Pondering F2 or F6 kitten...

[WitchyWoman]

Does age matter? I spoke to my vet and she said kitten might work out better since the kitten isn't so set in his/her ways compared to adult cat.

It's a big factor. A kitten is far easier to introduce into a house than an older cat. Older cats can be introduced successfully but it can take a bit more work to establish the human-cat bond and then for the other cat to bond with the new one. That isn't always the case. It's frustrating trying to give advice when there are so many variables involved so please remember that we can only speak about what generally happens. Nothing is set in concrete.

FYI, Paige, who owns this forum has an impossibly strict vetting process for the breeders who advertise here. She is one of the pickiest people I've ever known when it comes to approving breeders who advertise here and that's a very very good thing. So I recommend looking over our member breeders if you want peace of mind that they are ethical and hold to the highest standards when breeding/raising kittens. And if you have a question about a particular breeder who is not a member here, private message or email Paige. It is seldom that you see breeders speaking negatively about other breeders on a public forum.

 

[Els]

I didn't see Patti's response regarding the breeder until just now and it sounds like Marjorie is a reputable breeder which is good to know. The dilemma, of course, is whether I should consider male SV - the breeder has 2 F2 females at this time and they were born on Nov 17, 2015 if I recall correctly so they are ready to go home at this point.

I haven't taken a kitten on a long road trip (roughly 12-14 hours to Phoenix). I have yet to make the decision to go to AZ - should make the decision after I see SV cats later today. If I do go this weekend I will bring a large crate along with blankets, puppy pads (?) or small litter box can fit in the large crate and bowls. Not sure if I will stay at a hotel overnight.

 

[Patti]

I assume you have seen pics and/or videos of the F2 kittens? That's a long drive to make without having committed to a kitten. Many times all it takes is viewing pics to have a kitten jump out at you and know that is the one for you (this is what happened when I saw Jasi's pics from Marjorie). I think that if Jake has been around a female cat before he will be fine with a new female kitten.

Did you get to see the F6 kittens at the local breeder today?

 

[Els]

I've only seen a couple pictures of two F2 kittens. I think I will ask the breeder to see if she could take some more pictures or at least more recent pictures since I figure both kittens are almost 3 months now and should be slightly larger than the pictures I saw. In addition, I think it is a great idea to ask her to take a short video of both kittens. There's one that I like - she has wild face, black nose and seems like she will have light gray / silver with black spots. Of course, I could go for another one which appears to have lighter golden / tan with black spots. I am not sure if it's typical F2 kittens don't go home quickly. Bengal kittens are generally adopted quickly.

Yes, I just got home from the local breeder - it's about an hour drive. It was an interesting experience to see SV cats for the first time. The breeder is very nice and showed us F1 male which appeared to be overweight; F1 female which got my attention she has black nose, silver / gray with black spots. Both cats appeared to be friendly - we got to pet both and gave a couple pieces of cooked chicken. They are pretty large. I saw F2 SV female which was pretty shy so she was on a leash. It appeared smaller than F1. I know F1 is going to be a lot more expensive - probably more than I'd like to spend and probably more than I can handle. I am not sure however F2 cats can be shy?

I saw one F6 kitten (female) which is so cute of course I did not pet her because she's only 3 weeks old and has not had vaccine yet. There were four kittens but three died. The breeder did not elaborate why. The kitten appeared to be curious and moved around. She looks like she will have golden with black spots.

To give you some context - I adopted Jake when he was 12 weeks ago and when he turned six months he developed luxating patella in one knee. At the time I was given the option to return him to breeder but I suspect he may not be happy with multiple cats and whether he'd get treatment he needed. The breeder did a full refund and the money was used towards surgery. Six months later he developed luxating patella in another knee. Naturally, I had him go through the surgery on another knee. He has slightly crooked front paw (which appeared when he was between 6-12 months old) so he limps only slightly but he runs and jumps well. He has a good life. One or twe years later I reached out to the same breeder asking about another Bengal she indicated she was retiring a queen and would give her to me at no cost since she felt bad about Jake. That cat was Misty which turned out to be awesome cat. When I came to pick up Misty, I saw Jake's sister which looked identical she did not fare well because the customer choose not to have surgery immediately (same issue - luxating patella) and waited months before returning her. She didn't walk very well. That was sad. Anyway, given the experience, I am a little hesitate about adopting a kitten without seeing the cattery. I feel reassured though that you got your first SV from Marjorie.

Also, the local breeder told me about Life's Abundance dry food which I've never heard of. Anyone familiar with it?

Thanks Patti and others for helpful advice.

 

[Patti]

Any cat has the potential to be shy, even in a more active, curious breed such as the Savannah, Bengal, or Abyssinian, just like some children from the same family may be shy while others will be outgoing. The Savannah breed (and generations) are no different than any other breed. I have had an occasional painfully shy F5 when the littermates were gregarious and outgoing. I have no idea why this happens but it can.

I can understand your hesitation in purchasing from a breeder that you don't know, but visiting a cattery before purchasing a kitten will in no way clue you in to whether the kitten will develop luxating patella, HCM, PKD, or any number of other diseases later in life.

Life's Abundance has been around for a long time. It is a fairly decent food although it has brown rice as its second ingredient so it would not be my first choice; the grain free uses potatoes and peas instead of rice, so not necessarily much better.

 

[Els]

Patti - good points there. By the way, when did you get your first Savannah kitten? And was the kitten F1 or F2? I did see the pictures - beautiful cat! Was the kitten well socialized?

I am still waiting for the breeder to send the pictures she was going to take sometime today and will share with you guys.

I spoke with my vet today and asked her about Savannahs she said she hasn't had Savannah patients in the last few years but before that she did and the ones she saw were not well socialized and she didn't think they make good pets. Of course, that's one person's opinion and maybe she saw ones that were not well socialized.

 

[WitchyWoman]

the ones she saw were not well socialized and she didn't think they make good pets.

Three of my 4 were well-socialized by their breeders and they turn into demons at the vet. All but 1 has to be anesthetized to be examined. I don't let vet techs handle them; I do all the holding at the vets. If you met them there, you would think they were vicious unmanageable animals. Everyone who comes to our house or who meets them when they are on walks in their cat strollers thinks they are sweet, gentle, and friendly. Just sayin.

 

[Els]

I hear you, WitchyWoman. Jake hates vet and will growl non-stop when vet examines him probably due to his experience having surgeries at such young age. He may have tried to snap at vet once or twice but nothing too drastic.

I was reading some more info on SV this evening. Some info indicated that SV does not do well if left alone. I had 2 Bengals for a reason - I am usually gone all day. Would SV cat be destructive if left alone even when there is another cat in the house? I work from home 1-2 times a week and when I go to work I am usually gone 10 hours and at times 12 hours.

Just want to make sure I'm a good candidate to have a SV cat. I've had Bengals for 12+ years and grew up with cats.

 

[Els]

Also, is it difficult to trim SV cat's nails? My Bengal cats would struggle at times but I manage trim nails. Misty was probably a little more difficult. I do that every 10 days or so. I know of someone who has Chausie and cannot trim the cat's nails at all.

 

[Patti]

I got Jasi in 2003 and she was very well socialized by the time I picked her up.

I agree with Deborah regarding the vet - many cats (NOT just Savannahs) turn into demons when they are taken to the vet. It's unfortunate that vets choose not to remember this when seeing Savannahs. You have to remember though that the American Association of Feline Practitioners posted a position statement opposing the breeding of hybrid cats, so it's not surprising that vets adopt this stance :-(

As far as being destructive, I have found that this is an individual thing even with siblings, but he/she will NOT be alone if Jake is there, and the point of having a kitty companion is to keep them occupied with each other so that they don't seek out less acceptable entertainment. If you do find there is a problem you can always limit their access to the house by keeping them in a bedroom or bathroom while you're not at home. An outdoor enclosure is also usually a hit with cats so something to consider.

Nail trimming is also an individual thing - some cats don't mind it at all, others turn into Tasmanian devils when trying to trim those claws. My best recommendation is to start early and do it frequently so that they become used to it. On the days that you're not actually trimming nails, handle their paws and extend their nails as you would if you were trimming at least once a day. If worst comes to worst you can scruff (if there are two of you, or use a large binder clip if you are alone) which should make the process much easier.