There are many cats just waiting to be carefully chosen for each cat lover. Savannah cat breeders know each young cat as an individual, and each one has characteristics that will make a good match with a human family.
But what if you have children in the home? Certainly, the success of introducing a Savannah cat into your family won’t essentially depend on the cat, but on the children too. The way you’ve raised your children will depend on how your kitten is raised and ultimately turns out.
The way your cat is raised has far-reaching consequences
Children taught to extend kindness and care to animals become considerate, valuable adults, and the pets they raise become balanced, devoted, loving animals.
But is a Savannah cat to be trusted around a 2-year-old? After all, the Savannah is part wildcat – offspring of the African Serval and a domestic house cat, and they’re banned in some areas of the United States where regulations and laws outlaw animals that are part wild.
As a hybrid cat, the spotted Savannah makes a beautiful exotic pet with his short, thick tail, long legs, and short, spotted coat. They have been bred to retain as much of their Serval appearance as possible.
The temperament of the Savannah is amicable, and cat lovers who have owned one of these cats say the cat is similar to a dog in many ways. The intelligent cat even follows his owners around and is a devoted companion.
When in doubt – say no
While there are many admirable qualities to the Savannah cat, doing research, you’ll see that some people advise having a Savannah with small children and others not. Some people advise against it should be warning enough that this part wild cat should be the companion of adults only.
The Savannah cat is not your regular kitty-kat. It is a large domesticated cat breed that can weigh up to 13kg. It’s a very active cat too and sometimes behaves like a dog, jumping up in friendliness to say hello – quite different to your regular independent, aloof type of cat.
The Savannah cat is a great family pet, but you have to bear in mind that size and strength might not suit a regular home. Certainly, owning a Savannah cat isn’t the same as owning your usual cat, and if these large felines don’t get the right amount of activity, they can become unusually destructive.
Uncertainty around very young children
Some cat experts feel that wild cats are essentially predators. They feel that the Savannah cat can exhibit temperamental characteristics from their wild side that could be dangerous around small children.
Some have owned Savannahs and say that there are no more safety concerns around the Savannah cat than other cats.
Many cat experts advise adults to never leave a cat alone with a child younger than five years of age.
Certainly, if your Savannah kitten is brought up with unkind, unruly, aggressive children, then the adult cat can turn out to be quite aggressive and savage.
An awesome pet for well-raised kids
Savannah cats make awesome pets, and they love being around children. They are intelligent cats and understand that the fun and games they love so much can come from the home’s older children.
The popularity of the Savannah cat is that he looks like a wild cat. Yet, this wild look can be deceiving because a Savannah that has been raised with kindness and love will be a loving, gentle domestic cat, albeit very energetic.
Caution is the keyword
To answer the question ‘do Savannahs and children blend well together? The answer is yes, and no. Savannahs make super pets in homes with well behaved, older children and socialized dogs. However, with any animal with a wild side, caution should always be the keyword.
