Thanks for having me! New f2 male owner

[mwd1992]

Hi all!

Hope all is well and everyone enjoyed their 4th of July (or another Tuesday for non American folks!). I wanted to introduce myself. My name is matt, and as of yesterday I have a male f2 savannah kitten! He is very skittish and hissing quite a lot, but it was a very long day for him and so just getting him acclimated. I would love to hear any tips and tricks of the trade with these early months (he is 12 weeks). Thanks for any help!

 

[WitchyWoman]

Welcome and congratulations on getting your SV kitten. To get the kitten acclimated to you and the house, the kitten should be kept in quarantine for at least 2 weeks in a room with toys, food/water, litter etc. Spend time in the room with the kitten, on the floor, just letting him get used to you. Speak to him in a soft voice or read out loud. Don't force physical contact. Engage in play. When he starts to get curious about you, place a piece of food in the palm of your hand or on the back of your hand and see if he will take the food from you. The key is to associate you with good stuff such as play and food.

After 2 weeks (and only if he allows you to pet/touch him) allow him supervised time in the rest of the house. As he grows more confident with the sights, sounds, and smells of the house you can increase the time he is out of the room. Allow him full unsupervised freedom of the place only when you are sure that there is nothing he can get into that can hurt him -- electrical cords, cords on curtains/shades, small tight places he can get into but not out of. If he doesn't want physical contact after 2 wks in quarantine, you'll need to keep him confined until he does. Letting him loose in the house when he doesn't trust you enough to let you touch him can lead to all sorts of bad situations.

Also make sure you put a 2nd litter box somewhere in the house once you let him of quarantine.

 

[Patti]

What a beautiful baby boy! What is his name??

I agree with everything Deborah has said above. Usually kittens will settle in afer a few days, but there are those occasional hold-outs who just adjust poorly to a new home and need more time. Patience is key - give him time and I'm sure he'll be your best buddy in no time!!

 

[Remi's Mommy]

Very servile looking, handsome lad


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[Rob1984]

nice looking cat

 

[Val]

He is a handsome boy. Welcome and Congratulations.

 

[mwd1992]

Thank you so much for the kind words and advice. I was very excited to join this forum for all the very knowledgeable people! I was actually able to pet him while he was eating wet food (which looked like a National Geographic documentary!) but he is very skittish and usually scurries back into his carrier that he came into. That will help me for the vet today, but if I was to guess we will be shedding that carrier soon! Patti his name is king! Or reylito which is little king in Spanish haha. Deborah I'm certainly taking all your advice and once again thank you so much for your support.

 

[Rafiki]

Hi Matt. Welcome to the forum. Your little guy is really adorable. King or Reylito .... yes, he will soon rule you!

Keep the carrier around. It is good for him to have a place that he recognizes as a "safe zone". As an added bonus, if he continues to consider his carrier as such, it will greatly facilitate getting him to the vet or other places as needed in the future.

 

[admin]

Hi matt,

Welcome! King is a gorgeous boy! As Rafiki has said, the carrier should be left for him to have a safe place...remember, he has left everyone and everything he has known and is afraid. So the carrier he came in is his safe place - his home for now, until he gets acclimated.

Each kitten is different - he may come around in a couple of days and as others have said, it may take weeks. The key is not to rush him...let him come to you on his terms. Leave a light on for hm, a TV or radio, sit with him and talk to him, play with a wand toy in the room...he may get curious and come out. The fact that he is eating is a very good sign.

We are here to help - let us know of any other questions you have!

 

[Renee]

Wow, such a pretty kitty! Congrats

You have some wonderful advice already from loving Savannah owners. As they said, be patient.

Theses lil guys are so persistent. You have to be more persistent than they are. Just keep loving and saying caring things. They understand more than you would think.

So pretty, congrats again (more pictures!)