develop new ones.

3. We started letting him sleep with us in bed....(a real nightmare must watch out not to hurt him).. Is that a good/bad/indifferent habbit to start?
This is an entirely personal choice and whatever you're comfortable with is what you should do. We sleep with 3 SVs who are mattress hogs and have learned to contort our bodies in surprising ways if we want to turn over or shift position.

4. I got a leash and a kitty harness and put it on once every couple of days and play with him in the house...he doesn't seem to mind terribly. If I want him to be a walker, and a car passanger, is it ok to start now? Or wait a bit? How does one start - just walk him around the back yard initially and then start going further or....?
I started each of mine walking around the backyard then shifted to the front of the house and gradually increased the distance as they grew older and showed interest. One of mine likes to do a minimum of 2 miles each walk and the other two are content just going around the block. You can use a feather wand or laser pointer to tempt him to walk and to forget about the harness & leash. As far as the car, I put them in a carrier and started out driving around the block and gradually increased the distance. I don't think it's too early. Some kittens are more accepting of training when they're young, some take to it better when they're older.

5. Water - I see a lot of people with cats in shower, at the sea, in the sink etc.. Mine is curious about water, but when he gets wet he seems to want to lick the water off more than to actually play in it.... has anyone water trained their savannah and what are the steps
Be careful what you wish for. Mine can turn on the faucets and sometimes the outcome isn't happy. Try putting some water in a cake pan or other shallow container and throw in some floaty toys or live goldfish to entice him to play in the water.

6. Raw food - important or doesn't really matter. I want my boy to grow as big as possible - and I am feeding him excellent quality cat food (Encore and Royal Canine). So should I feed him raw meat or does it not matter as long as he gets plenty of high quality food?
As long as the food is high quality, it's entirely a personal choice what you feed. I think variety is important though. It's not good to have a cat addicted to one type or brand of food especially in light of how often there are recalls. I feed an entirely whole prey diet. The only food I don't advocate is kibble. I think a good combination is high quality canned with a bit of raw fed now and then as a treat if you're not comfortable feeding an entirely raw diet.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Hi All,

Rhexy has been with us 3 weeks now and we are definitely in training

I wanted to share and ask you a couple of questions regarding his behaviour:

1. He meaows constantly...not like in desperation, but just walks around jumps on things, etc, and all the while meaows... If i take him and cuddle him in my arms he slows the miaowing or stops... Is that normal, is something missing, is he upset or...?
He might be lonely, is he an only kitten now? If he was raised with lots of kittens and now on his own he might be complaining or asking where they are!
2. When we initially brought him home, he used to make all kinds of noises: chirps, hisses, meaows, etc. Now 2-3 weeks later it's just meaows....Has he forgotten the other sounds or...?
Part of it might be settling in, the chirps and hisses might be more due to his initial nerves and now he's more settled and so moved to the complaint meow...
3. We started letting him sleep with us in bed....(a real nightmare must watch out not to hurt him).. Is that a good/bad/indifferent habbit to start?
All ours sleep in bed with us...it means we get twisted into odd shapes and wake up unable to move because we are pinned by multiple kitty bodies...but I wouldn't change that for the world Start as you mean to go on though, don't let him get used to cuddling up in bed if you intend him to not do that as an adult cat...
4. I got a leash and a kitty harness and put it on once every couple of days and play with him in the house...he doesn't seem to mind terribly. If I want him to be a walker, and a car passanger, is it ok to start now? Or wait a bit? How does one start - just walk him around the back yard initially and then start going further or....?
I think if he's cool with the leash then start now... definitely start him in the yard before going further, and short drives rather than long road trips at first...
5. Water - I see a lot of people with cats in shower, at the sea, in the sink etc.. Mine is curious about water, but when he gets wet he seems to want to lick the water off more than to actually play in it.... has anyone water trained their savannah and what are the steps
Some are interested, some aren't... not ALL Savannahs are water babies. Make it fun but don't force it, he's a cat after all and they hate being MADE to do things!
6. Raw food - important or doesn't really matter. I want my boy to grow as big as possible - and I am feeding him excellent quality cat food (Encore and Royal Canine). So should I feed him raw meat or does it not matter as long as he gets plenty of high quality food?
I've found my kittens grow better on raw, my personal experience only though!
7. Any other things anyone else can think of in terms of start stop continue (eg. start doing this, stop doing this, and continue doing this) would be kindly appreciated.

That's it for the minute guys and gals - many thanks for any input you may have! View attachment 6888 View attachment 6889 View attachment 6890

 

[Kaiser891]

I have a 14 week old F3 Male as well. And it sounds like we have identical kittens.
Charlie paws the water and licks it off his paw.
He sleeps with us when HE feels like it. We love it when he does... sometime on the same pillow
Charlie still makes some chirps and squeeks, but meows mostly when he's hungry. He does make a LOT more noise than our other cats.
Charlie hates the harness, but he's only had it on for a few minutes a few days a week. Training in progress...
And, we feed him raw. Only raw. No kibble. Three of our other four DSHs eat raw as well.
I'm hoping Charlie hits twenty pounds someday!!

 

[Katniss]

Our Crazy used to howl at 3am while walking the perimiter of the house..now he is better and only howls to get his sissy's attention and wants to eat, or get into the bathroom.. At least I get to sleep in till 445 am now!! woo hoo!! But definately a BIG talker.. both love water and he runs to my shower every morning I start it, but only comes in to lick the water when i turn it off!! Katniss loves to sit in the wet sink and stare at you!

 

[Becki]

Nyah is a talker. All.the.time. She chirps, but not often. She is a water freak and I have to second be careful what you wish for. She is in the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink when you brush your teeth. She is a stalker when you take a shower. She has turned on the water in the bathroom a few times. And if you have a drink? Chances are a paw is going to be in it. Good thing she is so darn cute!

Nyah's main food source is raw. I haven't seemed to find the time to make it, so I use primal frozen. I do a variety of venison, pheasant, chicken and salmon and beef and salmon. I will probably grab rabbit next time as well. I leave Natures Variety Instinct kibble out free choice. I blend the rabbit kibble with the chicken kibble that has the freeze dried raw pieces mixed in, she seems to really like it.

She sleeps with us. Apparently bed hogging is a breed trait!

 

[John T.]

Guys thank you so much for all your replies. Love to see how others behave and that I am not alone, or have a strange cat, etc

Savannahs are one of those breeds that once you try it, I don't think you'd be able to go to another breed...I'd just miss the high level of interaction...

 

[Patti]

There are a few breeds that are similar to the Savannah, for instance my Highlanders are very active, and incredibly playful and clownish, in your face or on your lap at every opportunity; but without that streak of stubbornness/persistence that comes in the Savannah genes

 

[shelby]

I have yet to see a cat...any breed that is not stubborn or persistent if they are interested in something;>) Just show them a bird, mouse or a tiny bug...try to get their attention away from that little creature and you will see how stubborn or persistent they are. Just my HO