Savannah Cat Chat - THE Place for Savannah Cat Talk

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New Luck Owner

Sam

Savannah Super Cat
Hello All

I am glad that I found this site, we will be picking up our F2 14 weeks old girl on Saturday (have not named her yet). We lost our cat two weeks ago after 13 years to cancer :-( and we were not sure about getting another kitty (we also lost our dog a few years ago after 17 years). I have read a lot of good Info on this site but I need some more advice. How does Savanahs behave once they move in to a new home away from their parents and siblings? How long do they grieve? Anything we can do to ease her pain besides playing and feeding yummy food? We are planning to have one of us around her at all times for the first few weeks to make sure she is ok. I will post pictures soon :) thank you in advance for any suggestions.
 

SV Dad

Savannah Super Cat
Sam, welcome to being owned by a Savannah. It will be the joy of your life! Sorry about your recent losses. I have welcomed 3 savannahs into my home. Of course they will meow the first couple of nights as they are not used to being alone, but this breed tends to quickly adapt and adopt. The kittens are playful to an extreme and this does distract them from being away from their mother. Be ready for the kitten to really get involved in your life. They grow fast, take lots of pictures. You might want to remove valuable objects from table tops, mantles, dressers, TV stands, and the like. As kittens, they will run into things with abandon. Well as adults, too.
And as we always tell the new arrivals to the breed, expect to get another! These are amazing cats!
 

Sam

Savannah Super Cat
Sam, welcome to being owned by a Savannah. It will be the joy of your life! Sorry about your recent losses. I have welcomed 3 savannahs into my home. Of course they will meow the first couple of nights as they are not used to being alone, but this breed tends to quickly adapt and adopt. The kittens are playful to an extreme and this does distract them from being away from their mother. Be ready for the kitten to really get involved in your life. They grow fast, take lots of pictures. You might want to remove valuable objects from table tops, mantles, dressers, TV stands, and the like. As kittens, they will run into things with abandon. Well as adults, too.
And as we always tell the new arrivals to the breed, expect to get another! These are amazing cats!

Thank you for the quick response, we are ready for a playful kitty and I still have to home proof tomorrow specially the electrical cords. We are going to do a final check up to make sure house is Savanh proof lol, I have lots of family coming over for Thanksgiving and I just hope she doesn't get scared and go in to hiding :)
 

SV Dad

Savannah Super Cat
Electrical cords. Some people have posted this can be a problem. I have never had that with my three. I suggest observing and responding.
In regards to the visitors next week. This could depend on a lot of factors. F2's can be a bit more reclusive, but can also be quite outgoing. Your breeder can give you a lot of guidance. This board is filled with breeders and they report they can predict social abilities fairly accurately. My breeder was quite good at it. (But she didn't mention the persistent mischievousness on the last one!) At one week my cats tended to hide under the bed when they heard unfamiliar sounds. I usually could get them out with a cat toy, and let the others see the cat while playing. Sometimes the kitten forgets there are strangers about and play with them. Take it slow, the kitten will take over the house soon enough, like in two weeks!
 

NikkiA

Site Supporter
Welcome, Sam!

We quarantined our Savannah kittens when they arrived, we kept them in our master bedroom and bath for 10 days - 14 days before introducing them to anyone other than us.

We have three boys, diablo, our F5 boy is 16 months old, Jarvis, our F3 boy is almost 9 months, and Mickey Blue Eyes, our F4 boy, is approx. five months old.

I am still learning about Savannah's, and I don't know much, but I do know this: buy lots of toys.

Congratulations on your new little girl!
 

Sam

Savannah Super Cat
Welcome, Sam!

We quarantined our Savannah kittens when they arrived, we kept them in our master bedroom and bath for 10 days - 14 days before introducing them to anyone other than us.

We have three boys, diablo, our F5 boy is 16 months old, Jarvis, our F3 boy is almost 9 months, and Mickey Blue Eyes, our F4 boy, is approx. five months old.

I am still learning about Savannah's, and I don't know much, but I do know this: buy lots of toys.

Congratulations on your new little girl!

Good to know, did you also move the litter box to the bedroom/bathroom as well including food and water? We do have a large bedroom and sitting room and I guess we could do the same. Our home is about 5500 sq ft and the litter box is in the basement/utility room and food and water is in the pantry. I guess we ll have her in the bedroom the first few nights and see how she does and go from there.
 

SV Dad

Savannah Super Cat
Well, I tried to quarantine them. But with savannahs, they do what they want, and a week is about the best I ever achieved as they wanted to know what was on the other side. And the new kittens were accepted quite readily at that time.
Sam, do you have other animals in the house? Either way, I would keep them in a small area until they are comfortable, then observe them when they explore. I would separate for a few more nights after the initial house introduction to be sure they don't get into a problem. Chances are they will stay in your room at night for several months even with the door open. They really like to be near their people. It is an unusual bond.
And yes, they love toys. Lots of them.
 

SV Dad

Savannah Super Cat
As for litter boxes, I have them all over the place including the master bath.. (But I have 4 cats total, 3 SV's and a DSH.) Two or three spread around should do for you.
I would expect the cat to be in your bedroom at night by choice until they get a year or so old. Then it varies. They tend to hang around more in the cold months.
 

Sam

Savannah Super Cat
Thanks Rascaldad, we dont have any other pets at this time (baby steps lol). We will keep her in our bedroom for a while and see how it goes, I am sure I have to move the litter box and food/water upstairs as well? Can we leave her alone for a while like shopping etc.. the first week and perhaps be in the middle floor while she is upstairs with the door closed?
 

SV Dad

Savannah Super Cat
I left the kittens alone in my master bath for the first 2 nights, then allowed them into the master bedroom and master bath for the rest of the week until they escaped. (I'm having a real challenge typing this as Mayhem is causing all sorts of havoc with me, his brother, the computer, and jumping up on top of the cabinets!..... So what else is new.....)
You don't have to worry too much. They are like most cats, just more energetic and determined.
 
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