Help from a bengal breeder on feeding

satan

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I was wondering if its that important to feed a year old bengal male wet food? And I've heard that liver and pieces of real meat can be beneficial to them if given once a week. I want to just get away with feeding him dry as i've heard wet is mostly water and not very important - Is this still the case for bengals? I Feed a combination of Royal Canin and Eukanuba dry and Iams wet and the moment. Any help would be appreciated.
 

sharky

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I am not a breeder but ....

What generation is your bengal???

I feed one cat at least half raw meat ... I know two of the breeders of bengals on here feed all or mostly raw ....

I would HIGHLY suggest finding low to no by products( ie chn or meat ) and corn foods .... Royal canin has no by products but some have lots of corn
 

hopehacker

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I am not a breeder, but I have two Bengals. I feed them the same food as I feed my Siamese. I noticed that you say you feed your cats, some of the foods that are on the Pet Food Recall list, which I wouldn't feed to any cat right now, because it may be dangerous.

I think Nial (Kai Bengals) who is a Breeder, does feed his cats raw food, as well as dry kibble food, which I've heard is better for ALL cats, not just Bengals.

So, basically you feed a Bengal the same way that you feed any other cat.
 

goldenkitty45

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IMO you feed them the same as any other cat. If you are concerned about building muscle - that also includes plenty of exercise (especially running up and down steps).

Charlie's an Ocicat - we feed both our cats (mixed breed) dry Royal Canin and canned food. They don't get raw - but do get boiled chicken breast and hamburger too.

Charlie has plenty of muscles on his current diet. I'm not a raw diet fan
 
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satan

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thanks for the help guys. I really don't know what generation he is because I;m not an expert all i know is that the illegal breeders who bred him were scamming people out of money by breeding a bengal male to domestic queens. I got him after a number of cats and kittens were rescued in a bust.

I'm in australia and i've been reassured that the recall doesn't effect us because apparently the food we have for sale here is produced here (no supplies are bought from o/s).

He is VERY well built (6kg @ 1yo) and not fat. We have a two story home and gets more than enough excercise with our stairs - lol.

I am very concerned about what i've heard about meat by - products and such so I don't feed anything that has by products in it.

He loves his dry stuff and drinks close to a full litre of water daily so I don't think he'd miss wet food - i heard its mostly water up to 80% or something ridiculous like that.

Btw - hope hacker.....How does your bengal/s act around the siamese - I was considering one but I found out they dont make a good combo because they are two of the most dominant cat breeds going around. They both love the spotlight and think they own the place. Is this just a rumour?
 

jen

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Originally Posted by satan

I want to just get away with feeding him dry as i've heard wet is mostly water and not very important
I think that is the exact reason why wet food IS important. Many cats don't drink enough water and especially in males where UTIs and crystals are more likely to occur, extra water is a GOOD thing. You just have to find one with meats and good ingredients, no by-products (but I think you know that already)
 

sarahp

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Get some kangaroo mince and get rid of the tinned food! Most Woolworths sell pet specific kangaroo mince and most decent pet food wholesalers will as well.

Just give a small handful once a day, and cut down on the dry food a bit, and your kitty will love you for it!

We never had a cat that didn't love kangaroo mince
 

hopehacker

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Originally Posted by satan

Btw - hope hacker.....How does your bengal/s act around the siamese - I was considering one but I found out they dont make a good combo because they are two of the most dominant cat breeds going around. They both love the spotlight and think they own the place. Is this just a rumour?
Both of my Bengal's get along with the Siamese, however the two Bengals don't get along with each other.
 
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satan

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lol! silly bengals. :p they are quite strange hey.

SarahP, Do I cook the mince or just give it raw? sorry to be so dumb
 

missymotus

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You can buy raw pet mince at any supermarket in the meat section, be careful of the ones with preservatives though. I get my meat from a pet food shop as his is preservative free.

They can get addicted to the kangaroo mince, so I normally feed beef/chicken and only give kangaroo about once a week.
 

hopehacker

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Originally Posted by missymotus

You can buy raw pet mince at any supermarket in the meat section, be careful of the ones with preservatives though. I get my meat from a pet food shop as his is preservative free.

They can get addicted to the kangaroo mince, so I normally feed beef/chicken and only give kangaroo about once a week.
If you're moving back to Canada, will it be hard for your kitty to no longer have kangaroo meat available to him?
 

missymotus

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Hope, I don't believe so as he only has it for 1 meal every 7-10 days. He really enjoys it and I'd love to let him have it a little more often but thinking longterm it's best to keep it as a treat.
 

sarahp

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Originally Posted by satan

lol! silly bengals. :p they are quite strange hey.

SarahP, Do I cook the mince or just give it raw? sorry to be so dumb
Just give it raw. We used to buy in bulk, and divide it into freezer bags, so each freezer bag would last 2 feedings, and just defrost as you need it.

I never had a problem with kitties getting "addicted"
They certainly loved their roo mince but I certainly don't think they were addicted!
 

panther pride

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Bangals need raw more then a regular housecat because they have part Asian Leopard Cat in them, no bangal is all domesicated, in terms of bloodline.

In my opinion all hybred cats need raw meat/Barf diets,
 

hopehacker

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Originally Posted by Panther pride

Bangals need raw more then a regular housecat because they have part Asian Leopard Cat in them, no bangal is all domesicated, in terms of bloodline.

In my opinion all hybred cats need raw meat/Barf diets,
Actually by the 4th generation of Bengal on Bengal breeding they are 100 percent domestic. My Bengals are both SBT Bengals which mean they are 4th generation or more away from the Asian Leopard cat. The Association TICA would not accept a hybrid cat. If you buy a Bengal with papers, it will say on the papers that they are SBT, and are accepted by TICA for registry.

Bengals don't need a special diet at all. They are regular cats, not hybrids. A lot of breeders like to feed their cats raw food, but that's true of a lot breeds of cats. Most people feel that a raw diet is healthier for ALL cats. However, if you don't want to go that route, Bengals will be able to get along fine, just like any other cat. My Bengals don't eat raw, and they're just fine.
 

bengal babe

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Hi , I do breed bengals and they need a higher level of protein according to my vet, I wouldnt cut out wet food as dry food only can strain the kidneys , your cat seems to be consuming a lot of water. I would include wet food and some red meat a couple of times a week, Do you have a abrand over there called James Wellbeloved? Its a complimetary dry food and its got higher protein level. I would never feed a totally dry diet even to ordinary domestic cats. Your boy sounds lovely well done on rescuing him. I dont mix breeds I like a nice quiet life.
 

panther pride

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Bengals HAVE to have SOME Asian leopard in them, thats why they look the way they do and why they make strange sounds and love water so much. In my opinion any cat that has any wild blood in him should be on a raw diet, in fact I think all cats should have raw diets expect those who are really old or have health issues that make it unsafe.

This is just my opinion feel free to feed your cat however you want to.
 

hopehacker

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Of course all cats would probably do better with a raw diet, if you know what you're doing. If you don't, I don't know. I'm not against a raw diet.

Yes, there is Asian Leopard cat in the make up of a Bengal, but a regular SBT Bengal is very far removed from the Asian Leopard Cat. Don't all cats originate from wild cats? What I was trying to say, is that a SBT Bengal is a Domesticated cat, not a hybrid. They can eat what every other cat eats. Some breeders and owners prefer to feed them raw, just like they prefer to feed any other breed of cat raw. I'm just saying you don't HAVE to give them a special diet, because genetically they are the same as any other cat, wild ancestory or not.
 

pawsandwhiskers

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I am not a breeder, but have a bengal. I feed him on about an 80% raw diet, mixed raw meat, organ meat, some veg (v.small amounts mixed in) and mince with bone in (raw). Saying that though I also feed this to most of my British shorthairs. So that is just what i prefer to feed cats on. It is closer to what any cat would naturally eat. If you don't want to do raw i would use a combo of high quality, high meat content dry and wet. I do think the wet food is important too. on raw my bengal is solid with muscle and very healthy so seems to work for him. But as other posters have said, he is just a cat and would manage on cat food, its just my preference!
 
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