When I saw an advertisement for Jackson Galaxy’s “My Cat From Hell” with a Savannah, my heart sank. I was instantly concerned about the breed receiving negative publicity and how that could affect future ownership laws. At this point there are some states that have ownership restrictions, but for the most part they are legal in the US. However, there is legislation getting passed in some areas with general “hybrid” animal bans. In most cases this legislation is targeting the wolf hybrids but the verbage is not written specifically and the Savannah can also be caught in the crosshairs.
To my delight, I thought Jackson did a very nice job identifying the root of the problem with Jacques’ two Savannahs, Morello(F2) and Darwin(F5), and gave suitable advice to diffuse the bad situation. The root of the problem was boredom and lack of mental stimulation. The Savannah is an extremely intelligent breed that requires more interaction that your typical domestic. Although more user friendly than a dog in regard to their ‘bathroom’ needs, Savannahs are quite similar to dogs in that they look forward to their owners returning home and are often waiting by the door, ready for a play session. Many owners report their Savannah will play fetch “until it feels like my arm is going to fall off!”
Jacques ended up bringing a pet sitter in during the day while he was at work to have an additional play session, in addition to the hard play session he would have with them before leaving for work in the mornings and upon arriving home in the afternoons. This is an extreme requirement and this is rarely necessary for the breed. We have found that the Savannahs quickly tire of a toy and it requires a new toy to provide the same stimulation. We recommend a plethora of Savannah-safe toys be employed, but that only one or two be available at a given time. Rotating through a wide range of toys increases one’s ability to keep their Savannah stimulated and interested in play.
Jackson Galaxy also employed the use of wall shelves and perches for Morello and Darwin. I have seen him do this for many of the cats he helps, but feel it was especially important for Morello and Darwin. Savannahs enjoy being able to take things in from a safe vantage point before deciding to join in on the fun. Providing these spaces will lend to a more comfortable, well-adjusted Savannah.
Jacques also had a problem with Morello being antisocial and even aggressive towards visitors. Through the use of positive reinforcement in the form of food treats and play, Jackson Galaxy and Jacques were able to conquer Morello’s fear of visitors to the home. In a perfect world Morello would not have had this fear in the first place. However, when dealing with living creatures we find that each has its own quirks. In order to try to prevent such behavior in the Savannah we recommend exposing Savannah kittens to as many people and new situations as possible as they mature. The more they are exposed to at a young age, the more accepting they will be of new people and situations at maturity.
So kudos to Jackson Galaxy on a great episode of “My Cat from Hell” and for a job well done with helping Morello and Darwin reach their full Savannah potential. I hope this episode proved helpful to any other Savannah owners experiencing similar scenarios.
There will be another episode next month (Oct) with my two Savannahs but they weren’t the problem is was my older balinese cat Thumbelina
Thanks for the heads up! We’ll be sure to watch for it. It’s always fun to see Savannahs in action.
Our My Cat From Hell air date is Nov 15th 🙂
I have a female F3 Savannah. I chose one who is silver and black because I was more interested in the personality than the look of my new baby. She is so much more than I imagined she would be. In fact, my doctor wrote a letter stating she is an “Assist Animal,” because she has literally saved my life more than once! I am a diabetic who has very hard to control blood sugar. My blood sugar will suddenly drop into coma numbers no matter how carefully I stick to my diet! This isn’t that much of a problem while I am awake, but it also happens while I’m asleep! The first time it happened, my blood sugar numbers were well into coma territory, but “Baby” kept at me until she finally woke me! As strange as this sounds, I remember watching her jumping not just down on me, but finally jumping on me from across the room trying to wake me! My doctor, as well as her vet, claims she is half dog,, half human in a cat body! Then stated his next pet was going to be a Savannah! Personally, I believe she is an angel in a furry body! She walks on a leash, sits when told to, and is very kind to my 3 year old granddaughter! After having “Baby” in my life, J will never own any other type of pet! She really is AMAZING!!!
Thought I’d chime in here. Darwin and Morello are now my sweet babies. Morello sits next to me every day while I work from home and chases me for love and attention. She’s also not nearly as afraid of new people in her older years
Darwin still requires constant attention but a squirt bottle has helped with incessant reowring a inappropriate times. He also loves riding in his backpack.
I’m interested in a older one around 5;yrs of age pet only so sex doesn’t matter
I have an F3 Gray and black Savannah Cat. She is amazing! She is sweet and very gentle, even with young people and has quite literally saved my life twice in the three years I have belonged to her. I say that because I have found that you can’t own a Savannah. They own you and everything around you!
Baby, my cat picked that name for herself! The three of us started talking about what we would name the “baby” on our way home from getting her. By the time we got home, she started jumping into the lap of anyone who said the word “Baby!”
Baby somehow knows when my blood sugar drops too low when I’m sleeping.
I have a knick knack shelf that runs around my room about 18 inches down from the ceiling. She jumps up on that, goes directly across from where I’m sleeping and jumps down on me until she wakes me up.
She no longer waits until my sugar has dropped close to coma numbers. Now she alerts when it starts dropping rapidly. She is amazing and very gentle with grandchild. Baby (she picked that name for herself when we first brought her home and were talking about what we should name the “Baby!.” Within 20 minutes whenever anyone said, What if we named the baby . . . such or such, she jumped into their lap. So we named her Baby and she still comes running whenever any says the word “Baby!” Now she comes to that name.
She is gentle and amazing with all people, and we all adore her, though she can be a bit bossy!
Are there any recent My cat from hell’ shows featuring Savannahs?
Thx
Chris Stelling