Okay, is my bengal just demented?
There are several strange things about him and his sister (who my mother and sister own) that just puzzle me.
Firstly, Bengals are very active cats, yes? But I swear, Azzy is one of my laziest cats. Oh, he'll get up and goof off now and again but most of the time he prefers just sitting and watching, or cuddling up and sleeping. His sister is the same way. She'll play all right but likes her chill time, and seems no more active than any other cat. My mother's snow bengal, who is just over a year, is the same way...very laid back. Its really puzzling since they are F3 hybrids, so I was prepared for even MORE activity and less desire for social interaction, but they haven't had a single problem. Azzy's only throwback to the wild is his propensity to be vocal, especially when he's eating, and his love of raw meat (he learned to open my fridge to get at it)!
Also, I met their parents when I picked them up from the breeder. Mom was a good twelve pounds or more, and Dad was huge, twenty pounds at least. Azzy and his sister will be a year old next month, and Azzy weighs barely seven pounds. His sister still looks like a little kitten, weighing in at only just shy of six pounds! Vet said they're both fine and healthy, just small. His sister really looks like a little toy cat. Why would two such big cats produce such tiny offspring? The breeder had pictures of cats from his past litters and they were all good sized.
His sister's head is shaped oddly too. Aslan has a normal 'catty' head...his ears are a little rounder and set further apart, but his face is the same shape as any cat's face. Isis however has really big eyes, a very round face and foreshortened snout. Not doll-face persian short, of course, but noticeably shorter. Neither parent had this head, and I've looked back along their pedigrees and I can't see any of their ancestors with such a head.
Are our bengals just demented? We don't mind, so long as they're healthy, happy, and they'll remain well loved no matter what (and believe me, we're happy they're not as wild and shy as some of the hybrid generations are!).
Here are some pictures of their lineage:
Their sire, Ace:
Their dam, Koshka:
Their maternal grandmother (I LOVE this cat), Katerina:
http://www.enchanted-tails.com/F1.htm
Actually, come to look at her pictures again, her face is rather a lot like Isis's. Very round and short. Not as short as her grand-daughter's, but very close. So, I guess that solves that mystery. Duh me.
Their maternal grandfather, Jagger:
http://www.enchanted-tails.com/Jagger.htm
And finally, their maternal great-grandfather, Romeo, an Amur Leopard Cat:
Their paternal grandparents are Tejas Maxwell and Tejas Amber, but I was unable to find pics of them on the Tejas website.
There are several strange things about him and his sister (who my mother and sister own) that just puzzle me.
Firstly, Bengals are very active cats, yes? But I swear, Azzy is one of my laziest cats. Oh, he'll get up and goof off now and again but most of the time he prefers just sitting and watching, or cuddling up and sleeping. His sister is the same way. She'll play all right but likes her chill time, and seems no more active than any other cat. My mother's snow bengal, who is just over a year, is the same way...very laid back. Its really puzzling since they are F3 hybrids, so I was prepared for even MORE activity and less desire for social interaction, but they haven't had a single problem. Azzy's only throwback to the wild is his propensity to be vocal, especially when he's eating, and his love of raw meat (he learned to open my fridge to get at it)!
Also, I met their parents when I picked them up from the breeder. Mom was a good twelve pounds or more, and Dad was huge, twenty pounds at least. Azzy and his sister will be a year old next month, and Azzy weighs barely seven pounds. His sister still looks like a little kitten, weighing in at only just shy of six pounds! Vet said they're both fine and healthy, just small. His sister really looks like a little toy cat. Why would two such big cats produce such tiny offspring? The breeder had pictures of cats from his past litters and they were all good sized.
His sister's head is shaped oddly too. Aslan has a normal 'catty' head...his ears are a little rounder and set further apart, but his face is the same shape as any cat's face. Isis however has really big eyes, a very round face and foreshortened snout. Not doll-face persian short, of course, but noticeably shorter. Neither parent had this head, and I've looked back along their pedigrees and I can't see any of their ancestors with such a head.
Are our bengals just demented? We don't mind, so long as they're healthy, happy, and they'll remain well loved no matter what (and believe me, we're happy they're not as wild and shy as some of the hybrid generations are!).
Here are some pictures of their lineage:
Their sire, Ace:
Their dam, Koshka:
Their maternal grandmother (I LOVE this cat), Katerina:
http://www.enchanted-tails.com/F1.htm
Actually, come to look at her pictures again, her face is rather a lot like Isis's. Very round and short. Not as short as her grand-daughter's, but very close. So, I guess that solves that mystery. Duh me.
Their maternal grandfather, Jagger:
http://www.enchanted-tails.com/Jagger.htm
And finally, their maternal great-grandfather, Romeo, an Amur Leopard Cat:
Their paternal grandparents are Tejas Maxwell and Tejas Amber, but I was unable to find pics of them on the Tejas website.
