thinking of getting a Bengal

Many people don't know this. I had books on the care and breeding of Siamese Cats, and the Breeder's Forum here agreed with my books. The public usually expects to get a 6-8 week kitten, not realizing they are doing a disservice to the kittens.

Since, I got him at such a young age, is there anything I should do so he will adjust without undo stress?

He receives a lot of attention from myself and little Granddaughter, she loves this kitty. She would hold him all day if she could. I give him a lot of free time in the house now, but still leave him in his own room when I leave, as there is nothing he can get into in this room.

This link should be very helpful. I'm sure you'll give the kitten so much attention he'll be all right. But the article is worth reading.

for the link.
I am rather upset with myself, for not reading more and speaking with more breeders before I got this kitty. From what the breeder told me he sells all his kittens at this young age, and if he keeps them longer he drops the price, as he say's most people want the little ones.
Live and learn. I realize now just how small this kitty is.

I have also found some breeders let the kittens go around 9-12 weeks. It depends on the kitten. I have found some stay behind and others are ready as early as 10 weeks. I thin it should be judged on the kitten however i do not think they should go before 10 weeks.

Your cat's are so very pretty!!!

May I ask you since you breed Bengals, what do you like most about this breed? I have only had my kitty a week but I notice he is vey bonded to me. I love their looks but also they seem like very smart cats. Knock on wood(lol) he is using his litter box with no problems eating well, and loves to follow me all over the house. My Son came to see him today and he ran right up to him, he is not shy, just wants to be loved and held.

Bengal Cats, I would have agreed with you about the age of kittens leaving their mother and littermates some years ago, but I have yet to find a reliable source that agrees with you or the source you mentioned last year. Since the primary reason for this site is the well being of cats, I have to quote the experts in the field.

Since most of our members are not breeders and because of the fact that this site is often used for educational purposes, I will quote from the article, which was written by Barbara C. French and printed in Cats Magazine in February of 2000:

Kittens should leave their homes at a minimum age of twelve weeks," says Dr. Betsy Arnold, DVM, a veteran Siamese breeder and veterinarian with an all-feline practice in Rochester, New York called Caring for Cats. "In my practice I have seen kittens coming in at six and seven weeks who weight twelve, maybe fourteen ounces. These are infants. They needed to stay with their mothers."

Twelve weeks may seem old to people accustomed to seeing newspaper ads advertising kittens who are "ready to go" at six or eight weeks of age. Most of us who have had cats have acquired kittens that young. They are cute at that age, and most people enjoy having such young kittens to watch them grow. However, we may permanently harm kittens by separating them from their mothers so early. There are crucial mental, emotional, and developmental milestones that a kitten experiences between six and twelve weeks of age. Separating the kitten from mother, siblings, and familiar surroundings at that age can cause undue anxiety and stress at the least, and serious medical problems or even death in the very worst cases.
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Although some kittens will want to nurse as long as mother allows it, even those kittens who are not nursing have much to learn from interacting with both mother and siblings.

You certainly have a right to your opinion, but as a moderator on an educational site, I have a duty to report expert opinions on the subject.

How can you be mad after looking at HIM:



Yes...I thought you would co-operate. Now let us all collectively say "awwwwww"

Bengalcats,

You ARE allowed to have an opinion - you have stated it and JeanieG has simply disagreed with you. Thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s all. Jeanie G. hasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t said anything insulting or disrespectful to you, sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just stated HER opinion and printed an excerpt from an article to back it up. That doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t mean she is right and it doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t mean you are wrong.

I think a little lively discussion and occasional disagreement make a board interesting. When people just agree, agree, agree all the time, it doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t make for much of a DISCUSSION board. But if people get their feathers ruffled over the smallest “slightsâ€, and take disagreements as personal attacks, it makes others afraid to ever express a true opinion, and I think that would be unfortunate.

Personally, I read that article a while back, and while I agree with much of it, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t take it as gospel. That doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t make me right or wrong either.

Cathy

Oh, you just got to love those spots!!! and that little face!!

You do have a beautiful kitty.

This thread had been temporarily removed and edited by me as there have been some posts which constituted violations of our rules.

By the way, I have actually contacted the CFA about this question and here's their official answer:

Usually breeders make kittens available between
twelve and sixteen weeks of age. After twelve weeks,
kittens have had their basic inoculations and developed
the physical and social stability needed for a new
environment, showing, or being transported by air.

Click to expand...

You're welcome to carry on discussing the issue - but please adhere to our rules.

Thank you!

Well, he's not my kitty. But I like to cruise around the local bengal cattery sites and I saw him looking oh so cute. I decided to share. He comes from this cattery:
http://www.natureworkscats.com/home.html

My little one Toby was certainly just as cute as a baby though! Here's the picture that won my heart:



How could you possibly say no to that face?

Here he is today with his favourite toy (it used to be a ball with feathers and tassles on it which hung from a string. Now it's ...just a ball. But he'll play fetch for hours on end)