newf and kitten

camel24j

New member
last yr i had to put down both my cats today i bring home a 3 month old Savannah kitten well simba (newf) is way to excited and at times seem territorial like this is his home the cat should listen to him im hoping they both settle in better but any tips would be appreciated.

i am actually worried a bit because we have been talking about getting a puppy either a saint bernard or another newf but this will probably be next yr so we have time.
 

Brandie&Maggie

New member
Congrats on the new addition!

We had cats first, but Maggie was still rather territorial at first with them. We did a few things:

1. Kept them separated for a bit and let dog sniff cat through a gate.
2. Bring cats in the room and profusely praise and treat dog for good/nice behavior.
3. Teach a good "leave it" command for the dog and use it when she starts looking too hard at a cat.
4. When chasing/growling/barking/whatever naughty behavior happens, we employed a "time out" technique. Pretty much Maggie's worst nightmare is being separated from us, so when she did something bad like chase a cat, she immediately gets removed from the situation (often requiring dragging) and put into a room with no toys/people. She is left there for several minutes.

She got the picture fairly quickly. After about 3 months she would only chase or bark at them very occasionally.

I'm sure the trainers here have some other insights, but that is what worked for us.

(Also please post some pics of your kitty...I think Savannah cats are so cool!)
 

camel24j

New member
the kitchen is off limits to the dogs so i let the kitten out in there things have gotten a little better
 

camel24j

New member
the kitten we like the name sly but not sure yet. he has been wondering more and simba just watches right now simba is under the table and kitten is on the chair above him and hes not paying attention so we have made some improvement.

the kitten is an f7 Savannah. i was going to the pound today to look at kittens but we had to go to the pet store first to drop of fuzzy mice well there one of our friends sold us one of his kittens we dont have papers or anything and i have to say he is the most annoying cat i have ever met but he is growing on me and he is so lovable it sickening lol. I'm pretty sure he will fit in perfectly oh and i read up on Savannah's a few yrs ago but was not looking for one so i knew enough about what i was getting.
 

cmorgan.1505

New member
It is always a great idea to have a place where the cat can get away from the dogs. Zeus was here before Thor, but when we brought Zeus home a few years ago we had our half newfie rescue Bear. We had Zeus in a different area of the house for a few days...I would rub a towel over Zeus to let Bear sniff so he could get use to the new smell. After about 3 days, I moved Zeus into the bathroom in the hallway and allowed the dogs and cat to get use to each other behind closed doors. A few days after this we finally let them meet face to face and I held Zeus while my husband held Bear. We did this a few times before allowing Zeus to be free while Bear was.

Congrats on the new kitty!
 

mulenag

New member
OMG!!! Savannah's are awesome!!! Congrats on the new addition! Sorry to hear of the passing of your other kitties. Give Simba some time and I'm sure he will realize that kitty is there to stay.
 

camel24j

New member
things are way better today and simba has become my bodyguard yes laugh all you want but i need a bodyguard from a 3 month old kitten. i think when the cat is full grown i will need a cage big enough to lock myself in it lol.

when the kitty get to much for me i plaster myself to simba the kitty keeps his distance. i will say kitty thinks i only need a few hours sleep he woke me up with claws, teeth, and tongue on any bare skin he could find and when i tried to hide bare skin he just attack more he never broke the skin but im not morning person. dont get me wrong i love the little guy i haven't even had him 24 hours yet and i have already lost some hair lol he sure livened up the house just what i was hoping for.
 

camel24j

New member
this is how good it has gotten simba watch the kitty eat his food I'm starting to wonder if the kitten will rule the house. simba started to get better after i brushed him i think he was a bit excited when he thought the kitty would be a new toy and than latter i think he was jealous because kitty seems to think he needs to be attached to you 24/7 so simba time was what really settled him down.
 
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