Help with Bengals

jschweg

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After seeing this breed in person a little while back, I'm really leaning towards purchasing one. They are really rather stunning, and think it would be great to have one as a pet. I've done a little bit of reading about them, have a few questions.

1) Everything I've read basically says that the Bengal is just a housecat with the look of a ALC. They are very friendly, and love other cats to play with (I already have two tabbies). Is all of this basically true? Are there any other notable good or bad behavioral traits? How are they with small children, I think I'm probably going to have kids in a few years.

2) Are they a healthy breed?

3) A bengal that would be suitable for a pet would be anything higher than F4, or including F4?

4) I have no idea where to get one. Obviously there are a million breeders, but how do I pick one? Anyone have any recomendations?
 

siggav

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Originally Posted by jschweg

1) Everything I've read basically says that the Bengal is just a housecat with the look of a ALC. They are very friendly, and love other cats to play with (I already have two tabbies). Is all of this basically true? Are there any other notable good or bad behavioral traits? How are they with small children, I think I'm probably going to have kids in a few years.
They are fine with small children, other cats and dogs etc. Sometimes grown cats that have always been on their own don't like other cats but that's completely normal and can happen with any cat no matter what the breed.

As for notable behavoural traits? Energy, lots and lots and lots of energy. They can be quite manic at times which is a lot of fun (stay playful throughout their lives) and they are very acrobatic and athletic as well. In addition to that they're usually very intelligent and quick at figuring out ways to manipulate you and/or get around the rules you try to teach them.

All this adds up to a cat that's really rewarding to live with, they have usually very strong personalities and can be complete charmers. At the same time they can be quite a handful and don't expect your house to be spotless. Most of their "bad" behaviour is just them being bored so if they have playmates and get enough interaction and have ways of getting rid of their energy in constructive ways it's not too bad. It can take a lot of play though to tire out a young bengal. Toys like laser pointers and Da Bird are a huge help then.

Having said that they are too much Cat for some people and definitely not for people who think of cats as somewhat low maintenance pets.

Originally Posted by jschweg

2) Are they a healthy breed?
Yes. The only slight problem some of them have is that they do have sensitive digestive system sometimes and can have loose stools or diarrhea easily if they're not on a very high quality food. You should really be feeding your cats high quality food anyway but with a Bengal, feeding the lower quality stuff isn't really an option.

Originally Posted by jschweg

3) A bengal that would be suitable for a pet would be anything higher than F4, or including F4?
Including F4, however most bengals being sold are higher than that. My bengal is around F10 or F12 (I lost count when trying to trace back through her pedigree). So really you shouldn't have to worry about that really.

Originally Posted by jschweg

4) I have no idea where to get one. Obviously there are a million breeders, but how do I pick one? Anyone have any recomendations?
The usual signs to look for in a breeder apply. Try to find a breeder that shows their cats and does well in the show hall. Breeding only a few litters a year is a good sign, so is focusing only on one breed. Raising the kittens in the home rather than in kennels is good too. Being able to visit and meet the people is preferable as well. Sometimes going to a local cat show is a good thing because you should be able to meet multple breeders as well.

Having said that the breeder you were linked to in the other post is fantastic
Nial posts here on TCS and breeds absolutely gorgeous bengals with great temperament.
 

gingersmom

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Nial's (Kai Bengals on TCS) website gives great and truthful info. I adopted my two from him, and they are wonderful cats.


A female is more mellow than a male, but is still more energetic than your average domestic cat. Like all cats, each is unique in personality. Some will not get along with other animals and need to be an only cat. Some love to "run with the pack" and will happily romp and play with other cats.

My Max and my Ferris have become fast friends in just a month's time, and can generally be found wrestling and chasing each other, whereas Penny tends to keep more to herself.

I don't have small children, but bengals are not aggressive by nature, they are very sweet and love to be loved. As long as they are treated right, I'm sure that they would get along fine with little ones.

They do tend to have sensitive tummies and therefore some have more specific dietary needs, but if adopted from a reputable breeder who cares about their animals, they should be very healthy and happy animals.

As far as making a breeder recommendation, I HIGHLY recommend Nial and Teri. They are wonderful people and their cats are gorgeous and bred for the best temperment and markings.

I hope that helps - of course, I'm a bit biased.
 

siggav

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

A female is more mellow than a male
Tell that to Nikita!
I don't think she got that memo. She matches the lunacy I've heard about Simba and your Max
 

gingersmom

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Originally Posted by Siggav

Tell that to Nikita!
I don't think she got that memo. She matches the lunacy I've heard about Simba and your Max
OK, sorry, let me clarify: SOME females are more mellow than the males. The lovely Nikita is a rambunctious exception to the rule.


And who says my Max is a lunatic?


Awwww, okay, I do.


But he's sooooooo cute!
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

OK, sorry, let me clarify: SOME females are more mellow than the males. The lovely Nikita is a rambunctious exception to the rule.
I guess my Coco is an "exception" also.


Have you considered that maybe it is Penny that is the exception?
 

hopehacker

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My crazy little Simba is indeed a bit of a lunatic, but I love that about him. He's so darn funny. Now, my female Bengal Angel, also from Kai Bengals, is mellow, just like Penny. Angel doesn't get into any mischief, but Simba gets in enough mischief for 10 cats.
 

sheeba07

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I agree with what all other posts say about bengals. Another behavioral trait is that they are very vocal...at least mine are


I also think Nial and Teri's cats are gorgeous. If I lived closer to them I would have bought my bengals there. Like someone mentioned you'll find lots of information about the breed on http://www.bengalshowcats.com/

Have fun researching
 

pennicat

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If you can, maybe you should get two kittens at the same time. I know that if I didn't get Lily and Rajah together, we would go crazy! And so would our older cat, Eliza. At least Lily & Rajah can play with each other when everyone else is worn out. Very high activity cats. And in our case, the boy is more rambunctious than the girl as well (but Lily can be pretty naughty - she's the scratcher and chewer of the pair!).

I might suggest that you look for a breeder with children. Lily & Rajah came from a breeder with both young children and a dog, so they were socialized with both of those "species" at a very young age.

Kristi
 
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