We got a Bengal (guy said he was a Bengal anyway. He and his wife bred them and actually had other exotic animals too. Like a zebra donkey hybrid and the guy was breeding other weird animal combinations) back in January, he was born in September of 2013. He is almost 9 months old. We got him off a breeder on a ranch up north in Los Angelos (California). It was right off the freeway, amongst a bunch of farms and other ranches.

At the time we got him, he was 8 pounds and already bigger than our parents cat that is a male (but was 2 pounds heavier at the time).

Now, he is heavier than our parents female cat (weighs 13-15 pounds), and has grown so much since we got him. We have not weighed him, but he is huge! He is getting quite a bit of muscle in him, too. None of it is fat, either. He is really long, too and still growing in all directions.

Even one of our friends (an old friend of my Grandma's, she is pretty late in age.) said, "Wow he is huge. That is more of a size of a Maine Coon." which got me and wife to look more into him.

So, some description before sending links to pictures. I won't go into too much detail of how he looks, because that is what pictures are for...but...

His fur does not sparkle but it is very shiny and VERY reflective in the sun, and he is short-haired (as seen in the pictures), but has quite a bit of hair on his chest and stomach. It does however feel like velvet or silk...hard to describe. It is completely different than other cats we've touched, and feels so soft. He sheds very little (none at all for a few days after a shower).

He does not meow, but more squeaks. However his voice box was not removed, because there is an obvious difference with that. He makes other noises too, but no regular meows. He has made chirping sounds, but that is pretty rare. He is also very quiet. One of our toys accidentally hurt him (:( petco sucks, got to be careful) and he didn't even meow or anything. But, he is okay now. If he is hungry, he shows you he is hungry. If he wants his water cleaned, he shows you that too. He likes playing in the sink and his water dish. But, he doesn't like showers that well...but he is getting a lot calmer about that. He never freaks out and goes crazy in the shower, just doesn't really like it that much at the moment. He also likes to bite a lot, but he has learned to bite very softly...which is another thing I'll go into...

He has also learned how to sit down (wife says "sit down") and after a short bit of time, he does it. That is a new thing he has learned. He learns quick and acts more like a dog a lot of the time. He learns other words too. He also knows how to open the round door knobs (not the handle ones, but the actual round ones). He can jump on top of the shower glass door on the thin metal bar and can stand on top of the shower head. He loves to jump! And he runs really fast, too. He also hides our things, which is a funny game for him. We hide stuff from him, too.

In fact as I said about him learning to bite softly...he actually teaches HIMSELF a lot. We teach him a lot too, but he actually teaches himself a lot as well. He is a very smart kitty.

Other than him always getting in trouble...and oh...he likes to bite everything...he always seems to be teething all the time. So we have to give him a lot of chew toys. I can't think of anything else to add. So, here are links to pictures we took.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... photo1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... photo2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... photo6.jpg (he has a pink mouth, it is cute. It looks like his tongue is always out, but it isn't.)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... hoto15.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... photo7.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... hoto12.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... hoto10.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... hoto11.jpg (huge paws, and his toes spread out a lot too and very flexible)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/V ... hoto13.jpg (We didn't take any pictures of the tail, but you can see it in this one. It is always moving 100% of the time, even when he is sleeping. It is one strong tail too and always stands straight up. The tail is very flexible as well.)

Any idea what he could be or if he is a Bengal, what he could be mixed with? I do know he acts REALLY wild (not like a feral cat, but an actual wild cat) and nothing like any house cat we have ever had.

Thanks. :)

It's hard to tell from the pics, he could well be a regular tabby cat, I had one a few years back who looked like him.

What makes you think he's got bengal lines? Were one or both of his parents bengals?

All of the behaviours you have described can be attributed to most breeds of cats, depending on their individual personalities.

He has pink paw pads (not black) ...
He looks lovely and healthy but doesn't look Bengal to me.

The breeder guy would ofc say he's pure Bengal... hope you didnt get scalped for pure bred prices
Doesnt matter now ofc .. hes your boy now w/e has gone on before.

Does he have his front claws? (not sure I can see them in your pics).
If he has been subjected to the declawing procedure that remains legal in some places that might explain why he is a bit bitey... if thats the case its very lucky he is a gentle happy soul.

enjoyed the pics

It certainly looks like a marbled bengal to me. Pads can also be pink (or eggplant) according to the International Bengal Breeders Association. The tail has very thick black rings. I've never seen that before on a marble. The belly is spotted at the top. The only way you know for sure if you have a purebred bengal is to get papers from the breeder which will have the registered parents' names. The kitty is gorgeous, regardless. I do question the part that he doesn't meow because bengals DO meow and meow a LOT! Sounds like breeder has been doing a lot of hybrid breeding, so this kitty could have bengal in him if he isn't a purebred. Sounds like they are backyard breeders. As long as you are happy with the kitty, that's all that really matters. He's really a gorgeous kitty.

I'm in the "not bengal" or mix camp too for him. To me just the quality and texture of his fur doesn't look bengal-like to me (even though he has a marble pattern).

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The little monsters 3

He does have claws. But we trim them, otherwise they are very sharp and too dangerous for play. We only trim the tip though, not all the way as that would hurt him.

He is a very fun kitty and he is huge too. But, he is very active and loving.

It is not desirable for a black spotted tabby Bengal cat to have black paw pads but, I assure you, it does happen.
Quasar comes from a pedigree containing a variety of lighter coloured Bengals but is definitely black spotted tabby. When we got him, at 13 weeks, his pads were entirely black.
At about 8-10 months, we noticed they were turning pink. At first, I checked around to be sure he wasn't getting into something that might bleach them but, no, they continued to turn pink. They were always plump and healthy-looking.
Now, they are primarily pink with small dots of black between them.
I am sure that he would not do well at show because of this "defect" but this does not make him any less a pedigreed, registered Bengal cat.

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~ Kyenta

He looks very much like my purebred Bengal boy, including the texture of his hair. My brown spotted has a very short, tight coat, whereas my marble boy's fur is a bit plush and silky- very soft.


Edited to add: One thing about your cat that concerns me is the white on his lower belly area. I've never seen this on a brown marble Bengal before. He could be mixed with something else.

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The little monsters 3

Do not feed the troll folks.

It doesn't matter what he is to us. It is just nice to know is all. smile.gif

He is starting to get a very thick, bushier tail. If that helps at all.

My family friend had a few ideas. Any correct?

1. Mixed with Maine coon since she said he is size of one.

But she said he acts too wild and had other ideas.

2. Bred illegally with a bobcat or other wild cat, because sanctuary had ton of extremely rare animal hybrids illegal to breed and have. He also has grown to 18.2 pounds of no fat or barely any muscle yet. Which she said is similar to a wild cub and the no muscle means he is still getting much bigger.

3. Is a jungle cat or a hybrid of one.

Or another wild acting large cat hybrid. She has a friend that is a cat expert for tica and also goes to cat shows. But she is gone always, so unable to help. Just comment on pictures and behavior.

Any comments on those 3 the tica member suggested to family friend? Seemed she kept agreeing he is bred wild, and a lot of it is due to his fast growth, behavior my friend saw and additional pictures sent.