I'm curious

Are bengals a rare breed? I hardly ever see them anywhere and I want one..

I don't really have an answer for you- I am learning more about them, myself. They are such amazing animals, aren't they? (You really are bored, aren't you?

)

They are a newer breed ... but rare depends on your location and the nearest good breeder .. I live in a semi rural area and there is a bengal breeder in the next town about 15 miles away

They are not rare, they are a controlled breed. They are also expensive to own, they are highly active and my vet literally cringes when Bengals come into his office! LOL They can get into everything- there are different levels of bengals as well-

Originally Posted by hissy

They are not rare, they are a controlled breed. They are also expensive to own, they are highly active and my vet literally cringes when Bengals come into his office! LOL They can get into everything- there are different levels of bengals as well-

Click to expand...

I wouldnt cringe but that into everything is true for my bengal cross Zoey...lol

Originally Posted by hissy

They are not rare, they are a controlled breed. They are also expensive to own, they are highly active and my vet literally cringes when Bengals come into his office! LOL They can get into everything- there are different levels of bengals as well-

Click to expand...

I can vouch for them getting into everything. My Simba is always into everything he shouldn't be into He's naughty, but it's so cute when he's naughty, that I simply can't get mad at him. He's so cute about being naughty.

I don't find him any more expensive to own, than my other cats, but he was expensive to buy.

Originally Posted by hissy

They are not rare, they are a controlled breed. They are also expensive to own, they are highly active and my vet literally cringes when Bengals come into his office! LOL They can get into everything- there are different levels of bengals as well-

Click to expand...

I would'nt agree. Generally they are active but bengals are just like regular cats they all have different personalities. The young ones tend to be really active but my older ones aren't as much. My females tend to be the least active. It depends on the individual cat mostly. Not all my bengals love water either.
The reason why they are expensive is because they are a newer breed. We are still trying to breed "the perfect bengal" so it takes a lot of money to get our cats where we want them as far as type (coat and comfirmation). Not all bengal breeders are trying to breed more true to the ALC but most are. The ones who are not sell the kitten for rather cheap. You can get a low quality bengal from a low quality breeder (if that's what you want to call them) for about the same price as any other purebred cat.

I work with Egyptian Maus (see banner if unsure what they are), which were used to create Bengals. Bengals are not at all rare, I've seen them registered for as little as $120 already altered.

Bengals do require a special kind of care taker, they aren't for everyone and I've seen many of them end up in shelters because they're so large/active but visually stunning and desireable (many people impulse buy them), so please e-mail some breeders from all over the country and research them all you can to decide if the breed is right for you. I'd hate to hear that you adopted one and had to get rid of it because it wasn't right for you personally.

Originally Posted by Mihoshi

Bengals do require a special kind of care taker, they aren't for everyone and I've seen many of them end up in shelters because they're so large/active but visually stunning and desireable (many people impulse buy them), .

Click to expand...

Not all bengals are large. I have some that are 6 lb. adults. The ALC only gets to be about 6-10 pounds as an adult. The size comes from the domestic not the ALC.
And as I said not all bengals are over active either. Let's not squeeze the entire breed into one mold.
I have a theory on why some bengals seem to be so active and it involves the diet and has nothing to do with the breed itself.

Perharps you are correct, they aren't my speciallty and I don't know their entire backgrounds; but around here they're pretty large and active, you're area may either be very different (from different breeders, etc) or you could just have the exceptions to the rule. My Mau boy is almost 13 pounds and he is still tiny compared to most of the Bengal boys in the showhall.

I have seen a few that are lap cats, but I do see a lot of them and they tend to be either very active or very cranky (although I would be to after being handled by strangers for 9 hours). I'm sure there are a lot of Bengals who are small/dosile, but the majority here aren't that way; to the same quo, not all Abby's are hyper, not all Maus are skiddish, and not every Siamese has a digestion problem, but a lot of them still are that way and are steriotyped that way as if it was in the breed standard. I mean no disrespect to people who own Bengals who aren't that way, but potential owners should hope for the best but be prepared for the worse.

I still believe that anyone wanting to adopt any purebred cat need to research it before buying one and that is the main point. Not every cat is for every person and she needs to know the best and worse of the breed to make a responsible choice and not just go after something souly placed on their looks or rarity.

But the ACL's are listed as 25-32 inches long and 7-16 pounds. That's not incredibly huge, and for a wild cat that's really small, but it's still fairly big for creating hybrid "domestics."
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/...truction/71932
http://www.leopard-cats.org/asian-leopard-cat.html
http://www.cocoaspride.com/

At any rate, I don't mean to play number games so I'll end my rant here.

I don't know about the length but wouldn't you say an average house cat/domestic is between 7-16 lbs?
Bengal breeders do tend to like to breed them on the larger size but again that comes from the domestic not the ALC.

I know that bengal crosses seem to be bigger than there purebreed cousins... My girl Zoey is a cross and still growing is a good 11.5lbs... she is long and lean... lol she could be a super model ...

My Simba is a rather small boy, around 7 lb, max. He's extremely active, and playful, but he's the sweetest little guy. I've never seen him grumpy in the over 2 years I've had him. He is no more interested in water than any other cat. He is however, a climber and likes to hang out on the top of doors. Simba is a LOT more playful that my two Siamese, and I remember asking the breeder about the playfulness, and he told me, it's commom for them to remain kitten like throughout their entire life.

I know that they may not be for everyone, because I know a lady who had a cat that was mixed with Bengal and she couldn't take all of his activity and prowling around on top of things, and knocking things down, and she found him another home. In my situation, I get a big kick out of Simba's mischevious nature, and his intelligence. I love the playful way he is, and some of his adorable acrobatics. However, I would never call Simba docile, and actually, I like that he's not. There is never a dull moment, with Simba around.

As said before, the bengal breed is not necessarily rare, just depends on where you live and the breeders in that area.

My girlfriend and I currently own 2 bengals. Getting technical, we actually own one pure bred bengal, and one F2 Asian leopard hybrid. And I have to say, taking care of these two cats are very much different than the domestic shorthairs ive taken care of most of my life.

A day doesnt go by where one of our cats wont suprise us with something new. Jumping to the highest places (on top of open doors, on top of kitchen cabinets, on top of my window shades), they will also get food whenever they want, and however they want. Our bengals eat bread, twinkies, salad, ... EVERYTHING. We had to put child locks on our kitchen cabinets because we started waking up to a mess of food and boxes with holes on them from inside a food pantry. i wish I could find the picture of the chaotic mess they left in the kitchen that we came home to.

Heres 2 pictures of hayden trying to be on top of the world:





Also, the personalities of one of ours is very much more like a dog than it would be a cat. He talks to us all the time. Whenever he wants attention he runs around the house barking and yelping, not meowing, he'll do anything just to get our attention.

They love getting in the shower, or bath. They splash around, drink the water, climb up the shower curtain. Crazy cats they are.

The two also love taking walks with a harness and leash. We sometimes take them to petsmart when we shop for them and see all the odd faces of people seeing a cat being walked. Most dogs actually back off and get scared after hearing the growl from Hayden. He sounds MEAN. But he's really a sweetheart.

Bengals are very very intelligent creatures, if they want something from you, they will get it. And they wont stop until you understand exactly what they want from you.

I do believe that owning a bengal takes a little more care than a regular domestic cat. They cant be left alone for a short time before they start to go crazy for not being stimulated enough.

I can go on and on for hours about them, because I love them so much. If you have any other questions, just let me know!

Hayden sounds a lot like Simba, and I think he looks a lot like him also. Here's a picture of my little Simba the Zulu Warrior:



I can find him on top of doors, like in this picture or on top of book cases and hutches as well as on top of the kitchen cubbards. Although he's not fond of a leash, he will play fetch, like a dog, and most of the time he's the one who initiates the game of fetch by bringing me his crinkle ball for me to throw for him, and what is so cute, is he likes to leap in the air and catch it before it falls. I agree, they are loads of fun. There is never a dull moment with a Bengal around.

I do the same thing I take mine to petsmart on the leash. My boy won't walk on the leash but he sure loves to sit in the cart and watch all the other pets walk-hehe. He always draws a lot of attention.

Originally Posted by HopeHacker

Hayden sounds a lot like Simba, and I think he looks a lot like him also. Here's a picture of my little Simba the Zulu Warrior:



I can find him on top of doors, like in this picture or on top of book cases and hutches as well as on top of the kitchen cubbards. Although he's not fond of a leash, he will play fetch, like a dog, and most of the time he's the one who initiates the game of fetch by bringing me his crinkle ball for me to throw for him, and what is so cute, is he likes to leap in the air and catch it before it falls. I agree, they are loads of fun. There is never a dull moment with a Bengal around.

Click to expand...

haha yes our boys do look identical. I have a similiar picture to that one also.

Hayden also loves the crinkly ball toys, all I have to do is make the crinkle noise and he will come running from any room in the house.

Have you tried a lazer pointer yet? He LOVES the thing, and will chase it for hours on end. He chases it right up the wall and jumps as high as he can while bouncing off the wall. Its an easy way to stimulate the cat and relax on the couch at the same time.

IMO .... (I don't breed Bengals or any other cat but I have a Chausie, Egyptian Mau, Bengal and Ocicat.)

You are still in school. My Bengal is high energy and requires a lot of attention. This might not be the best breed for you (and your parents). My Bengal gets into everything. He is not a lap cat by any means. He loves to be up high and climbs on anything he isn't supposed to like counters as soon as I turn my back. Does this sound like YOUR ideal cat? He is noisy, sometimes he screams his head off all night because he wants to eat bugs. He torments my female. He knocks over everything he can get his paws in. His water dish is always a great source of amusement for him. That is to see if he can empty the entire thing on the floor! LOL.... Every day. I swear I can go through a roll of paper towels every other day.

He is my ideal cat, but I knew this when I purchased him. I knew what the breed itself was like and it is what I was looking for. I love my high energy breeds. They may just look "cool" to others but to me it's their breed profiles that intrigued me most. Do your kitten homework It sounds to me like your cat is pretty happy anyways. Don't "rock the boat". One cat is easy. The problems arise when you add cats to an otherwise stable household. Do you have the time to ensure everything is done right and they are getting along? If not the problem may fall to your parents. I know I would never allow my teens to make the decision to bring another cat into the house.

My advice to anyone looking to get a Bengal or any breed for that matter... don't judge the book by it's cover. They look awesome and they are but they sometimes require a little extra patience. My Bengal is by far the most amazing cat I have. He is so soft and he makes me laugh everyday. I couldn't have asked for a more accurate example of the Bengal breed. I know every day that I wake up how lucky I am to have these exotic kitties in my house.

Bobbie

I have an F3 bengal and she is how everyone is describing! She loves getting into everything. She is very food driven and will eat anything. She chatters a lot and I enjoy chattering back at her. I think the best thing for a bengal is another cat friend so they can play and romp around together. She also can really tear up toys, especially if they have feathers. She also fears nothing, well except lime juice. She is most certainly not a lap cat but when shes feeling lovey nothing will stop her butting her head all over my hands, saying Pet Me, Pet Me! She walks very nicely on a leash, took right to it. However, she gets tempermental in pet stores and I find her actions to be unpredictable so I don't take her anymore. Children often run up and want to pet her, just fascinated and she dosen't react well, knowing human children are even more unpredictable. I like to take her out for walks in the evening, she does best then.

L_A_G - are you there? You asked a question!

We have quite a few Bengal breeders in NZ but there's only ever one or two at a show and gosh they are expensive!