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Preparing for an SV

Lil Demon's Mom

Savannah Super Cat
I've been doing a lot of research on the dietary needs of Savannahs, at this point I feel like when I am able to get my SV that I will be feeding a combo of wet & kibble. I need advice of which of them is the best for an SV. I've had several people recomend Royal Canin, Blue Buffalo, and Life's abundance. Do any of you use these or recommend any of these, if so which?

We live in Oklahoma and want to leash train, but I can't seem to find anything about types and/or brands of leashs and harnesses are best suited for an SV. Any recommendations?

What about treats? I know that treats are great for working with an animal during training, but what types of treats are best?

I've also read a lot about declawing, which personally I am against. I'm afraid to trim the baby's nails myself (for fear of hurting him/her) though, is this something that can easily and more importantly safely be done by a groomer or is it something that should be left to a vet?

And lastly I feel like this is such a stupid question but, during the 14 day quarantine period... can the room they're placed in be an occupied bedroom? Or should it be a room that no one is in or rarely is?

Any advice or recommendations are greatly appreciated!!
 

Kristin

Animal Communicator
There are lots of threads about food, which I'm sure you've gone through. Royal Canin is quite expensive and is chalk full of unhealthy ingredients. This is taken straight from their website, for an adult indoor cat: Chicken meal, brown rice, rice, corn, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, natural flavors, pea fiber, wheat gluten, rice hulls - See more at: http://www.royalcanin.ca/index.php/...s/Indoor/Indoor-Adult-27#sthash.qwfkTDo8.dpuf

Cats are obligate carnivores, and corn has no nutritional benefits for humans, so is just absolute filler for cats. It has a 27% crude protein.

Of course, you should switch your kitten over gradually from what your breeder uses.

I personally don't feed kibble, but I know there are quite a few people on here who feed Blue Buffalo, and I don't think I've heard of Life's Abundance.

As for leashes and harnesses, I use a small dog harness and leash.

I use chicken PureBites for Zeddie, as they break into nice pieces and are like kitty crack. They are freeze dried chicken treats, and I know a lot of people use various brands of the same thing.

As for trimming nails, you can get your vet to do it, but it is really easy to do yourself. You don't have to go far back like you do with dogs, you can just take the very sharp tip off. If you play with your kitten's toes during nap time, or even trim it's nails during nap time, it is less traumatic and they get used to it pretty well. Mine doesn't love her nails done, but she stands there complaining and just lets me do it.

The quarantine room can absolutely be your bedroom...mine was. It definitely makes bonding a lot easier, and is preferable than a room all to themselves.

Hope that helps, and i'm sure the breeders will be chiming in shortly :)
 

SV Dad

Savannah Super Cat
There are many opinions, options, and strategies to be found on the boards. The experience of the breeders and members covers thousands of cats lives.
I have three cats (3 years to 8 years, F3's to F5) and I feed on the wet and dry plan. I use Purina Fancy Feast grilled, Pro Plan Savor, and Royal Canin for wet. I rotate the products around so the cats don't get bored and protest (they do!). I use Blue Wilderness for dry kibble for 24/7 on demand. I have very healthy cats and my two F3 boys are rather slim, mostly because of their energy levels.
Trimming nails is easy on a cat, especially if you start when they are kittens. My wife can trim when they are asleep, and they don't even wake up at times.
The quarantine room can contain humans. The point is to not overwhelm the kitten during the transition and to build confidence in the new environment. There are plenty of stories of how fast they kittens build confidence and try to break quarantine early, well, seems most of them try, many successfully despite our best efforts!
In all seriousness, if you have ever had a cat, then you will be fine with a Savannah. The defining traits are intelligence, determination and persistence, energy, and personality. My advice is to make sure you are ready to handle a very active cat. These are not couch potatoes by any means.
And those Hyendry products are great for cats!
 

Rafiki

Site Supporter
My cats are on a raw diet so I won't comment on the food other than to say that you should definitely pay close attention to ingredients and avoid grains and byproducts.

I ordered my walking jackets from Mynwood in the UK. She makes them custom to your measurements and they only cost about $20 US including shipping. I will try to find the video that shows the first time I put a jacket on Rafiki. This illustrates better than word why a really secure jacket is needed for savannahs. With my other cats, they would just act like the harness was too heavy. Rafiki threw herself down the hallway doing somersaults and flinging herself into walls. Crazy!

I trim my cats' nails every 2 weeks. I take my time and it takes less than 5 minutes to do both cats. On occasion, my non-SV will get agitated and I will take a short 15 minute break and that is usually all it takes. Like Kristen stated, if you touch and play with their paws on a regular basis it will go a lot easier. I also give them a favorite treat such as pure bites or freeze-dried duck hearts immediately afterwards. I am 100% against de-clawing and will leave it at that.

We used our bedroom for the quarantine room. I guess it depends....do you want the cat in the bedroom later? Whatever room you use will be the place that they turn to as a kitty-safe zone. Our cats sleep with us so the bedroom was the obvious choice.
 

Mantha Meow

Savannah Super Cat
We live in Oklahoma

A fellow Okie?? Yay!! I have no advice to give as I am still searching for my first SV as well. Do you have a breeder in mind yet? Going as close as possible or is distance not a factor for your choice? I am having trouble picking a breeder as Oklahoma only has one and its rep is iffy..
 

WitchyWoman

Admin
Staff member
Does it show now?
Yes. Poor Rafiki trying to figure out how to get rid of the alien on his back. LOL. I avoided that whole scene with 2 of mine by slapping on the jacket & leash, carrying the cat outside and plopping them in the grass before they could figure out what was going on. They each thought about doing the death roll but were quickly mesmerized by birds & bugs and forgot all about the jacket.
 
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