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PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 2:38 am 
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Bengal Kitten

Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2018 1:53 am
Posts: 1
Hi! I recently bought my first home and adopted two kittens from a rescue. I've grown up with cats my entire life so I was ready and excited to bring some into my household!.

One is a petite black domestic female named Stella and the other a tabby colored male named Sebastian. The animal service rescued both kittens from the streets (very ill) and didn't have any information on where exactly they came from. (I'm not even sure where they found them geographically to be honest)nFrom day one I remember thinking that Sebastian was very unusual looking (dark marbled fur with a "wild" looking face and spots across belly) but very beautiful and had incredibly soft fur that didn't feel like something I was familiar with.

I brought them home and two hours later was out buying the biggest cat tree that I could find because I could already tell I was going to need one. (Currently up to 2!) Immediate best friends and the two sweetest things you could ask for.

The vet they saw at the rescue estimated them about 5 months old (she saw them when they were a few weeks old), but I figured Stella was either really small for her age or Sebastian was really big for his. Weighed in at the vet during his first check-up at 8 lbs. and an estimated 6 months old. It became pretty obvious that he was at the very least mixed with something due to his behavior and size. He acts more like a dog than a cat; he loves to growl while playing tug-of-war. The first time I was really surprised but it's something I can't help but laugh at now. He also was very insistent about getting in the shower with me even though I don't think he likes it that much once he's in. He doesn't shed (or hasn't started) and feels like silk with a really dense, but not thick, coat or pelt.

He eats like CRAZY and has probably gained at least another pound in the last two weeks. He has a large frame and large paws and likes to climb everything.

I realized that he was a bengal (or partial bengal) through a coworker; I posted pictures on Facebook of the cats and he came down from his department to talk to me about them when he saw Sebastian. He and his wife have two Bengals they have raised since kittens and he wanted to make sure I knew what to expect. I had no idea that was a possibility so we compared some pictures and Sebastian looks identical to the ones he has from a breeder.

Long story short, from doing a TON of research and having bengal owners meet him I have a pretty firm confirmation from them at least that I now have a bengal kitten.

I've always known that bengals are more work than domestic shorthairs so I am making sure to carve out extra time to interact and play with him and his "sister."

Do you have any tips and/or suggestions about what adulthood might look like going forward? He's very quiet and chirps more than meows when he does talk. The only time I've ever heard him meow has been during car rides to the vet when he's been freaked out. Is this something that is normal?

What do you wish you would have known as a first time owner? He is more maintenance than I was bargaining for but he has me wrapped around his paw and I wouldn't trade him for the world!


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 6:53 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm
Posts: 9217
Welcome to our forum. You did not post a picture for us for our opinion. There are a lot of bengals and bengal mixes that are rescue kitties. We get requests all the time for an opinion. Without a photo, it is difficult to say. A couple of things in your post -- the fur of a bengal is actually a pelt and it is extremely silky and soft. Another thing you might want to look for is glitter in the sunlight. Most bengals have glitter (some don't), and it is very visible when the sunshine hits.

Behavior wise, it's hard to tell. There are domestic cats who love water, who act more like dogs. While these are traits of a bengal, other cats can also have these. There are marbled tabbies with no bengal in them at all. Bengals also usually have ringed tails and their tails are tapered to the end, which is usually completely black. I'm sure you've also googled "marbled bengals" and compared yours to some pictures.

While it is completely possible you have a purebred bengal or at least a bengal mix, the only way to know for certain is to have registration papers from a breeder or do a DNA test on the kitty. Regardless, bless you for rescuing these babies and we would love to see pictures of both of them.


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