Friday, August 12, 2011

Living With a Savannah Cat

Few have ever even heard of the Savannah cat and many haven't had the privilege (as they see it) of being owned by one.

savannah cat

But whether you are looking for a new pet or looking into the breed or this is the first time you have ever heard of the Savannah cat, here are a few facts you should know about the breed whether you are just looking for information or actually serious about getting one. They are hilarious to read about and even more hilarious to live with.

SAVANNAH CAT

Savannah cats take a full 3 years to reach full growth. The first two years is usually when their body grows, while the third is when they develop muscle. Although there have been cases where they grow for up to 4 years.

You can never fully know the size but from f1-f3 you can expect that they could get up to, at least, double the size of a normal house cat. Most get to around the 25lbs mark. Although there are many cats that get that big, Savannah cats are rarely ever, if ever, over weight. All of their weight is muscle and body, no excess gut on them.

They also look like they weigh more than they actually do as, when they walk around they can look rather large. They are somewhat like a slinky, they can easily fit into places you'd never think they could because of their size and then they can stretch from the ground to the top of your kitchen counter with ease.

So why do they rarely ever get a gut like many house cats? While let's just say you better get the hell out of the way when you see one coming barreling around the corner. If you even have time. The amount of energy they have is equal to that of the most hyper dog. They run around, up, down, climb on everything they can and then do it 4 more times just because.

Also the amount of noises they can make is unbelievable. That doesn't mean they are overly noisy, although the very well can be, it just means that they make a lot more noises than your typical meow. One night you might wake up and think a bird has gotten into your bedroom, as your Savannah cat sits their chirping away.

Try making your Savannah cat do something that they don't want to do and you'll hear so many different pitch meows, people will think you're either killing your cat or you have 10 different cats in your home.

Now jumping is a whole different matter. If you think you have ever seen a cat jump, you haven't seen anything yet. Say the average height of a person is what? 5'8" or so? While a full grown Savannah, heck even a year old one, can stand at you feet and within seconds leap right up over your head. No run on or anything.

They are also cautious around new things. So say you buy something new and come home, sitting it in the middle of the floor. Eventually your Savannah cat will come up and sniff it, stretching its neck out as far as it can, keeping the rest of its body as far away as possible. Then let say you give the item a twitch, your Savannah cat will spring backwards a good 4ft in the air. Rather hilarious to see.

They have huge back feet, you'd think you have just gotten a rabbit. Their hears are rather large also. As are their teeth, which isn't the greatest when they are a kitten because they generally don't have any bite inhibition.

You give them a piece of food and they may accidentally bite your finger, their teeth are so sharp that it won't take much to draw blood either, which is why you have to correct them every time they try to bite, in a positive manner. For they learn quickly and if they learn going easy gets them more food they will do it. It's basically the same as a dog, eventually if they do bite, it's just a little naw and doesn't hurt. But you must teach them good bite inhibition.

Another thing to remember is keep their nails cut, because they don't watch where the hell they are going. So when they get on one of their rampages tearing throughout your home, you may be on the couch, they may leap right over and land on you, scratching you in the process. As they tend to keep their claws out when running and jumping like crazy.

One thing that is highly recommended is to have another pet. Savannah's get along great with cats and in a lot of cases even better with dogs. Have another pet to let your Savannah burn energy with. But beware, as they adopt new pets easily at a younger age but when they get older, they are less inclined to do so. Mine lives with another cat and he gets along with her great, but show him another cat and he acts like he wants to kill it. Show him a dog and after the typical response he wants to play.

That just shows they are a lot do prefer to play with dogs, as they are very dog like. You can walk them on a leash, although be very careful because within a minute they could chew through it. They love water, if you leave the tap on in the sink, they'll go under it and bath themselves. Some even like to jump in the shower with their owner.

They can play fetch and do many other dog like qualities with ease. But as far as toys goes, everything in your home is fair game. Whether that is your priceless antiques or a cardboard box, if they can find a way to play with it they will. You also have to watch the little stuff as they will put anything in their mouth.

They are also very smart, figuring out ways to get you to do what they want you to do. If they want you up, they will find a way to do it. Mine decides to climb the curtains, then I nailed them to the wall and that didn't work, so he decided to grab the end of the plug and yank it from the wall of my clock, fan, etc. Again if they want you to do something you better do it.

As far as food goes they are good on high quality cat food, lower tier stuff gives them the runs, but as long as you keep them on high quality food, they are fine. Also they love meat, just about any kind of meat. You bring your groceries home and lie the bags on the floor, if you're not careful whatever meat you just bought will be going down the hall. They don't care if it's frozen or not. Although never let them eat raw meat, as it supposedly isn't good for them. But always expect a pal when eating supper if you have any kind of meat on your plate.

They will even headbutt you when they want your attention, also nothing seems to hurt that thick skull as they run into everything and just shake it off and keep going.

They generally are only nice to people living with them, they quickly warm up to people who are around for days on end. But if that person came back a month later, forget it, they'd have to start all over again to earn your Savannah's approval. All they really do is become mouthy and run away from the person. But if a person show them fear, they love it. Your Savannah will sit there and show its teeth, make other noises and purr the whole time, loving that they are superior to a human.

All Savannahs have wild instincts too, as they do have some wild cat, Serval, DNA. So they are hard to catch, unlike a lot of cats, they don't just look left, right, etc. They look everywhere constantly, above, below, behind, always knowing what's going on around them, so they don't get caught.

They generally aren't a cat that likes to be picked up or cuddled either. Although they do enjoy it, but only when they want it, not when you do.

It's also a good bet to get one of those Giant litter boxes from Petsmart or wherever you can find one. As they do get rather large and you want them to be comfortable to prevent them from going to the bathroom elsewhere. But they are very clean, they hate being dirty, so they litter train just as easy as any other cat.

They can also open cupboards, fridges and even door with levers, some even learn how to work a door knob. As they have more strength in their paws then most cats. So that is something you want to watch out for.

Overall Savannah cats are wonderful pets to live with, they will learn tricks fast, teach your other pets dirty tricks, play all day long and they will be everywhere in your house, no place is off bounds to them because if they want to get there they will.

Living With a Savannah Cat

Visit Face it Facts for more of your fact needs.

SAVANNAH CAT

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