Pondering F2 or F6 kitten...

[admin]

Hi Ethan,

Sue Armstrong of Amara Savannahs just had a litter of F2's and will have several other litters coming up. She is a close friend of mine and a fantastic breeder! She has one of my male kittens, so you know she has to be special. Feel free to call or email her. She is listed in our breeder directory here: http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/amara-savannahs-kentucky.4088/

Sue is in Kentucky! @WitchyWoman has an F1 from Sue as does @Trish Allearz and several others on this forum!!!

 

[Rafiki]

Red flags indeed. Yes, many breeders do vaccinate the kittens themselves but to not have the kitten checked out during it's first 3 months would raise an eyebrow for me.

We must have F2 breeders that are known to members of this forum within a 12 hour drive of Denver.

 

[Rafiki]

Hi Ethan,

Sue Armstrong of Amara Savannahs just had a litter of F2's and will have several other litters coming up. She is a close friend of mine and a fantastic breeder! She has one of my male kittens, so you know she has to be special. Feel free to call or email her. She is listed in our breeder directory here: http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/amara-savannahs-kentucky.4088/

Sue is in Kentucky! @WitchyWoman has an F1 from Sue as does @Trish Allearz and several others on this forum!!!

Oooh....Amara cats are gorgeous!

 

[Els]

Thanks. I will reach out to Sue. I don't think I'd want to drive that far though so will have to discuss logistics. I'll go through the breeders list here since breeders who are on this board are obviously serious about the breed and do care where their kittens go. I wasn't asked much when I spoke to another breeder.

 

[NikkiA]

Els, I got on a plane to go pick up Rey (F2 baby girl) in November, and I have not for one moment regretted that decision. I got to meet her before she went for a ride on an airplane, got to meet Patti (and visit with Carey!) and all together am very glad I did

 

[Els]

Thanks Nikki. I've seen your post elsewhere about your F2 baby girl. Sounds like it was an easy transition for Rey and she is a beautiful kitten!

I reached out to Sue and Patti. I think any breeder on this board is the best/safest option to work with. There are a few more breeders in CO but none of them is listed here.

Another question for you guys - I've been reading some conflicting information about whether F1/F2 kittens should be taken away from mother and be bottle fed. Thoughts?

 

[Carykd7kau]

Personally, I think if mama is capable of nursing them, then let her. Only bottle feed the kittens when mom cannot feed them. Much like it SHOULD be with humans.

 

[WitchyWoman]

Another question for you guys - I've been reading some conflicting information about whether F1/F2 kittens should be taken away from mother and be bottle fed. Thoughts?

Other than medical issues with either the kittens or the mom, the only other reason I can think of for a breeder to 100% bottle feed F1s or F2s (or any generation for that matter) is if the mom cat does not allow the breeder to handle the kittens at all as they grow. It would be impossible for a breeder to socialize kittens if the mom cat doesn't let a human near her babies.

F1 kittens have a tendency to be born a bit premature and may need round the clock care and placement in an incubator for awhile. In that case the breeder may have to bottle feed until they are stable enough for mom to take over.

I know of one breeder, can't remember her name, who insists the kittens imprint on her and make better pets but her theory is blown out of the water by all the breeders of high generation SVs who do not separate kittens from mom and still manage to produce great companion animals.

 

[Els]

My thought exactly. I wasn't sure if it is common practice for breeders to take F1/F2 kittens away from the mom and bottle feed them (still learning all about SV!). It does seem harsh but for reasons you mentioned then that's the only course of action.

 

[Rafiki]

My breeder, who also breeds F1/F2's, will tube feed babies as needed but leave the kittens with the mother. They strongly believe that this is the best for both babies and mothers.

I have spoken to breeders that also do this with Serval and Asian Leopard kittens. I know that many people believe that these cats need to be removed from the mother and bottle fed to bond with humans. I tend to think that if the breeder has a good relationship with the queen, they will be able to socialize the kittens without such drastic measures.