I don't think so..F5 and F6 are considered later generations...F3 and above earlier generations...I do not breed F3's, so cannot speak to that...it is best to speak to your breeder
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PLEASE HELP
- Thread starter kittykitty
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I don't think so..F5 and F6 are considered later generations...F3 and above earlier generations...I do not breed F3's, so cannot speak to that...it is best to speak to your breeder
Just a clarification, higher generations mean higher in serval content, so F1s, F2s, etc. and also referred to as early generations. Lower (or later) generations mean lower serval content so these are the F4s, F5s and so on. F3s are that generation that is somewhat in-between... some are more characteristics of the early gens and others closer to the later generations in looks and behavior.
As for leaving your F3 alone for a few hours at a time, you will have to play that by ear, although your breeder might be able to give you some insight into his personality so help you know what to expect. Most kittens are raised in a social environment with other cats, so taking them away from their family is traumatic. What is most important is that he bond with you (which is easier to do when there are no other cats) and trusts you enough to know that when you leave you will always return. I would suggest you try to take several days off when you first bring him home so that the bonding process can be well cemented by the time you return to work.
Additionally, if you are concerned about his behavior while left alone you might consider confining him to a single room while you are gone so that he cannot roam about and get into mischief. Just be sure you provide plenty of enrichment - toys, cat trees, even a 'cat' video to be played on TV - to keep him entertained.
It's been said that most cats sleep for 22 hours a day and while I don't find that to be true for my Savannahs, it is very possible that your little guy will simply sleep the hours away and save up his energy for when you come home to him!
kittykitty
Savannah Super Cat
Thanks for the clarification! The feedback on this forum is really great. I actually will have 3 weeks off work when I get the kitten. I planned it that way to make sure I can get his routine established and spend enough time with him when he is very young. I also bought him an arsenal of toys, the cat sitter dvd (It pretty much just shows birds and fish for hours on the screen) and several cat towers to make sure he is always occupied when he is alone since he will not have a companion, at least not for a while. I really hope that the attention my roommate and I will give him on top of all the engaging toys I bought him will keep him occupied and happy. I will bring in a rescue if need be, but I am praying it does not come to that.
I find this a completely individual thing, some cats are just fine being only cats and others need a companion. It's hard to know what your kitten will be... and to me that is independent of the generation.
What you do need to be prepared for is that if you are away from the house and kitty is by themselves then they shall simply be waiting for you to get home. So no matter how tired you are at the end of the day, you cannot come home to crash but will need to spend a good amount of time playing with your cat. Especially if you want that cat to let you sleep eventually! There's information out there on the internet about how you can enrich a home for cats, give them plenty of levels and interesting places and then if your cat shows interest puzzle feeders etc can be great occupation for them I think.
I find the use of "higher" and "lower" generation labels to be very confusing. Some use "higher" to mean closer to the Serval while others use it to mean the number attached to the F is higher! "Earlier" and "later" generation tend to be clearer on what is meant..
What you do need to be prepared for is that if you are away from the house and kitty is by themselves then they shall simply be waiting for you to get home. So no matter how tired you are at the end of the day, you cannot come home to crash but will need to spend a good amount of time playing with your cat. Especially if you want that cat to let you sleep eventually! There's information out there on the internet about how you can enrich a home for cats, give them plenty of levels and interesting places and then if your cat shows interest puzzle feeders etc can be great occupation for them I think.
I find the use of "higher" and "lower" generation labels to be very confusing. Some use "higher" to mean closer to the Serval while others use it to mean the number attached to the F is higher! "Earlier" and "later" generation tend to be clearer on what is meant..
Becki
Savannah Super Cat
@kittykitty there are a few reasons why you don't see many with just one Savannah. They are incredibly addictive and possess a highly specialized power that makes you do things you never thought you would in the past. Specifically, you find yourself purchasing an inordinate amount of cat furniture and toys, you rearrange your things to ensure the cat is happy, you give up 3/4 of your bed, you shrug your shoulders when there is a cat (or two) staring at you from the counter while you are preparing dinner and you don't blink an eye when it sounds like a herd of elephants are running through your Living room, even when your house guests have jumped out of their skin at the noise. Shortly after getting the first, you wake up and say "you know what would be better than one crazy cat? Two crazy cats!"
All kidding aside, these cats are very unique in many ways. Even though they aren't lap cats, they are not at all aloof and want to be with their people. I can't offer you expert advice but will share my experience with my own cats, both F2bs. My male kitten is on the upper end of the needy scale, he is also on the upper end of the energy scale even after adjusting for the Savannah multiplier. He is intense in all he does, be it his love for me, playing, or getting in trouble. He would be miserable as an only cat. My female is intense as well and is a genius at figuring things out, like opening doors and turning on faucets. She is high energy, but nothing like Kovu. Even though she isn't as crazy as Kovu, and she did have our Chihuahuas as friends, she is clearly much happier having a stampede partner. She is trying to convince the chihuahuas to accept Kovu in their pack (Nyah will sleep with them, it is so cute), but the dogs think Kovu is the Chubacabra. The dogs might be right.
They don't sleep as much as cats traditionally do, but that might be because mine are still young (17 months and 6.5 months). They typically sleep with me at night, hogging up the whole bed so my husband and I have a square inch for us. There are occasions, though, where they are wrestling, wiggling, racing with the bed as a key obstacle on the course, etc. and there is nothing I can do to make them go to sleep. I kicked them out of our room just the other night because of their antics. I think you have to understand you will need to flex to accommodate them as it rarely happens the other way!
I would certainly talk to the breeder about personalities of the kitten and siblings. I would also soak up the advice from the breeders on here. I think questioning if this is the right generation for you now is a very good thing rather than after the fact. Regardless of your decision to move forward with this kitten, or if you decide a better fit is a later generation, you will find a ton of support here!
All kidding aside, these cats are very unique in many ways. Even though they aren't lap cats, they are not at all aloof and want to be with their people. I can't offer you expert advice but will share my experience with my own cats, both F2bs. My male kitten is on the upper end of the needy scale, he is also on the upper end of the energy scale even after adjusting for the Savannah multiplier. He is intense in all he does, be it his love for me, playing, or getting in trouble. He would be miserable as an only cat. My female is intense as well and is a genius at figuring things out, like opening doors and turning on faucets. She is high energy, but nothing like Kovu. Even though she isn't as crazy as Kovu, and she did have our Chihuahuas as friends, she is clearly much happier having a stampede partner. She is trying to convince the chihuahuas to accept Kovu in their pack (Nyah will sleep with them, it is so cute), but the dogs think Kovu is the Chubacabra. The dogs might be right.
They don't sleep as much as cats traditionally do, but that might be because mine are still young (17 months and 6.5 months). They typically sleep with me at night, hogging up the whole bed so my husband and I have a square inch for us. There are occasions, though, where they are wrestling, wiggling, racing with the bed as a key obstacle on the course, etc. and there is nothing I can do to make them go to sleep. I kicked them out of our room just the other night because of their antics. I think you have to understand you will need to flex to accommodate them as it rarely happens the other way!
I would certainly talk to the breeder about personalities of the kitten and siblings. I would also soak up the advice from the breeders on here. I think questioning if this is the right generation for you now is a very good thing rather than after the fact. Regardless of your decision to move forward with this kitten, or if you decide a better fit is a later generation, you will find a ton of support here!
Brigitte has a good point about playing... kittens/cats will adjust to a schedule, so if you play (even for 15 minutes) before work then play again when you get home he will anticipate this routine, which may alleviate some potentially unwanted behaviors while you're gone. The bottom line is, you will have to see how kitty adjusts once he's home and if you need to, make changes to fit his (and your) needs.
Lesley
Site Supporter
We have 2 F6s. We originally had 1. Our boy Spar definitely needed a companion. And we already had 2 DSHs. He needed someone with his energy level. So we got his sis. That has worked great. I would recommend getting litter mates if you can, and maybe waiting until you can? But, I also agree talk to your breeder and see if they have a kitten they think will work for you.
cbain
Site Supporter
We have 2 F3 Savannah cats a male and a female and each cat has it's own personality , both cats meet me at the door when I get home from work and if I hear the cats running to the door it means my wife just got in the driveway, both cats are very social and loving , our cats are left alone 3 days a week for app. 8 hours and do great. kittykitty in your post 10 you said,you would like to get a puppy at some point , the savannah cat breed is the closes thing to a dogcat so you may as well get 2 SV kittens now and you won't have a dog turd in the middle of your room when you get home.