Rescue Savannah Acting Out

[npsac]

Hello everyone,
I've had my 4 year old f3 savannah for about three months now, and it seems the longer I have her, the more she misbehaves. She's developed a habit of biting; she'll whine for attention, jump into my lap (or all over whatever i'm working on) aggressively head butting my hands every time I stop petting her, and then randomly bite me.

She's also developed a habit of not using her litter box. She was using it consistently for the first month or so, but then suddenly started going everywhere else (under the sofa, laundry baskets, piles of clothes). This problem seems to be mostly fixed with feliway and cat attract, but i'm nervous that she may start up again.

I feel bad for her because I feel like she's probably bored and acting out because of that, but she's hard to work with. She constantly wants to go outside; when we were walking her she would whine at the door loudly for hours. We stopped taking her outside to break that habit, but she still obviously wants out.

The only toys she'll play with are wand toys, and she's not very food motivated, which rules out any chance of entertaining her by training her.

Not sure how I can help her, she just seems like one really unhappy kitty She's whining constantly for attention, despite my best efforts. Is it possible that it's because she's never been a single cat before now? We've considered getting her a companion, but we're afraid it might make it all worse.

 

[Patti]

I may be completely wrong but as I was reading through this I was thinking that this cat needs a feline companion. I think it might help her channel her energy and give you a break from her constant demands for attention. If you do decide to go that route however I would recommend getting a male as in my experience these types of high strung cats usually end up fighting other females. An alternative may be to build an outdoor enclosure for her with lots of enrichment where she can entertain herself.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I agree with Patti, it does sound like you are right that she's lonely because she is not used to being a single cat. I recently homed an older kitten with a home where he would be an only kitty. I think he will love having all the attention to himself, BUT we did discuss the possibility that they would need to get him a companion if he needed it. Some cats prefer being alone, but many need companionship.

I would make sure that the litterbox issues are under control before you get another cat though. Make sure you've cleaned up all those places with a good enzyme cleaner (Unique Distributors Odor Eliminator or Anti Ickypoo), so that not only does your F3 not want to revisit the areas but any kitty companion you get doesn't think that is an okay place to use either!

Laundry baskets and piles of clothing are common kitty targets... they will teach us to be tidy and put everything away! Make sure the litterbox is large, open and available. If you get a kitty companion add another litterbox. Good luck!