Getting a cat is a commitment. To make sure you provide the animal life long home, you need to make sure their personality matches your temperament.
Do savannah cats meow a lot? Yes, they do. Excessive talking varies with bread, and a more laid back cat will talk less than the active one. So with the Savannah cat, the amount that they meow will significantly depend on how far removed they are from their Serval ancestor.
It’s vital to differentiate between excessive noises and your Savanna trying to communicate with you. Read further to get a broader understanding of the types of sounds a cat makes, reasons why they meow, and how to decrease their chatter to save your nerves.
What are the noises that my Savannah makes?
Unless your Savannah is in heat, more on that later, all of your cat’s noises are for your benefit.
It’s their way of communicating their needs to you. If you are new to cats, which can be difficult with a Savannah cat, then it is scary to differentiate with the different noises that your cat is making.
Most of these you can get by observing your kitty and picking up on the context clues, such as what they are doing when they are talking and their body language.
Afterall the trill that is used to entice that bird through the window is different from the caterwauling noise used when they are in heat.
Cat noises are divided up into four different categories:
- Murmur patterns
- Vowel patterns
- Articulated patterns
- Strained intensity patterns
Murmur patterns are purrs or trills. Typically your cat makes these when they are content or happy. However, purring can indicate anxiety since your cat will use these to calm themselves down.
Your Savannah’s general meow and all of its variations are considered vowel patterns. These can we either good or bad, depending on the context in which your kitty is emitting the noise.
If you have seen your cat perched on a window making an odd chattering noise, then you know the articulated patterns. While these are amusing, they are a vocalization of your cat’s frustration, like a humph I can’t kill this bird.
Your cat will exhibit strained intensity patterns when they feel that they are in danger or think someone is crossing into their territory. Body language will also match their feeling.
While three of the categories are pretty straight forward, the vowel patterns are when it gets hard to tell what exactly your Savannah is trying to say.
Why your Savannah is meowing
Meowing could be for a variety of reasons. Maybe the food bowl is at the nuclear level of halfway filled. Maybe they are bored and want to play, or they could be sick.
We differentiated between the various noises that your Savannah makes above, but how do you pinpoint exactly why they are making vowel patterns all over the house. This is when body language and context will be your friend.
Reasons your cat is meowing excessively:
- Big three
- Boredom
- In Heat
- Illness
- Just plain ole chit chat
When I hear my cat meowing, I check the big three: Food, Water, and Litter. Remember that your kitty is a pessimist. It isn’t half full; it’s half empty. So fill it to the top. If it isn’t one the big three, then we need to do a little bit of detective work.
What is your cat doing while they are meowing? Are they pacing the floor and seem restless? The Savannah cat is a highly intelligent animal, which makes it very active. They need a lot of play to keep them stimulated with plenty of toys and play.
Make sure they have plenty of toys to tear to shreds and a cat tower or converted sturdy bookshelf so they can leap and jump. Even with all that, they still need interaction from you.
In my experience, your cat will be more active during dawn and dust. Pull out that stick and string toy or run around the house with a long piece of fabric so they can chase after you. Then play them out. A tired kitty is a quiet kitty.
For anyone that hasn’t dealt with a cat in heat will be surprised when their cute little kitty turns into a hollering, peeing, a frantic mess of their former selves. Even the most docile cat will yell as you have never thought could come from a living thing.
The only way to fix this one is to well, get them fixed. They will continue to yell and pee all over the place periodically. If you are a woman, then it will sync up. Call your local shelter or animal organizations for spaying or neutering discounts.
Illness meows are very distinctive. You must get them to the vet asap to get a diagnosis. Make sure to inform the vet when they started this type of cry so they can get a general idea of the issue.
Then the most frustrating of all, if you have tender nerves, is that your Savannah might not have a reason for their talk exact they like to hear their voice and they are a bit chatty. None of the above will prevent them from talking.
In the Savannah, the amount of general chattiness will vary depending on the distance they are from their Serval ancestor. F1 being a more talkative cat, while the F5 will act more like a domesticated cat.
If you know that a talkative cat will be too much for your nerves or if where you live, it will be an issue, then go for an F5 Savannah, which will be a much quieter kitty.
How to get your Savannah to quit yacking
The first thing to understand is that when your cat meows a lot, they are not doing it to annoy you. Excessive talking for no reason might be a result of the bread, or when they were young, they were talked to, and they are trying to communicate back.
Check the list above to make sure the reason for their cries is not something tangible.
You need to find a balance of not letting your cat run your life and not oppressing them for just wanting attention. It’s a hard line to find, and you will often make mistakes that you feel wrong about, but keep trying.
The best method to let them understand when it is ok to talk when it isn’t is to ignore them when they are acting. Think of them as a child getting on their belly in a store cause they didn’t get what they want.
You wouldn’t want to buy the toy for them because that will cause them to exhibit this behavior whenever they want something.
Granted, ignoring a yelling cat is akin to torture since the Savannah is a highly intelligent cat. They can learn commands. A simple “No” or a clap of your hands when they get out of control helps.
Reward them for good behavior to differentiate between good and bad behavior if they are the type of cat to try to call you to them counteract this by going to them when they are quiet.
Overall, make sure you have the temperament for a loud kitty before you bring one into your home.
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