My Savannah has food aggression

a reply to: ketsuko

Exactly, we figure it was a mix of the breed and him growing.

Sav's and Servals grow until 2 years old.
Thinking on those terms, Nova is about a quarter of what he will be when fully grown.

We can't leave his bowl full due to contamination.
And its a bit of a process every feeding - thaw his food in cold water in the sink, make sure the bowl is sterilized, feed, clean the feeding area with Lysol wipes... repeat!

When he has his daily multi-vitamin, it gets broken up and hidden in raw chicken hearts.
He really, really makes a mess with those things.
The entire room gets a good wipe down.

a reply to: stosh64

We tried feeding raw salmon but he wasn't interested.
Goldfish however...thats a damn good idea.

originally posted by: Macenroe82
a reply to: Creep Thumper

Sorta a rescue I guess... he rescued us!

But no, he cost a lot of money.

I've read the new posts. You say he is Serval/Savannah, which is the reason he is possessive about food.

Cats are not considered domesticated anyway. Your beautiful cat is well beyond the usual household cat. He is barely one paw out of the wild.

I don't think you'll be able to break him of his habits with food. It is pure instinct that leads him to eat everything he can when it's available.

If you want to control his food intake you'll have to stop free-feeding your other cats and probably restrict him to a bedroom or other room while feeding your other cats.

Frankly, some of the diet advice here is ridiculous. Cats are carnivores. Stick with your current diet plan. You should be aware though that the raw meat diet has drawbacks of its own. Because Nova is wild, he will probably be fine though.

originally posted by: Macenroe82
a reply to: stosh64

We tried feeding raw salmon but he wasn't interested.
Goldfish however...thats a damn good idea.

I thought so.
Hell, his dinner/hunting instinct and your evening entertainment all in one shot.
Whats not to love.

a reply to: Macenroe82

Instead of thawing each meal because I am assuming you are feeding by weight, why not thaw what you figure he will need for the whole day? It shouldn't spoil that quickly.

Then weigh him often and sort of feed for where he is and where he's heading, so feed a bit heavier than his current weight would strictly dictate. Or maybe break his rations up into more smaller feeds through the day so his stomach isn't empty as often for as long so the hunger isn't as intense.

a reply to: VictorVonDoom

LOL!!! Yeah, that's about it when you get a personality (cat) that just won't back down. I have known two vicious cats in my lifetime. They were just nasty buggers. I can relate to that one toe salute alright.

a reply to: ketsuko

Ya, sometimes we do that - thawing up to half a pound at a time.
Because as long as its sealed in the fridge, its good for 2 days.

Nova has a room to himself. When we are busy getting dinner ready, chores ...etc, he stays in his room.
And before anyone gets crazy saying the cats locked up - this room has cost us easily $5000.
He has a tunnel system - that he fricken loves running through.
3 of the biggest cat trees you can buy.
Toys, stuffed animals, cat shelves.
You name it he has it.

Because of his breed, he can jump damn near 8ft straight up from a sitting position.
And he does!
He will jump up just to knock pictures off walls, curtain climb and his favorite past time - jumping on shelves to knock down whatever the hells up there.

So at night and when we can't watch him, he gets put in his room.
That is also where he eats all his meals... when hes not trying to starve out the other cats lol.

Could try locking food bowls. One per cat and the microchip keeps out the others.


www.amazon.com...=sr_1_8?keywords=Microchip+Pet+Feeder&qid=1579566430&s=pet-supplies&sr =1-8

a reply to: ntech

I was actually speaking with another serval owner on a forum, he said that those work pretty good, but the one he bought was made for a house cat.
By a year old he was too big to use it.
There was this ring type of arch that the cat would have to put his head through in order for the bowl to unlock.
But after the first year, his boy got too big.

a reply to: Macenroe82

I'm jealous. He sounds like an amazing cat. 👍

a reply to: Macenroe82

Looks like a different product. No arch. Plus it's sized for dogs too. Just looks a bit expensive though. Maybe one for the regular cats and a regular dish for the Savanna.

Hmmm, he may need a catio (outdoor enclosure) to help keep him stimulated and exercised. You could look into one of those lure line systems they have for coursing. It might be helpful to get his hunting instincts exercised and relaxed. I know they use it with cheetahs, but I don't know if savannahs would get into it - different kind of cat. Maybe a wheel.

a reply to: stosh64

We gotta go to the pet food store tonight... guess who’s getting some gold fish!

a reply to: Macenroe82

I see you've gotten some good advice in here Mac. Nova is so gorgeous! Just let him know that the hierarchy starts at the top which is you and your wife. Love seeing vids of your new baby and black cat is beautiful too. How is Nova interacting with the other cats? How many do you have?

a reply to: Night Star

We have 3 cats.
Rocky the black one, and Adrienne, the tabby, are brother and sister.
They are both 11 years old this year.

I was just filming Nova trying to play with Rocky.

Nova is just too rough with them.
His wild side prevents him from playing like a house cat.
Everything he sees gets hunted and attacked lol.
But he has watched them play together so hopefully he learns to be more delicate with them.

a reply to: Creep Thumper

The raw meat diets can lead to weak bones. Nova sounds like a handful, but surely a beautiful animal.

Cheers