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Hello from Switzerland

Hello everyone


I am very happy that I found this forum. We don’t have Savannah cats yet but we are thinking about buying two Savannah F3 kittens.

I already spent a lot of time to read through this forum but I have still some open questions - especially about Savannah cats living in the same house with a three year old child. I would be very glad if some of you could help me with their experience so that I know better what to expect:

1. Our son has of course some toys like Lego, Playmobil, little cars… Do we have to always hide all his toys so that the cats cannot destroy it?

2. How is it when for example my son and I play with his toy farm and the cats are around? Would they let us play or would they walk through the toy farm and destroy everything?

3. I would not allow the cats to go into our sleeping room. Is that difficult? Do they always try to get in when you enter or leave the room so that I always have be as fast as possible or would they learn at some point to respect this and not try it anymore?

4. Are your cats allowed to go into your children’s room?


We are really not sure yet if Savannahs are the right choice for us. We already visited somebody with Savannahs and the cats were very nice. We liked their energy and how they play and of course how they look. :) However the cats are already some years old and there were no kids at this place.

Thank you very much in advanced for helping me.

Iskierka
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
If the Savannahs you are considering getting are older then you need to be very sure that they will do okay with a 3 year old, and that your 3 year old will respect the cats. Are you able to visit them first and see how they react to your son?

As for the toys, you would be smart not to leave anything out when unsupervised, not only will the cats consider those toys to be theirs, but I could see one swallowing a lego or other small item, developing a bowel obstruction, and requiring a very expensive surgery (potentially up to $4000 in the US).


Savannahs love to play with things and knock things over just to see what happens, so I would guess your toy farm would not be terribly safe either. However, Savannahs can be trained, as long as you are consistent, and more persistent than they are. The problem with Savannahs is they are smart enough to know to do one thing in your presence, then do whatever they darn well please as soon as your back is turned, so training can take some time to perfect the behavior you desire...

As for not allowing them to go in your sleeping room, well Savannahs are social beings and want to be around others. However, since there are two of them, that may not be as much of an issue since they have each other to keep company with. On the other hand, you will have to wake up expecting a disaster every morning if you are going to leave them unsupervised in the main house - not saying that there actually will be a disaster every morning, but the potential is definitely there...

On the other hand, Savannahs are an amazing breed: smart, interactive, affectionate (on their own terms) and can give your family many years of entertainment and love.
 
@Patti
Thank you very much for your reply. Maybe I wrote it a bit unclear: We want to buy two kittens - not two adult cats. We just wanted to know how Savannahs are in reality and that is why we visited somebody with two adult cats - but these cats are not for sale.

Here in Switzerland it is anyway very difficult to find a breeder. We are thinking about buying them on the internet (maybe from the US ?) and let them ship to us. However this is very risky and we are not sure yet...
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
Agree with Patti, but at times I have locked out some of my brood, and all has been ok... I do have later gens though and that may be something you may want to consider... What generation you would like... There are some great breeders in Europe... Kiwanga is in Germany, Arctic savannahs in Norway, ABC savannahs is in France and the Netherlands, And there are several in the UK... So you do have many good breeders not far from you...
 

Trish Allearz

Moderator
Honestly, just reading your concerns, I don't feel this is the breed for you. If you or your child will be upset about toys being scattered or knocked down, how will you feel if a curtain rod gets pulled down or a glass object gets tested for Gravity? Kittens are kittens and energetic and trouble tends to go hand in hand with most kittens, let alone savannahs.

I have a three year old who believes our F1 kitten is his. I also have a 9 year old who has his own three year old f7. These cats can be your kid's best friend, but priorities need to be assigned to that friendship.

And no, every toy does not need to be picked up. You'll learn what attracts the kittens attention and what they ignore.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I am not concerned that some toys may get destroyed - I know that this will happen. We have old curtains and an old sofa as well ;). I just don't know how you handle it for example if the kids are playing and the cats are around. I fear that the cats might swallow or eat a small toy...
 

Trish Allearz

Moderator
I am not concerned that some toys may get destroyed - I know that this will happen. We have old curtains and an old sofa as well ;). I just don't know how you handle it for example if the kids are playing and the cats are around. I fear that the cats might swallow or eat a small toy...
Some cats are horrid about eating everything but a lot are not.


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AlyssaRae

Savannah Super Cat
I do not have a savannah yet... Hopefully someday soon though :in love: But I do have a younger bengal and they are very similar to the savannah. So in my experience (and I believe the savannah would be the same if not worse) they will be in the middle of whatever you do… I had to lock my boy out when I wrapped presents this christmas. If I am working on a project on the floor he has to be in the middle of it.

So when you said "Would they let us play or would they walk through the toy farm and destroy everything?" I believe they will want to be right in the middle and be involved and probably walk right through it, therefore knocking everything over. But that is exactly what it's like having these types of cats around.. they can be a hand full but they are so much fun! But at the same time doesn't expect a cat that won't cause a mess.

And about them not allowed to sleep with you… I sometimes have to lock my boy out if he won't stop attacking the blinds, playing with my dog as she is trying to sleep or attacking our feet non stop. He handles being locked out well. But then again I worry what he is getting into.. Because I can hear him messing with stuff downstairs. I think he eventually settles but he definitely has made messes for me to find in the morning. ;)
 

WitchyWoman

Admin
Staff member
I am not concerned that some toys may get destroyed - I know that this will happen. We have old curtains and an old sofa as well ;). I just don't know how you handle it for example if the kids are playing and the cats are around. I fear that the cats might swallow or eat a small toy...
If you decide to get the cats, approach it as though you were adopting 2 more 3 yr old children. They are much like kids -- inquisitive, very energetic, wanting to be near their humans. You will find yourself doing almost the same things to keep the cats safe during their kitten hood as you do to keep your son safe.
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
Some cats are horrid about eating everything but a lot are not.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The only Savannah I have here that has any tendency to pick up inappropriate things and eat them is one of my F1s (the other doesn't at all)... hence I think if you get a later generation (F3 or further) I think you should be okay. Of course ALL cats can sometimes do this, it's a matter of finding out what your individual cat(s) might do. I have a friend with an orange domestic male that is insane about eating rubber bands, he's had numerous surgeries for this, and she is vigilant about picking them up.

As mentioned though, kittens and cats may not respect your children's things...mine think my baby's toys are theirs too. She's just going to have to learn to "share" that way...
 
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