Savannah Intelligence?

[Moggieslegacy]

Rascel Dad, So far Moggie seems very well behaved and eager to please unless I push him too far. And if I really work to keep him entertained. Boredom seems to be what is going on for him when he gets naughty.

That does sound like amazing bit of problem solving Remi' s Mommy

And it is nice seeing I am not too eccentric feeling like I have become the parent to a kitten...

But even though he seems a lot more interactive and curious about how things work than cats I have had in the past, I think the cats that have a stronger Savannah heritage sound like their intellegence is more sustained. Moggie is curious, and sometimes does something that seems surprisingly insightful, but he usually does not continue along the same lines or seem to build on this. He opened the cupboard once and then lost interest. And I doubt I will ever have to spell out when we are going to the vet...but maybe as he gets older his understanding of my words will expand beyond "No", "wanna play", "are you hungry", and maybe "going to bed" But I think that is about it so far...

One thing Moggie does that is super cute is if he is sleeping in my arms and wakesnup and sees my face close by, he often gazes at me with sleepy eyes and goes mew meow mew mew meow... Like he is telling me what he dreamed or something.

 

[SV Dad]

Boredom seems to be what is going on for him when he gets naughty.

Bingo!
Now, It's just a matter of time before the persistence kicks in. It will, soon enough.

 

[Cathouse1]

Persistence just doesn't quite do it justice. Ours are so very determined to accomplish their mission when they get something in their sights. Loki will spend hours sitting in ambush just to spring the trap, like a teenager that likes to scare people. He's been eyeing the fireplace, and I can almost imagine him clawing his way up to the roof.

 

[Moggieslegacy]

I may be starting to see the persistence. Moggie is still mostly well behaved and he seems to try to accommodate me, but, when I tell him No he often looks at me as if to say " Yes well that is your opinion and I happen to disagree" Usually he has a valid point. Like he is not allowed on the food preparation counter but that is along a south facing window that attracts flies. He is getting really good at catching them. He jumps in the air and claps his paws together trapping them. So I am denying him access to some if the best hunting territory in the house and I don't even eat flies. So he looks at me like I am being totally unreasonable and it is not his problem. Not sure how we can work that out.

Moggies is unusual from other cats I have known in that he eats everything he catches with great relish, including slugs. Usually it is just very hungry feral cats I have seen eat these as the slime will gum up a cats mouth for the rest of the day. And they don't taste that great. They are edible and I cooked one up and tried it once. Not an experience worth repeating. But Moggie has tried to twice.

Another thing I notice that seems different than other cats and kittens I have had is on one hand he is really smart, but on the other hand he can have really bad judgement about his physical safety. I have been taking him exploring my rural property wearing a harness, and he seems to have figured out when he runs he needs to stop and wait for me before the leash restrains him, and that if he goes into the bushes it is not nice to drag my big bumbling body behind him. He also seems to understand when he climbs a fruit tree he has to follow the leash back or he gets tangled. And he does not go beyond where he feels he can climb down. So that is good. But when we are playing he often runs into my legs, the furniture, the walls, or does back flips off the couch and bumps his poor little chin on the way down. I yell Ouch like I do when he bites or scratches, but he seems complletely unfazed. The other day he wasn't even crazy playing, and he made what seemed like a well considered jump off the back of one chair at an angle where he hit his chest on the bar of another chair that was in plain veiw. If I did the stuff he does I would be disabled for days, if not forever, but he doesn't even seem to care enough to avoid this. What is with that? I am starting to be a helicopter parent. Today I got Da Bird which he loves, may even be able to tire him out, but I have a small house and I have to anticipate what he will do because he seems he would have no problem killing himself chasing that thing.

I do not recall.. Do all kittens have such a reckless disregard for their own safety or is this a Savanna thing? Will he get more careful / sensible as he matures?

 

[WitchyWoman]

Do all kittens have such a reckless disregard for their own safety or is this a Savanna thing? Will he get more careful / sensible as he matures?

Most kittens are nincompoops about personal safety. Mortality rates for kittens in feral colonies range from 12% to 48% by 100 days of age.

I believe what sets SVs apart from DSHs is the intensity of their focus. SVs get focused on one thing to the exclusion of all other things. It is one of the reasons why we strongly recommend never letting a SV roam free. As Savannahs mature, they may become more savvy at determining what is a potential danger but that will be quickly forgotten if something interesting arises.

My cats would run headlong into a truck if they were focusing on a bug, bird, scent or trying to figure out why their shadow is always going the same direction they are. They are smart when it comes to turning on lights, water, and dismantling appliances but staying alive...not so much.

 

[Moggieslegacy]

Interesting about the death rate of feral kittens. My previous kittens seemed to have more common sense, or maybe they just did not spend as much time playing so they did not have as many opportunities to make mistakes. I know cars are the main killer of non feral indoor/outdoor cats in the first year of life in the UK where 90 percent of cats are allowed to roam. If cats in the UK survive that first year they usually live to a ripe old age. Here maybe one car goes by an hour and the road is 300 feet from my house. There is no coyotes and the only substantial danger to the many loved and cared for neighbourhood indoor outdoor cats is other cats. It may just be 1 cat that has been a problem. None of my previous cats here have ever been injured even once. And I have lived here 35 years. Also the vet told me when they are small, owls and hawks may try to grab them, though I have never personally heard of a cat here being attacked by a big bird. But... My last cat did have a fight with an eagle that was trying to eat one of my chickens. I think my cat was defending my chicken. They were freinds. The chicken lost some feathers and the eagle and cat appear to have gone their separate ways unscathed after I broke them up. As safe as the cats here usually are, with the exceptions of some damage from fights with other cats, my kitten won't be going anywhere unsupervised until he seems to be making better choices about not possibly impaling himself on something... Every 10 minutes!!! Though he may find a way to do this in my house...

 

[SV Dad]

Yes well that is your opinion and I happen to disagree

Yep, the cattitude is developing quite nicely.

he eats everything he catches with great relish, including slugs.

That's cat escargot you are talking about here. I never discourage my cats from catching flies. That's a nice help around the house. Now, only if the furballs could around here could get the mice before they run over the wife's toes!

but on the other hand he can have really bad judgement about his physical safety.

One of the most endearing features of a young savannah! The hell bent intensity combined with the reckless disregard to safety and colliding with objects. Endless entertainment for the servants!

But when we are playing he often runs into my legs, the furniture, the walls, or does back flips off the couch and bumps his poor little chin on the way down. I yell Ouch like I do when he bites or scratches, but he seems complletely unfazed.

Once again confirming you have a savannah.
Perhaps, you are considering a plush savannah kitten next time?

 

[Moggieslegacy]

Getting him a playmate is something I consider pretty much every day, at this point just for my own sanity. If I decide his Savannahy character has elements that will create serious problems if he is allowed free access to the big world, that would be plan B. I need to spend a significant portion of each day outside and if he cannot join me, he will need a companion. Plan B also includes enclosing the perimeter around my house and part of my yard so I still have some rodent control, and cat or cats still have limited access to hunting and the outdoors. But I would more than hesitate to impose 2 free roaming Savannahy cats on the neighbourhood and eco system, so for now plan A is spending an hour or more a day with him in a harness exploring and him showing me what obvious mischief he will get into. He has an appointment to be nuetered and microchipped, and the last vacinations in about 3 weeks. Once he recuperates I hope he can come with me as I do my yard work, and I hope his present tendency to want to do everything with me all the time, together with our previous explorations will keep him close enough to learn his place. If he can do that, his life here will be as close to a Savannah cats dream of heaven as is possible. If he can't do that, or is too effiecent at catching non rodent, non insect species, I will be going with plan B.

 

[Rafiki]

You might want to schedule a separate visit for his last round of vaccinations to reduce the trauma and stress. Definitely do the microchip while he is knocked out for his neuter.

 

[Moggieslegacy]

Thanks for the suggestion Rafiki. I will ask my vet about that.

And today bringing out Da Bird Moggie seems less inclined to bounce off the walls and bash himself into the furniture, so hopefully he is learning not to hurt himself. Today he spent a lot more time laying strategically in wait for a good time and position to safely make a leap, and less time trying to chase it in my tiny house.