Tempered Savannah Cat

[admin]

So did you leave him alone for the first few weeks? Did you spend any time just sitting with Ajani and letting him get to know you? Are you engaging him in play at all? Savannahs especially like to hunt and catch, so a wand toy where they can do that is a very good thing, but you must play with him...for instance, I play with mine every single morning and evening for at least 30 min and often, longer than that.

As Brigitte has stated every cat is different. Taj likes birdie toys and Zuri likes her Hyendry flutterhyde toy and she loves to fetch...but I engage them both in play.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

We did get to meet the mom and dad. And yes he was hissing when we first got there too. But she told us that was normal because he didn't know us (made sense). But also he was a pretty sick little kitten, so Im sure being so scared, sick, was the cause for the initial growling?

Were his littermates similarly hissy and growly? What was mom and dad like?

When you were there, did you just sit down with the kitten in a room and see how he settled or was it more, arrive and here's the kitten and let's get on the road now? Wondering if the initial hissing there dissipated when you were there for five minutes just quietly sitting on the ground. I do find at certain ages kittens can get a little hissy with strangers, but within five minutes of just sitting in the room that is all forgotten and they are climbing all over the new folk...

 

[Kronos]

How old was he when he came home? Did the breeder socialize him well? I know with the earlier generations the longer they are with one person the harder it is for them to go to new homes, and they need more socialization than other breeds of cats due to their tendency to be so attached to their owners... not all, but a lot of Savannahs do not like strangers and will hide. My F5 boy likes to be in the middle of everything, and loves having company come over.

 

[GSGunde10]

We didn't see his litter mates. She had sold most of them and apparently she had them in a seperate area from all her adult cats. The mom and dad were in heat, haha, so they weren't to concerned with us while we were there They were focused on making her another litter!

Well we got there and she had him in a carrying case on her counter ready to go. She did take him out and let us see and hold him for a few minutes. The growling was initial but after a few minutes he quite. She talked to us about what we needed to do when we first got home, feeding, all that kind of stuff. We asked her if we could go outside and look at the parents and other savannahs and she was very nice and took us around to look at all her cats.

On the way home my husband sat with him on his lap. Never made a peep and slept the whole way home. I for sure thought he liked us... But we just had Easter at our house for example and he was not a happy camper. He just sat hunkered down the whole time anyone was in the room. Ready to run off in the next room.

 

[admin]

Stacie, if it seems like we are asking a lot of questions, please don't feel overwhelmed. It is the only way for us to try and determine (if we can) the cause of Ajani's issues...and then help you and Ajani bond and be happy

 

[GSGunde10]

He was 4 months old...

 

[GSGunde10]

OMGosh no way! Im just glad I finally have someone that knows about the cats. We are in a small town and none of our vets have ever seen one. Two of them hadn't even heard of them. And Im pretty sure we are the only one in the county that owns one. So please...ask away! I need the help. I want to make him feel safe and comfortable with us and right now, I just don't think he's there yet! Thank you so much for all the help so far!!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

A lot of what we will ask and advise is NOT Savannah-specific btw... it's important in any cat breed to socialize kittens. Savannahs may be more difficult because they are energetic cats and maybe in a lower energy breed they just wouldn't bother trying to avoid things they don't like so much. Earlier generations can be more intense and determined kitties... they won't necessarily do anything different but they will be more adamant about doing what they want!

but Paige is right, we did deluge you with questions! But hopefully some of our suggestions might work and you will build a better relationship with Ajani

 

[admin]

Brigitte, Trish, Pam, Shelby and many others here have a wealth of experience to offer...I have also asked Marilyn to weigh in and she will do so later tonight or tomorrow. I think a consult with marilyn will probably make all the difference in the world, but she will stop by and lend a hand here later...

 

[Wyldthingz]

Did you say how old he is now? I missed that. It is too bad he doesn't play with toys but how about food? Something he may be really into. It is hard when you don't have a tool to work with that motivates him. He still is very young and now is the time to get into his head. It sounds like he was not played with much and views people as a necessary evil that is around to clean his box and feed him and not something that is a potential source of enjoyment. It may be his personality as well. He may be the loner type that prefers to be by himself. Have you watched the cat guy on Animal planet that deals with aggressive problem cats? He gives great advice for every cat owner. He recommends having cat trees, shelves and platforms for cats with anxiety or temperament issues as it empowers them to be off the floor, feel safe, and have a way to get around the house without touching the ground. I do that because our place is small and we have dogs but I didn't realize that actually is comforting to cats to walk up high and off the floor. Watch those if you get a chance and there may be some ideas for you! I can't recall the name of the program.