New

[Bobbi4]

Hi, I am new to this site because I am currently looking to get a Savannah kitty! I have been interested in this breed for about 6 years now and finally have to time and money to get one! I am retired and live on a 50 acre farm in South Carolina. Lots of animals horse, dogs, chickens goats etc.. I would like my kitty to be an indoor cat who I can take on walks. I am and have always been a cat person. I have a 12 year old neutered male cat who is super sweet and loving with the bounce of a kitten. If anyone has suggestions for getting prepared for my baby and or Breeders who socialize their kittens well all will be appreciated! thank you Also food suggestions. does anyone do the organic freeze dried raw diet?

 

[Vito]

Welcome to Savchat, great news that you are considering adding a Savannah cat to your family, it truly will be one of the best decisions you'll make.
I'm in Scotland UK, so unable to suggest any breeders in the US, but I'm sure you'll get great information from people on here with regards to the best breeders etc.... I have a 10 year old neutered male (moggie), whom since the arrival of our Savannah Vito, has been given a new lease of life.
I wish you well on your journey to become a new Savannah parent, and look forward to hearing your progress.

 

[Patti]

Welcome and good luck in your search for a new Savannah kitty! It sounds as if you have a wonderful home that would be heaven for a Savannah. If you look through the forums you will find several topics discussing bringing a new kitten home, introducing a new kitten to the family, teaching a Savannah to walk on a leash, and feeding a raw diet - you can use the search box from the home page to help you find these threads. You may also find some good information here: https://www.savannahbreedsection.com/savannah-cat-faq/

 

[Moggieslegacy]

I might have some experience you could find helpful , as I also live in a rural area, and I have a lot of day to day chores I do out in the yard... The first year I lived with my F7 SBT, I took him out with me wearing a leash and walking jacket while I did chores. He was an only kitten and I felt really bad to leave him in the house with access to just the enclosed porch while I worked, and he took full advantage of that and would meow pitifully if I tried to leave him behind. He is really well behaved on a leash, but it was like working with a toddler. He would get tangled often, get bored and want to be moved around, and any time I needed to do something involving 2 parts of the yard that were too far apart to have eyes on him, (often) it really slowed me down, and was extremely impractical. Cats that can go out on a leash are not at all like dogs! And then he got totally obsessed wanting to be out at least 8 hours a day... and even twice a day for an hour, soon after we came back in, he was watching me like a hawk in hopes of getting to go out again... I built a pretty deluxe series of enclosures ( deluxe from a cats point of view, but largely made from salvaged junk) and this did not help. I got him a feline buddy, which he seems to enjoy, but he still wanted out. The new F6 kitten who was normally contented would howl if I went out with the older cat, and having them both out there was like managing a 3 ring circus. Nothing else could be done...As a solution I ended up putting a cat proof fence around the main part of my yard and some of the wilder side areas. And this has worked... ( I notice the link Patti posted says fences won't keep a Savannah cat in, but cbain who has post here showing his enclosure has supplemented his fence with a small animal electric fence, running along the top and upper sides, and he has managed to keep his F2 and F3s in for years. I am using a similar system for my F7 and F6, and it seems to be working, though it has only been up a couple months.

I don't know why HB became so desperate to be out in the yard.... Maybe just his personality... my F6 seemed content with just the enclosures... But I was careful to only bring him out maybe once a month... just enough he wouldn't be totally disoriented if he ever accidentally got out. It maybe taking HB out into the yard every day, when he can see this area from the enclosures, meant he knew what he was missing , and seeing the places he loved, just out of reach really bothered him. I always carried him out the door in a carrier, but in retrospect, maybe we would not have had this problem if I carried him 1/4 mile down the road, before letting him out to enjoy himself. That way, he wouldn't be looking at where he loved to be all the time...? But on the other hand, once I accidentally left a basement door open, and because he was so familiar with the yard he just went to his favorite spot and thought he had gone for a walk without me. He is very familiar with the mile around our house, and could easily find his way home and would avoid the one road, if he ever accidentally got out. He probably would not have learned how to get home so well, if I carried him well away from our house before letting him walk. Another factor is there is a lot of rodents here, and as soon as he began catching them, in the house, in his enclosures, and while out on a leash, he began wanting out. So it maybe this experience woke up his hunting genes, and that is why he wanted out to do what cats do. But my F6 also likes to hunt, and now he has a choice, often chooses to do this in the enclosure rather than the yard... so I don't know... but I do think that having a highly social active indoor cat may be a lot easier if you are also an indoor person. If you live in a outdoor cat paradise, and want to leave your cat in an enclosure while you enjoy that cat paradise without your cat, there may be some challenges... Just my experience...!

 

[Bobbi4]

I might have some experience you could find helpful , as I also live in a rural area, and I have a lot of day to day chores I do out in the yard... The first year I lived with my F7 SBT, I took him out with me wearing a leash and walking jacket while I did chores. He was an only kitten and I felt really bad to leave him in the house with access to just the enclosed porch while I worked, and he took full advantage of that and would meow pitifully if I tried to leave him behind. He is really well behaved on a leash, but it was like working with a toddler. He would get tangled often, get bored and want to be moved around, and any time I needed to do something involving 2 parts of the yard that were too far apart to have eyes on him, (often) it really slowed me down, and was extremely impractical. Cats that can go out on a leash are not at all like dogs! And then he got totally obsessed wanting to be out at least 8 hours a day... and even twice a day for an hour, soon after we came back in, he was watching me like a hawk in hopes of getting to go out again... I built a pretty deluxe series of enclosures ( deluxe from a cats point of view, but largely made from salvaged junk) and this did not help. I got him a feline buddy, which he seems to enjoy, but he still wanted out. The new F6 kitten who was normally contented would howl if I went out with the older cat, and having them both out there was like managing a 3 ring circus. Nothing else could be done...As a solution I ended up putting a cat proof fence around the main part of my yard and some of the wilder side areas. And this has worked... ( I notice the link Patti posted says fences won't keep a Savannah cat in, but cbain who has post here showing his enclosure has supplemented his fence with a small animal electric fence, running along the top and upper sides, and he has managed to keep his F2 and F3s in for years. I am using a similar system for my F7 and F6, and it seems to be working, though it has only been up a couple months.

I don't know why HB became so desperate to be out in the yard.... Maybe just his personality... my F6 seemed content with just the enclosures... But I was careful to only bring him out maybe once a month... just enough he wouldn't be totally disoriented if he ever accidentally got out. It maybe taking HB out into the yard every day, when he can see this area from the enclosures, meant he knew what he was missing , and seeing the places he loved, just out of reach really bothered him. I always carried him out the door in a carrier, but in retrospect, maybe we would not have had this problem if I carried him 1/4 mile down the road, before letting him out to enjoy himself. That way, he wouldn't be looking at where he loved to be all the time...? But on the other hand, once I accidentally left a basement door open, and because he was so familiar with the yard he just went to his favorite spot and thought he had gone for a walk without me. He is very familiar with the mile around our house, and could easily find his way home and would avoid the one road, if he ever accidentally got out. He probably would not have learned how to get home so well, if I carried him well away from our house before letting him walk. Another factor is there is a lot of rodents here, and as soon as he began catching them, in the house, in his enclosures, and while out on a leash, he began wanting out. So it maybe this experience woke up his hunting genes, and that is why he wanted out to do what cats do. But my F6 also likes to hunt, and now he has a choice, often chooses to do this in the enclosure rather than the yard... so I don't know... but I do think that having a highly social active indoor cat may be a lot easier if you are also an indoor person. If you live in a outdoor cat paradise, and want to leave your cat in an enclosure while you enjoy that cat paradise without your cat, there may be some challenges... Just my experience...!

thanks so much for your story! I will have to think about the out door area! I have built one for my peacocks , maybe I can build something similarfoe my kitty!

 

[WitchyWoman]

Welcome. The owner of this forum keeps a list of reputable breeders on FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/savannahcatbreeder

One thing to keep in mind with your elder cat is that the energy and, more importantly, the persistence, of a savannah cat may be too much for him at times. If you do get a savannah, it may mean establishing a quiet room or area for your elder cat to retreat to should he feel the need. When you choose a breeder, be sure to accurately discuss your elder cat, your living situation, and your expectations so the breeder can do his/her best to choose a kitten whose personality appears to fit what you need.

There's no way to guarantee that your SV will enjoy leash walking. I have 4 SVs, an F1, 2 F2s and an F6. Only one of my F2s loves leash walking. The other three prefer going out in a cat stroller.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Bobbi4]

Welcome. The owner of this forum keeps a list of reputable breeders on FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/savannahcatbreeder

One thing to keep in mind with your elder cat is that the energy and, more importantly, the persistence, of a savannah cat may be too much for him at times. If you do get a savannah, it may mean establishing a quiet room or area for your elder cat to retreat to should he feel the need. When you choose a breeder, be sure to accurately discuss your elder cat, your living situation, and your expectations so the breeder can do his/her best to choose a kitten whose personality appears to fit what you need.

There's no way to guarantee that your SV will enjoy leash walking. I have 4 SVs, an F1, 2 F2s and an F6. Only one of my F2s loves leash walking. The other three prefer going out in a cat stroller.

Good luck with your search.

My elder cat is an indoor only cat,
can Sv's be this as well? as long as i provide many toys? My elder cat is still very playful but I dont know how long he will last!

 

[Vito]

My elder cat is an indoor only cat,
can Sv's be this as well? as long as i provide many toys? My elder cat is still very playful but I dont know how long he will last!

Hi, referring back to witchy's advice, it's important to discuss your situation with any potential breeder, so assessments can be done to match you with a Savannah that perhaps has a more gentle laid back nature.
In my experience, and this really is just my experience, Vito gets on great with our old boy Sameer, and they do play and interact really well, however occasionally Vito can become quite boisterous and this sometimes annoys the old chap, that's where we jump in and distract him, with play or a walk in the garden on his harness, this allows Sameer to retreat to a quiet area of the house for some piece and quiet, the key here is really having plenty of stimulation for your Savannah, a bored Savannah can quickly get him/herself involved in some serious savandalism.
If you are lucky and your Savannah enjoys going out on a harness, it really does benefit them to engage in the outdoors, however I do know many Savannah's are very happy and contented living indoors, again KEY is lots of stimulation and attention, which they do seek. It's great that you are doing lots of research before biting the bullet and resigning yourself to being a Savannah slave.Every sav is different, most issues are completely workable.

 

[WitchyWoman]

My elder cat is an indoor only cat,
can Sv's be this as well?

A reputable breeder will insist that the cat be indoors only unless outside on a leash or in an enclosed outdoor space.

 

[Bobbi4]

Hi, referring back to witchy's advice, it's important to discuss your situation with any potential breeder, so assessments can be done to match you with a Savannah that perhaps has a more gentle laid back nature.
In my experience, and this really is just my experience, Vito gets on great with our old boy Sameer, and they do play and interact really well, however occasionally Vito can become quite boisterous and this sometimes annoys the old chap, that's where we jump in and distract him, with play or a walk in the garden on his harness, this allows Sameer to retreat to a quiet area of the house for some piece and quiet, the key here is really having plenty of stimulation for your Savannah, a bored Savannah can quickly get him/herself involved in some serious savandalism.
If you are lucky and your Savannah enjoys going out on a harness, it really does benefit them to engage in the outdoors, however I do know many Savannah's are very happy and contented living indoors, again KEY is lots of stimulation and attention, which they do seek. It's great that you are doing lots of research before biting the bullet and resigning yourself to being a Savannah slave.Every sav is different, most issues are completely workable.

Thanks! And yes I want to be as prepared as possible!