Bengal Cats?

Hopefully the MALE hormones will kick in and he won't think he's a female

That would be funny though lol.

I wonder why all of these retired Bengal's all have to be in single cat households, especially when it's obvious that they were raised with other Bengal's. Makes me wonder if they were all kept caged up, and never allowed to socialize with other cats, except to mate. I know these kitties need homes more than the kittens do, but I tend to think that they will have "issues", a lot more than a kitten you raised yourself will.

Originally Posted by HopeHacker

I wonder why all of these retired Bengal's all have to be in single cat households, especially when it's obvious that they were raised with other Bengal's. Makes me wonder if they were all kept caged up, and never allowed to socialize with other cats, except to mate. I know these kitties need homes more than the kittens do, but I tend to think that they will have "issues", a lot more than a kitten you raised yourself will.

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Good point Hope.

There are breeders that cage their adult cats during the entire time they are with the breeder. Not just bengal breeders do this either, but I feel bengals especially need to be in cage free environments. It's very bad for their emotional well being as they are one of the most social breeds of cats, but this is all predicated on how they are brought up and treated during their early years.
It's an unfortunate fact that some breeders run out of space and then cage their adults, which then severely limits the cats exposure to normal household activities, events and family members. This situation produces behavior issues that then require "special needs" housing situations when they are petted out.
I personally could never cage one of our bengals. These guys crave affection, attention and play time and want to be with their people and the other cats. And, most important, they NEED exercise and freedom to move around. Naturally our stud cats must be housed in rooms seperate from each other and fertile queens, or there will be trouble, but they are never isolated in a cage.
Being a good breeder requires sacrifice and one of the biggest sacrifices is giving up lots and lots of space to your cats. If you end up having to cage your cats, I think it's time to buy a bigger place or cut back on your breeding stock.

I personally would give up my cat before my home lol. Thats just me because my house is a lot more important than owning a pet or i would be living in a street. But i'm not in to breeding i just had a litter and have another coming from ferals which i wasn't planning on .

Originally Posted by KittyPaws

I personally would give up my cat before my home lol. Thats just me because my house is a lot more important than owning a pet or i would be living in a street. But i'm not in to breeding i just had a litter and have another coming from ferals which i wasn't planning on

.

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I'd do my best to find a home that can accomodate both me and my cats. I would never choose to give up my cats for my home, because to me, life is not worth living, without my cats.

I don't understand why a breeder would have more cats then they could comfortably house to the extent that they'd have to live in a cage. I just can't imagine having my animals caged up. It seems as though it would be a unhappy life for the cats.

There could be a perspective that I'm just not seeing, but if someone is breeding for the love of a breed, then how could you sentence one of the breed to this kind of life? I don't get it. It really makes me sad to think there are animals living their lives out like this.

Originally Posted by siameseohio

I don't understand why a breeder would have more cats then they could comfortably house to the extent that they'd have to live in a cage. I just can't imagine having my animals caged up. It seems as though it would be a unhappy life for the cats.

There could be a perspective that I'm just not seeing, but if someone is breeding for the love of a breed, then how could you sentence one of the breed to this kind of life?

I don't get it. It really makes me sad to think there are animals living their lives out like this.

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I agree with you. Fortunately almost all breeders retire their stud/queen cats within a reasonable amount of time, so the cat is then petted out to a home where they can live a life of comfort and leisure. This includes the cats that are caged for the early years of their life.
We have always retired our stud cats by the age of 3 to 4 years and our queens at 2 to 3 years old. Our cats provide a service to us, in that they are helping us improve this breed, but they deserve the best care and love while they are in our service and also the best home to live out their lives after they leave us.

Yeah i agree. The only reason my cat is confined is because she just had a litter. But it's much more soothing they a wire cage.

Originally Posted by KittyPaws

Yeah i agree. The only reason my cat is confined is because she just had a litter. But it's much more soothing they a wire cage.

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Eventually every breeder will need to temporarily cage a cat for one reason or another like birthing, illness, or quarentine. It is safer for the cat or the other cats or the litter, however, it is something completely different when a cat lives in a cage. I also agree that if you have to have your cats live in a cage then you probably have too many cats.

Originally Posted by bengalbabe

Eventually every breeder will need to temporarily cage a cat for one reason or another like birthing, illness, or quarentine. It is safer for the cat or the other cats or the litter, however, it is something completely different when a cat lives in a cage. I also agree that if you have to have your cats live in a cage then you probably have too many cats.

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Yes bengalbabe, I agree. One of the first things I learned having multiple cats is when you introduce another cat into your home and you have other animals already, you should quarentine them for a brief time to see if they show any symptoms of an unforseen illness.

When I had to do this with my last kitten, it was so so hard. Although it is a big dog cage, she almost cried constantly to get out. Makes me wonder about keeping them in there 24/7. I guess if that is the way they live, then I imagine they get used to it. Makes me angry and sad to even think about it.

My sister knows a dog breeder who keeps all of her dogs in their Kennel cages all of the time. She doesn't want to be bothered with them, except to get them to breed so she can make money off of the puppies. I believe they're only let out of the cages to go to the bathroom. She's not a good breeder, that's for sure. She doesn't love her dogs. They are just breeding, money making machines to her, and she has no concience about what she's doing.

Perhaps there are some cat breeders who are exactly the same.

Hope,

I have a six month old meezer boy. I'll be getting a marble bengal boy just before Christmas (he'll be 16 weeks by then). How do your meezer and your bengal get along? Everything I've read indicates that they are very similar as far as their general purrsonality/intelligence/activity level goes. Duke (my meezer) even likes to play in water. Just wondering. Thanks!

Tiffany

just depends on the cats you put together. If your boy is playful they should get along fine after the initial introduction period.

Originally Posted by bengalbabe

just depends on the cats you put together. If your boy is playful they should get along fine after the initial introduction period.

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Duke is VERY playful! Its one of the reasons we're getting another cat. I'm prepared for the worst, but I'm really hoping integration goes smoothly and quickly.

Both of my Bengal's get along with both of my Siamese. I have 2 of each. My problem is, that neither of the Bengals get along with each other.

Have you posted pictures of them all here? Can you post a link?

Do your bengals not get along because one is laid back and the other is more active? What I mean is, are their personalities conflicting? What are your meezers like? I know everyone says gender doesn't matter ('cause they're altered) but whats your personal take on that?

Thanks Hope!
Tiffany

That is a very good question since i myself already have 6 cats and a litter of 5 and another litter on the way. Oh my i just realized i have all those cats **breath.. breath.. breath..** lol. But yeah 3 ferals, 2 pure-bred siameses, and the feral's litter. Then the other female feral is pregnant and the male is father of both litters. Haha but he was "altered" or as i say they took his pride

Originally Posted by KittyPaws

Haha but he was "altered" or as i say they took his pride

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LOL! My husband was really bothered about getting Duke neutered. He kept asking the vet questions like "will it affect his balance" "will he miss them" "do you know anything about 'neuticles'"??? Men!

ROFL! I tease Troy all the time about if they can take his pride, he always quotes "It's a cat thing not a man thing". Like Danton isn't a man i mean sure he has a lot of hair but he's just as affection as the next guy.