Siamese and Bengal... a good match?

tigerlord

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For unknown mystical reasons I have fallen in love with cats...

I will soon get two Siamese after months of waiting... but I also fell in love with Bengals. I thought to myself - two kitten is already a lot, you should wait and see in a year if you want a third !

But then I thought, it might be better for the kitten if I get them all around the same time. Though, I don't want to do anything stupid out of excitement.

First, I know a F4 Bengals is very energetic. Even though I am a medstudent, I am home around 14h/day. I'm not too scared about not having the time to take care of my kitten... I know I will love them to death. I have 1 huge condo, a smaller one in another room, plenty of toys and a big enough apartment for them to run around and have fun. Important questions need answering before I get a Bengal. I have only the kitten's well being in mind...

1) Are Siamese and Bengal similar in behavior, in that they will get along together?
2) If the above is true, is it still true if I'd get a Bengal kitten say, 12 months after I got my Siamese kittens?
3) I've researched the Bengal a lot ... it seems they can be very vocal when they need attention. Say I want to have a good night's sleep (I have no issues letting them sleep with me), can they be taught to be silent when the
moment requires it ?

Money isn't an issue for me by the way, in case you wondered.

Thank you in advance !
 

sakura

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I don't know anything about the breeds but I have read that once a cat is in your home for 8 months, it's more difficult to add a newcomer. It's easier add a second cat before that 8th month.

I wish I can remember where I read that.
 

kluchetta

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In my opinion...if I were to get kittens, I would get them all at the same time. If you were to add a Bengal to Siamese at 12 months, I would think 2 Bengals would be better. (or get an older Bengal)

I do think that Bengals and Siamese are a very good match as far as activity level and vocalness (if that's a word, LOL). There are things that you can do to get a kitten to sleep, but you would probably be a bit sleep deprived for a couple months if you were to get several kittens. Kittens are kittens no matter what breed. My 18 month old Ragdoll is still as much a kitten as any kitten there is, LOL!!!
 

hopehacker

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I have 2 Siamese cats and 2 Bengals. Although Siamese cats are high energy cats, they are nothing compared to Bengals. That being said, my Siamese girl (SunLee) and my Bengal boy (Simba) love each other and play happily together, although there are time when he does get to be a bit much for her. Now, my other male Siamese (Shane) isn't really crazy about Simba, and neither is my other Bengal girl (Angel). In my case, Bengal males are a lot more high energy than Bengal females. Angel (Bengal female) is not very high energy at all. She's vocal, but not very active.
 

larke

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I would get a Siamese male if you get a Bengal female. One way or the other, even if they become friends early on as kittens will, any male cat is more likely as he gets older to try to dominate a female (even if she makes a big show of hissing him down) and having a smaller female to begin with probably isn't a good idea. Bengals are BIG cats. BTW, you DO know that Siamese are very vocal as well? Chances of your training either of them to be quiet at any given time are not very good, so you may end up wearing ear plugs at night, or closing doors.
 

epona

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I'd get them all at the same time rather than waiting, it will be much easier to introduce them as young kittens. I have a feeling that they will all want to be top cat, as both are quite bossy dominant breeds, and it will be better for them if they know one another from a young age, honestly I think my Oriental's head would explode if I introduced a kitten now, he'd want to make sure it knew he was in charge!

I think from your perspective it's a good mix, Bengal's are highly entertaining cats to have around and love to climb and get into mischief but are not really cuddly cats, whereas the Siamese tend to stay nearer ground level (they run fast and are active, but not really into climbing so much) and they do want to be with you a lot and help out with whatever you're doing and sleep on you at night - they're really very loyal and loving.

I'm not sure though that a better mix wouldn't be 2 Bengals and 1 Siamese - because 1 Bengal may become bored when the Siamese get tired and cuddly and there's no-one else to play with, whereas 1 Siamese will bond with you well and seek a lot of attention from you and climb in your lap. The 2 Bengal's will entertain one another at times when the Siamese will seek out you, his beloved and devoted human, for one-on-one affection time - Bengal's are not so much into that! I don't know if any of that made sense as I'm rambling a bit, but it may be worth considering. It's the higher energy, less people-oriented cat that will be more in need of a similar playmate to keep it from getting bored.
 

siggav

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First of all are you specifically wanting an F4 bengal? Most of the bengal kittens being sold now are a much higher F number than that. F10, F14 etc. It's high enough so that it's not actually brought up specifically.

The breeders have done a fantastic job locking in the pattern and personality so really they are all bengals and look fantastic. The very early generation cats are somewhat of a different thing but after F4 they cat's don't really change the further away down the line you go as long as they're from a good breeder.

Basically I see no reason to limit yourself to an F4 when most Bengal kittens available have higher 'F numbers' than that.

My bengal is an F10 or F11 (it got confusing trying to count it out from her pedigree)
You can see my thread with photos of her here: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=122365

You can get cats with better rosettaes than she has, especially in the States but you don't necessarely get that by going for an earlier cat. The original ALC doesn't usually have much rosetting, they've mostly been selectively bred for within the Bengal breed.

Anyway from what I've gathered Siamese are a pretty good match for a Bengal. They're both active high energy breed although like Hope mentioned Bengals have the edge there.

I would probably get all the kittens at around the same time, cats are territorial and the best bet for introductions is when they're all young.

I have a Bengal female and she can be a complete lunatic and quite a lot of work to care for but I love her to bits. She's usually not very cuddly compared to some other cats I've known but she'll sit next to me on the sofa quite often and likes to have her belly rubbed.

The way to make sure you get a good night's sleep is to play with the cats plenty just before bedtime so they'll be tired. When they're kittens this may take some time.

You can't really teach a cat to be quiet and being vocal isn't the worst of it really. When Nikita was a kitten she woke me up by scratching things, banging at doors, burrowing under the blanket to bite my toes, she'd come and lick my face, she'd run all over my bed in a mad chase of an invisible bug, she'd walk around meowing, she'd poke me in the face with her paw gradually using more claws if I didn't respond. Jump into my wardrobe and throw all my clothes onto the floor.. and the list goes on.

That's the sort of manic energy level and problem solving skills you can expect. The solution is like I said just to make sure the cats are tired and sated when you go to sleep so they'll be able to sleep through the night. You might also have to close your bedroom door to them for a bit while they calm down some (I had to do that for around two months)

If you have any more question feel free to pm me
 

goldenkitty45

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I agree with Ep - 2 Bengals to 1 Siamese. My only concern would be the size of the full grown Siamese compared to the Bengal. Some Siamese lines are fairly small cats. And I'd also go way higher then an F4 Bengal if you want a better match
 
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tigerlord

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It's already settled though - I'm getting 2 females kitten. Therefore would I to get a Bengal, would a male or a female be a better match?
 

goldenkitty45

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Ok if you are getting the same age kittens (or within a month old of each other) the F/F would probably work. Male Bengals do get bigger then females, so in this case, it may be better to get a female Bengal.

And the ones in here say that the males are a heck of a lot more active and "naughty" then female Bengals.

My advice is to get far more then the F4 on the Bengal
 
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tigerlord

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I've found a cattery (after calling around 9) ... they have F7 kitten due in december. Pricey though, but they were the most professional and sincerest..
 

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Originally Posted by TigerLord

3) I've researched the Bengal a lot ... it seems they can be very vocal when they need attention. Say I want to have a good night's sleep (I have no issues letting them sleep with me), can they be taught to be silent when the moment requires it ?
I think you are going to have a much more difficult time getting a pair of Siamese to quiet down at night. Some of them really seem to enjoy hearing the sound of their own voice
.
 
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tigerlord

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Shopping around all the Bengals from the catteries I have called (2 local, 8 in the province) and they're all priced at 1000-1500$.

Is this extortion or normal for Bengals?
 

goldenkitty45

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Are they talking about pet or show prices. I would say pets should be somewhere around $600-1000 and for show it would be a minimum of double that price.

I found out that pet Ocicats are pretty consistent in pricing from various breeders around the US. Is the price range for pets that you've looked at between $1000 and 1500?
 

hopehacker

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Were I got Simba (as a pet) they were asking $1500 for the pet kittens. I talked them down to $1000. I'm in Southern California where everything is more expensive than elsewhere. However, I think you should be able to get a decent pet Bengal for around $500 or $600. IMO, all you really need to look for to get a Bengal that is domesticated is that you get an SBT Bengal

Also, my Siamese have all been high climbers as well. I find both breeds of cats loving and affectionate, however my Bengals don't like to be held. Although Simba will crawl up on my lap and get lovings as long as I don't force him on my lap. It has to be voluntary .
 
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tigerlord

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No, 1500$ (most other homes said 1000$) is as domestic pet, they ask around 2500-3000 for show or reproductive cats...
 

goldenkitty45

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Might depend more on the region (like Hope says). If most are consistent in the $1000 range, then that may be the going price now.
 
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