Bengal Temperments

opilot

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Okay, I have a brother who has 2 cats rescued as kittens.

One is a silver and black perfectly spotted and tabby cat - including belly,
with tabby markings - she's absolutely
a dead ringer for a silver Begal cat. She is average sized cat.

(But they
can't be cause they were found as kittens outside...)

Now, the male cat is a bull's eye type marble pattern...black and
tan/orange...very much the coloring if not exact patterning of the
Bengal...

He is HUGE - 21 lbs overweight, but about 16 at normal
weight...

Because the male had diabetes he was separated
from my brother and sent to the parents. They
have a nice little female cat - and she accepted him.

He appears to love following her round sniffing her butt -
and always wants near, but she isn't into letting him
cuddle up to her (which I think he might do if she
let him, LOL).

He and his sister used to fight alot. For dominance.

And now my question - temperments - the female is like
a feral cat, completely bonded to brother - and wild with
the rest of us. Unfriendly, doesn't want to be bothered
and just might attack if you interrupt her/approach
when she doesn't like for any reason...She is also completely
in charge of the house - does anything she wants and
brother doesn't try to correct.

Frankly a cat I'd be afraid of. More like a wild cat
than a house cat!

The male - more friendly, but again very much not
wanting to be picked up, handled or petted. OTH he
does want to follow you around obsessively and
know what you are doing. He does tolerate my
parents - but isn't affectionate. If you try to pet him,
he will tolerate a moment or two,
then hiss and swat you. He is also very territorial. If
you try to pick up and move when he is on HIS chair,
on the bed or else where that is "his" - he will
swat and hiss...

Since my parents got him,
they have found poo on the beds a few times,
and I am telling them Gator is establishing that
the beds are HIS territory - usually its when vistors
come to stay in the guest rooms - on one or two
occassions it was in the parent's bed!! (But he
has not done in a while...)

Are Bengals like this? Territorial to the extreme,
not all that into loving, one person cats (only on my terms!) and
wanting to be top cat?

Because bro is talking about getting one when
his Ally goes over the bridge (many years to go...however
till then!) And if it is a breed that needs interaction and
wants to be top cat, it may not be a good choice for him.

Any insights from breeders?
 

bengalbabe

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Just because a cat is sliver-and spotted does not mean that he has any bengal in him at all. There are domestic spotted tabbys that have no bengal blood in them. The silver gene is domestic, and comes from the Mau or more recently the American Shorthair. Also the "marble" gene is domestic, it is called the "classic tabby" pattern.
In a bengal the pattern should not have a bullseye. The marble pattern in a bengal should be horozontally flowing and it should not resemble the classic tabby but resemble an ocelot. If you have a cat with a bullseye pattern chances are it is not a bengal or a bengal mix.
As far as personality goes, benagls are generally very loving but because they are very playful sometimes they don't like to be held.
All cats sniff eachother's rear that's how they identify eachother.
Each cat has it's own personality. Some are lovable and love to sit in your lap and some are standoffish. I would say that the only traits I noticed with all of my bengals is the playfullness and that they don't like to be held for long periods of time because they want to get down and explore or play. Most of my cats though have no problem coming up to us and sitting on our laps, it's all on their terms though.
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by joecool

Those cats are only like that because they were ferals. Even full blood asian leopard cats can make great pets.

No, bengals can be very sweet.
Actually most asian leopard cats
do
not make great pets. Even if they were hand reared. They are shy and reclusive by nature.
 

joecool

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Originally Posted by bengalbabe

Actually most asian leopard cats
do
not make great pets. Even if they were hand reared. They are shy and reclusive by nature.
I beg to differ. They can be good pets if raised correctly, and that is the reason they were used to create the bengal breed. Not screwing temperament, ya know? They can be shy, but it all depends on what you look for in a cat. They are certainly not known for being mean, which is the only kind of pet i would not consider great.
 

solaritybengals

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I know the person that breeds ALC's has said as soon as they go to their outdoor enclosure or reach a certain age their temperments change completely. They go from very sweet kittens to not wanting any human interaction. These are all hand-reared too. There might be one from time to time that is ok in temperment but that is the rarity. Its the first thing you try to breed out in bengals. A big reason why they were used is they would rather flee than attack thus making them a less dangerous wild animal. Therefore the hybrids have really no concerns as you might have with a wolf hybrid. They also match nicely size-wise. Of course the original reason is that they were testing a possible immunity to FelV (I think thats what it was?). Thus discovering that, even though ALC's dont' make great pets, their offspring do.
 

joecool

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Well, certainly that may be the case in some lines. I hve met people that own adults, or have in the past. They do tend to be very shy, and not even allow strangers to look at them, but with their immediate family they are as sweet as can be. At least, the ones i know are.
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by joecool

Well, certainly that may be the case in some lines. I hve met people that own adults, or have in the past. They do tend to be very shy, and not even allow strangers to look at them, but with their immediate family they are as sweet as can be. At least, the ones i know are.
Exactly how many do you know of? Because the majority of ALC's are not good pets regardless.
 
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opilot

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Thanks all for the insight. While my brothers cats are
"found" cats, we think the Ally cat has the look of
an African Wildcat or silver bengal.

Certainly that's how she *behaves*.
She acts just like the Asian spotted leopard cat
that was mentioned.

I just think my brother needs to think less about size
and more about temperment!

Thanks again all. Very educational.
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by SolarityBengals

I think she sounds feral.
I agree. I don't think the way she acts has anything to do with her breed/breeds. Any cat will act like that if they have been feral.
 

bengalbabe

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Originally Posted by joecool

I beg to differ. They can be good pets if raised correctly, and that is the reason they were used to create the bengal breed. Not screwing temperament, ya know? They can be shy, but it all depends on what you look for in a cat. They are certainly not known for being mean, which is the only kind of pet i would not consider great.
Taken from the Bengal Bulliton, article: Studies on Temperament Inheritance
The Asian Leopard Cat:
1.) Shy of human contact
2.)seeks to flee
3.)avoids confrontation

Bengal Cat
1.)confident
2.)curious
3.)friendly
4.)alert
 

joecool

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Originally Posted by bengalbabe

Taken from the Bengal Bulliton, article: Studies on Temperament Inheritance
The Asian Leopard Cat:
1.) Shy of human contact
2.)seeks to flee
3.)avoids confrontation

Bengal Cat
1.)confident
2.)curious
3.)friendly
4.)alert
I did admit that they can be very shy. However, i do know of them being kept as pets successfully. The same with bobcats(supposedly vicious), cougars(supposedly untameable) and servals(supposedly extremely dangerous). Amberthebobcat can verify two. There are more. I believe that if they are not vicious, they can make a good pet, regardless of how shy they are.


And btw, the african wildcat is exactly the same as the domestic cat. They have not changed through domestication, except for less common colors being perpetuated.
 

kai bengals

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Here's what I know about the Asian Leopard Cat.

By and large these guys do not make very good pets, and certainly not family pets. ALC kittens can be bottle raised and they will bond closely with one person. Normally the person doing the feeding. Once they approach maturity, if they are not altered, they will revert quickly back to their instinctual behavior. It's extremely difficult to overcome this animal's natural behavior.
I can't think of many good reasons why someone would have an ALC and then alter it, this particular wild cat should not be a pet.

Even F1 bengals, the result of the first cross with the ALC, can be very difficult cats, that will only bond to one person. You've got 50% wild blood in this cat and it may or may not act just like an ALC. Most breeders won't even consider placing an F1 in a "normal" pet home. These guys are considered special needs cats, and they can make awesome pets for the right owner.
Normally someone who just wants one single cat and will be able to deal with any behavior issues that might arise.

Of course, as with most things, there will be and are exceptions. However, I don't think that anyone should think it's ok to keep one of these ALC's as a pet. They are not at all the same as a bobcat, lynx or serval.

ALC's in nature are reclusive, nocturnal, solitary and they avoid human contact at all times.

There are some bengal breeders that have ALC's in their breeding program, but these cats aren't sitting in the living room playing happily with the bengals. They require special care and a lot of patience. Definitely not a cat that should be looked upon by the general public as being an exotic that can be tamed and live happily in a family environment.
 

menagerie mama

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Opilot, can you show us a picture of this kitty? Even if it's not a Bengal, I'd like to see it, it sounds pretty!
 
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