Questions before adopting / purchasing a Savannah Kitten.

[admin]

Every cat/kitten is different. Some like to walk on a leash and others don't. Some are not thrilled with the great outdoors and some are. If you cannot give a Savannah lots of play time and attention every day, I would not do it as it is not fair to the cat. I breed F5 and F6 . Doesn't matter... They are still Savannahs and still need lots of attention and play. Only you know what you can and cannot commit to.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SV Dad]

And for a counter point,
My son has a F3 male cat. Through experience we now know he needs to be in a single cat household. My son is gone 10 hours a day 5 days a week. This cat is fine with it. Loves his home like it's his castle (well it is!). Keep lots of toys around and give the cat attention before you leave and come home and it could work out just fine.
But I will say these are intense cats and they can certainly get into stuff you won't like. My son's cat to this day will not tolerate anything on a counter or shelf. Seems to like the gravity concept.
I have 4 cats, 3 savannahs and a DSH. All well behaved for the most part and gravity does not seem to be a curiosity. So .... they can be like a box of chocolates, ya don't what is inside.
A lot of people come here for advice when the have a challenge or two. We only have 3400 members and there are 10's of thousands savannahs out there. But you can get very good advice from the breeders on these forums. They have seen a lot in their time.

 

[Jacob Steel]

Thanks for that update, i'm glad to hear your sons doing well and in a similar situation. What kind of toys are able to keep the cat busy during the day, anything interactive they like?

I am curious what people consider adequate play time for a kitten? Would guaranteeing 2-3 hours a day be sufficient as a baseline or minimum and more on days that allow it? Thats not to say for the additional hours your home, being around the kitten, but actual 1 on 1 playtime.

 

[WitchyWoman]

I am curious what people consider adequate play time for a kitten?

Depends on the kitten. I have 4 SVs -- an F1, 2 F2s and an F6. The F1 and F6 want to play ALL day EVERY day with me. We have about 100 toys here -- balls, jingly things, things that squeak, puzzle toys that I can hide treats in to keep them busy. Doesn't matter one bit. They want to play with me -- fetch for hours on end or chasing a feather wand or hide and seek.... The F2s like to play for 30 minutes at a time several times throughout the day. They all love to rock and roll between midnight and 5 a.m.

All of mine are grown now. The F1 will be 3 in February the others are 7-8 yrs. When they were kittens, their play needs were far greater than they are now (with the exception of the F1 & F6). The energy of most SVs when they're babies is unbelievable -- it has to be seen to be believed. They play hard, sleep, play hard, sleep at about half hour intervals. While they're sleeping, they're growing. The first year is usually the hardest when they need lots of human interaction and play. When they hit the 2nd year, they slow down a bit and by the third year they are almost civilized

All of mine (with the exception of the F1 who is a legend unto himself) followed the same pattern -- lots of play and not much snuggling the first year or two. At the end of their 2nd year and definitely by the end of their 3rd year they were major snugglers -- demanding lap time, kisses, hugs. The F1 has been a velcro cat from the beginning. If I'm out of his sight for 5 minutes he acts like his world is coming to an end.

It's been mentioned earlier in this thread that you'll need to make time to play with the kitten before you leave the house in the morning and for the first hour or two when you come home after work. There will be changes that you may need to make in your life. You may have to give up some of your human leisure time for cat time. There is one thing that is universally true for all savannahs -- all owners have had to adapt their lives to the cats, the cats are limited in how they'll adapt to your life. So if you aren't prepared or willing to make sacrifices to keep the cat happy and healthy, don't get one until you are ready to make sacrifices.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

It's hard to know, as people have mentioned not all Savannahs love leashed walks and really I've always found mine walk similarly to my beagle...so more of an aimless wander from cool smell to the next than going for exercise... it's good to not expect them to be walking at your heel like a good doggie might. I have seen some trained to jump in the pet backpack for hikes though, maybe that would work out for you too...

As to being an only pet, I've placed some in homes that needed to be only pets (as adult cats) because that truly is how they were going to be happiest. I don't know how you determine that as a kitten though... I do think that the amount of time you are estimating you would spend playing with a cat is decent, the only issue I foresee is that cats are funny creatures and they may not want the schedule you want... so the idea that you can come home after a long day's work and get ready for the gym and come back to kitty later may not be acceptable to the cat. They may insist that before you get to go to the gym you need to stop and play for a bit. They've been napping all day saving their energy for when you come home! They just aren't the kind of cat you can work a long day and come home and go to bed for example...they will keep you up at night bouncing off the walls. Especially without a feline companion.

 

[karenlynn79]

Here here on the little buggers not following our carefully laid out schedule! Zyon ignores us in the evening when we are here and trying to play with him. As soon as kids start going to bed, he's ready for action. Sleeps all night with us (for that we are thankful), then plants himself at our feet all morning when were scrambling to get ready for our day...on the plus side, I've trained him to wait not only until my alarm goes off, but after I hit snooze once, to wake me up with snuggles and purring and heat butts

 

[SavannahLuv]

What kind of toys are able to keep the cat busy during the day, anything interactive they like?

Toys seem to vary by kitten. The main thing is since you are wanting to leave toys out for kitten to play with during the day while you are working, be sure to leave out only safe durable toys. Wand toys, anything with strings or things that can be ate need to be put away for supervised play. It's also good to inspect them on a regular basis and replace them when needed. I have found that with most kitten toys, Shango was able to destroy most of them within a day. He also loved to eat some of his favorite toys, so I have to keep almost all of his cat toys put away unless I'm there to play with him or supervise. I ended up upgrading him to puppy/dog toys that are more durable for rough play. He has too many toys to count and always loves getting new toys. I rotate them out so that he doesn't get bored with them.

Another favorite for a lot of Savannah's is a cat wheel. The Go Cat Wheel is an excellent choice, but with the price difference the One Fast Cat Wheel is also another good choice. The difference in quality is reflected in the price, but for a later generation I honestly think the OFC wheel would be sufficient. For those who have a spotted moose, the Go Cat Wheel is definitely the better choice.

A lot of people also use puzzle toys that you hide treats in to keep their kittens busy. I have yet to try any of these, but hope to in the near future.

Best of all are the "toys" you don't have to buy... cardboard boxes, paper (Shango loves the brown packing paper from Chewy.com even more than the box it comes in lol), cardboard tubes (the things inside paper towels & toilet paper).

Here are some other great recommendations: http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/the-all-in-one-toy-thread-post-your-cats-favorites.5308/

 

[Jacob Steel]

Wow thanks so much for all the advice! It's really a hard choice without getting to know the kitten first to see if they will be ok alone with toys. No matter what it seems like it will be very rewarding for me if I end up adopting one. It's refreshing to see others who work a 9-5 everyday posting about their experiences, that to me is the hardest deciding factor even with me working from home some days.

 

[Traska]

I was hoping the kitty would be able to go on walks with me, even if I have to put her over my shoulders and carry her the whole way Would a F6-F7 being more along the lines of a domestic cat do better at home? I worry I will get so far down the latter that the kitten will reject the idea of a harness and walking.

I wanted to add that I don't think you should worry about moving too far down the latter that your kitty won't want to walk on a leash. My last cat was a Bombay mix that loved loved loved going out and walking on a leash with me. And as others have said you might get a kitty that doesn't like it anyways.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[admin]

Wow thanks so much for all the advice! It's really a hard choice without getting to know the kitten first to see if they will be ok alone with toys. No matter what it seems like it will be very rewarding for me if I end up adopting one. It's refreshing to see others who work a 9-5 everyday posting about their experiences, that to me is the hardest deciding factor even with me working from home some days.

The 9-5 isn't worrying at all...for me, personally, I do not like to sell my kittens to a home with no other pets as they are very social and do not like to be alone. I know some cats like to be only cats, but I don't think the later gens are like that - at least mine are not and that is what I want - very social cats.

Are you so against getting another kitten? it does not have to be a savannah. This way if you do get a savannah and he/she is lonely, you can always get a kitten from the shelter or elsewhere. Three of my buyers either bought another kitten from me or adopted from shelter.