How old is the Savannah? I think you'll have more of a chance of the cats bonding and getting along if you bring another one in now vs waiting until Nyx is older.
I doubt the introduction of another cat would change your bond with Nyx if you continued to give each a balanced share of attention. I would be more concerned about how well the two get along, vs your bond to Nyx, since there is never a guarantee that everyone will be happy when new pets are brought into the home.
The advantage of a second cat.......... the new cat could help Nyx learn basic playing rules and also give her a playmate to help burn off some of her energy.

Hopefully the lady had the vet run tests for giardia and other parasites since that is something your cat could get. A second round of shots won't prevent a parasitic infection.
BTW, I've never read where the Savannah is aggressive....only that they're gentle and, like other cats, can be either social or very shy.

This post was edited by annz on Sat, Feb 8, 14 at 18:56

Cats learn from each other. Maybe the Savannah cat can teach Onyx how to play nice and how to behave better. Maybe they will play together and that would be really good for Onyx. Good-luck.

What gender is the Savannah? Has that cat ever lived with other cats and/or young kittens, and if so, how did the cat interact with other felines? Would the cat's current owner allow you to bring your kitten to her home for an introduction to the Savannah to see how they respond to each other?

If the Savannah has a known history of getting along well with young kittens, the adoption may turn out very well. However, adult males (if the Savannah is an adult male) have occasionally been known to kill young kittens.

From your description, it sounds like your kitten REALLY needs a feline companion. I would be cautious about adopting an adult who has not recently lived with young kittens, however. I would be more inclined to recommend adopting a same-age kitten as a playmate and companion for your baby.

Laurie

Sounds like a typical kitten to me. Please don't declaw. I have had experience for many years incorporating all different animals into my household and all it takes for them to get along is patience, in varying amounts. Separate them at first, but let them see each other and you loving the other cat. Introduce gradually. I think it is HIGHLY advisable to have more than one cat, as they become companions and snuggle buddies, especially when you aren't around. IMHO, forget the Savannah and go to a shelter where you can adopt another kitten around the same age. There will be zero issues with the two getting along, and they will be great friends and playmates. Besides the fact that you don't want your baby to catch a disease, you also don't want to sign on to having to treat what might be an expensive condition. If, however, money is no object, bless you for signing on to that; but - I would have my own vet do the evaluation. Good luck!

Hello everyone!

Unfortunately I was not able to get the Savannah, thank you so much for opinions, though!

At the moment, I will not be adopting another kitten. I have attempted to introduce Onyx to one other cat we have in the household (her name is Momma, we adopted her as a pregnant cat, and before she even finished nursing, she became pregnant with a second litter by escaping through the patio door -.-...we finally got her fixed). Momma is (of course) super great with kittens, and was extremely friendly to Onyx, but Onyx was having none of it, no way, no how. She wouldn't look at the cat, when she did she hissed and freaked...unfortunately I just don't have the space at the moment to have to separate cats prior to adoption.

We used to have 7 cats (don't call me crazy...or do whatever LOL) they were all well socialized. I don't know, even on walks, Onyx avoids other cats..and animals.

I ended up rescuing a rabbit yesterday, her name is Chloe. She is 6.5 years old and lived on a farm prior to here. Her owner (the ladies daughter) grew up and was no longer interested in her as a pet so she was being mildly "neglected" (for lack of better terms.)

Onyx seemed intrigued by the bunny (and the bunny less than happy with her, but tolerable LOL). To date, Onyx enjoys watching them when they are playing in their cages, and sitting by watching them on the floor. Having only a part time job (a couple of days of week, and short shifts) and being home for schooling, I am capable of giving her a lot of attention. I know this is such a bad habit for when she is older, but I'm not expecting to go back to school until next year, by which point my boyfriend and I will have our own house and be able to adopt another kitty, and he will be getting a dog...she'll have company when we are away.

She has a phenomenal amount of toys to play with while I am at work, for now, although she generally just sleeps and waits for me to get home. :)

Thank you so much for your guys's advice and I will keep it in mind for when I am ready to adopt another cat, as I was thinking a Savannah, but I may just stick to two domestic short-hairs until I have the time to properly socialize a savannah. :)

I urge you to continue to socialize Onyx with Momma, esp. if you don't intend to adopt another kitten immediately. Onyx's fear of Momma is indicative of a kitten who was weaned way too early, before she gained the self-confidence and socialization her mother and littermates could have provided had she been allowed to stay with them longer. But she is still young enough to socialize properly, given the opportunity with a passive feline like Momma. She'll be scared for a while, but she'll come around in time. However, the longer you wait and the older she gets, the less likely she will EVER be able to develop a comfortable relationship with another animal. That will make all of your lives miserable if you follow through with your plan to adopt another feline and a canine later. Get Onyx socialized with Momma now, no matter how much Onyx resists it at first.

Laurie

Laurief is right.......you need to remove any barriers that are keeping the kitten from Momma and let them work out their issues. The more you keep the kitten isolated the worse she'll be.
Only if the kitten actually attacks and tries to injure Momma should you interfere.........hissing and freaking out does not warrant keeping them separated.

You can substitute for the mom and siblings in training a kitten. Just learn to speak cat!

To say "no" to a cat, hiss at it and slap at it (don't hit it, just say "ffffft" and bat your hand at it).

To say ""NO!!!" ... hiss at it and bop it gently with a couple of fingers. Best spot is the forehead, between the ears (where cats are always slapping each other).

Learn how to say "Talk to the paw!" ... hiss and hold you hand towards the cat, palm towards the cat.

And if the cat attacks your hand or foot, play dead, or hiss and bat at it to let it know you don't want claws.

Don't tolerate claws some time and not tolerate them others ... you have to be consistent.

The first time I adopted a second cat Cat #1 was twelve years old. I consulted the vet tech, who said two adult female cats was about the least likely combo for getting along. She did add that it's very rare that the animals would be so violent that one would have to be re-homed, but if my fantasy was two cats curled up together on the couch, well, wave that fantasy good-bye.

In the 19 years since then, I've never had two cats curled up on the couch together. I've also never re-homed a cat when two couldn't get along. They're solitary creatures, mostly, and my cats have always operated on the principle that if they ignore the others, they will somehow go away. Twelve-year-old was so put out by the intruder, it took two weeks for them to eat in the same room. Eventually, they would walk by one another without so much as a glance, and every now and then would play with one another.

Adding other cats has been even less dramatic since then. Although "the books" say to keep the animals separate for days and gradually introduce the smell, visually, etc., the longest I've ever sequestered a cat was two hours, to make sure the flea spray had done it's job. I let the cat out of the bathroom and said to the three of them, "Play nice," and went to bed.

Aww, evaf555, it's just sad that you've never been able to enjoy kitty piles in your home. Here's just a taste of the scenes that play out hourly in my kitty kingdom: