Hi All

I have come to the forum to try further the understanding of Bengals and their suitability for our family.

We are a family of four with a 5 year old and 14 year old. I show dogs Staffordshire Bull Terrier while my wife is a cat person. We are lookin at getting a Bengal cat for the first to fit in with our family including the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Chihuahua and Cat they are all house animals and get along with no problems.

As I have been reading up on Bengals over the last several months things have come to my attention of the variety pricing, quality, registered or not , bloodlines etc. I was unaware that there was such variety.

Please could I ask for your advice on where you think I should start and the reason for that particular choice of Bengal.

Thank you for your time

Jason

We chose a Bengal cat to add to our household which, at the time, included 2 adults and a Samoyed. We chose the breed because of it's activity level and beauty. We are active and wanted to get a kitten, as opposed to adult rescue, so the cat could acclimate to our lifestyle.

We fly hot air balloons, traveling to many large festivals and gatherings. Quasar goes with us, spending time on leash and involved or watching from his kennel on the tool box of our truck when we put up and take down our equipment. He has even flown with us in the balloon.

He goes camping with us and on the many road trips we take.

He travels well. Kyenta, our Samoyed, is his companion.

With strangers, Quasar can be a bit shy but VERY tolerant. He prefers the little people to the big ones. As long as I (his mom) am with him, he is quiet and well-behaved in public. He adapts well to hotels and our tent when traveling.

Personality is the most important thing when choosing any pet. It is difficult to judge a cat's personality when they are a kitten, and in their breeder's home. Quasar was far more confident at the breeder's but time has made him equally confident (and cocky) in our home. He is approaching 4 years old and I could not ask for a better pet. A lot of a pet's personality is what YOU make it.

Quasar was 13 weeks old when we got him. He was neutered at 10-11 weeks old and had had his first 2 sets of vaccines.

My previous experience with cats was that they were sent to new homes at 8 weeks old. This is ok for a rescue cat that just needs a good home but, for breeders' cats, I would never take a kitten under 12 weeks of age. Our breeder did not want Quasar to leave before 14 weeks but that was the only time we were able to come pick him up.

So much socialization happens in those first 3 months. Let it happen while your kitten has the opportunity to interact with his mom and any other cats and kittens living in your breeder's home. Quasar was the best socialized cat I have ever had. We have had no problems with inappropriate behavior such as eliminating outside his box.

Research the breed carefully and be sure this breed is for you. They are active, persistent, annoying, beautiful, fun, loving, demanding, wonderful cats but many seem to end up at rescues when the owners discover they are not prepared for their personalities.

Enjoy the search. I hope you have many good breeders in your area. We had only two to choose from within 1000 miles of us but, fortunately, did very well with Quasar's breeder.

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~ Kyenta

Thank you for rely ply, sounds like you got a craving addition to your family there.

We are from South Wales so anyone aware of good breeder in the area that would also be appreciated as we could get talking to them also. We have been taking our time in deciding on the right cat as we want it to be a real part of the family.


Thanks Again.

Jas

Welcome to the forum. Know that Kyenta1's experience is highly unusual. Cat owners usually do not take them traveling with them or take them up in a hot air balloon. Good job, Kyenta! You've got Quasar trained really well. Jason, just know this is very unusual and not the norm.

The main reasons people want a bengal are for their exquisite beauty and their strong, but sweet personality. Bengals are extremely intelligent, highly active, very vocal, quite social and loyal cats. They demand attention and love climbing up to high places.

They can get along with children, dogs and other cats. But know that every cat's personality is different. While some cats aren't bothered by noise and activity, other cats want quiet and solitude. You are not going to know that type of cat unless you actually visit a breeder and see the cattery and how the kittens are raised. Some catteries keep the queens and kittens separated from the house. Others integrate the queen and kittens in with their children and dogs. Your best bet is to find a cattery like that and visit it in person! I can't stress that enough.

The price of a bengal varies, depending on the quality. Bloodlines may not be quite as important. Know that the bengal breed is only 20 years old and there has been a lot of inbreeding which can cause genetic issues. This is in just about every single bengal. A purebred bengal will come with registration papers if you're dealing with a legitimate breeder. Your kitty will have received their first vaccinations, may be spayed or neutered, and come with a health guarantee. Please do not use a backyard breeder. For the extra money, you can be sure of getting a socialized kitty.

Integrating your bengal kitten into a bustling household of children and other pets can be an issue. The kitten will arrive fairly stressed out and possibly traumatized at having been taken away from its mom and siblings. You are new people! Your home is new. There are new smells, new voices. The kitten must be put into a safe room initially. This can be a spare bedroom or a rarely used bathroom. The kitten will be fed there and sleep in there, so bed, litter box and space for food and water is a must. However, this is not to say you lock the cat up and be done with the kitty. The kitty can be played with and held and loved in there.

Start by swapping the scents with the other critters in your household. If you bring the kitty out into the open, make sure to hold it. Allow any interested animals to sniff. You want to keep the kitten protected from any potential attacks. Know that this entire process takes weeks. You can then feed the kitten in the same area as the other animals. Engage the kitten in play while around the other pets. Supervise the kitten with your other pets until you are certain there is no aggression.

I may be getting ahead of the game by going through all of this, but it is important. Know that the proper introduction has to be done regardless of whether you get a bengal or a regular kitten. It's the same process!

We're here to answer any questions. Good luck.

Thank you for your reply.

Being a person who has been around dogs all my life I completely agree with you advice on socialising an animal to a new home. From what I have read this is why I would also wish to have a kitten to give it the best possible opportunities to acclimatise to our household. I don't beleave it would be appropriate to bring an older cat in on the cat or our other animals.

I also understand that while Keyentas experience is fantastic it is purely an individual credit to them. I mean how many peopl have a hot air balloon. Lol

My main concerns start with the bloodlines ie F1/2/3/4 and so on. We want a good quality cat but being the first we are not looking do the best of the best pr rarest of the rare. Just a good solid cat. Being such a young breed it's such a shame there is already such variety.

Thanks Jas

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The little monsters 3

I've not had any experience introducing bengals to other animals but they're really energetic. I remember though, many years ago, introducing our 8 months old german shepherd to my grandfather's older (and smaller) dog. It proved to be quite a problem as the energy levels didn't match at all. Something to take into consideration, depending on how active your pets are...

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Thomas

Lily & Noha - Oct 7th 2015

Thank you all for your help an truthful advice. This is what I wanted to hear as you can't get it from reading general information.

I know my choice of dog is one that would raise concern with people. Like a Bengal however the breed is very misunderstood due to the general publics perception. Rocco is a pet first but also a show dog and the 4 generation I have had out of these particular lines that are close to my family. All animals get along well, including the car they sleep and play together.

I still know however there is always a chance of it going wrong when introducing a new animal.

The generations information is a great help as like I said I just want a solid cat. The characteristics of a Bengal sound one that would fit with our family but as you said it's about getting all the right things first.

Breeder
Kitten
Socialisation

Thanks Jason

When you are talking the bloodlines, what is it you want to know? Almost all the bengal lines start with Jean Mill. The F1s through the F3s are the main breeding lines. Once you get to the F4s, they expand out a little. I live on the Bengal Pedigree website and just did a complete pedigree for Deputy on her Lil Miss Suri. Right now, most lines are F6, F7 and up. When you get to an F10 or so, there is a lot of missing information as the database is voluntary and unless someone puts the kitty and the parents, grandparents, etc.with their TICA numbers in the database, you can't come up with a complete pedigree. Most bengal owners aren't interested in that. I am, as I find it fascinating. The Centerwall Asian Leopard Cats appeared 30,000+ times in Suri's pedigree, versus Baghara-Sergura Khan of Kent which was only 505. You will find a lot of breeders who have no idea of the ALC lines of their queens and sires. Since you are located in the UK, you will more than likely be limited to the breeders over there.

Hi Jason,

First off it is great you're doing research before investing in a Bengal. So many people get them just because they're beautiful cats but unfortunately can't deal with their active natures. I have just acquired my 2nd Bengal and he has come from a home that couldn't deal with him anymore as he was too playful with their young children. He is stunning cat though. He is from Glitterglam Bengals in the UK and are the same breeders that bred my first Bengal Shaka. They have a broad range of cats for breeding and although both Shaka and Zulu are from Glitterglam they are 2 very different looking cats.

There are many Bengal breeders in the UK but I settled on Glitterglam after researching for over a year. If you get in touch they'll be happy to offer advice. I'm not affiliated with them it's just both my Bengals have come from them and they were first class throughout which I am sure most Bengal breeders in the UK are. Shaka gets on great and is very tolerant of young kids but I'm not sure about Zulu as he has just arrived although as he has come from a family that couldn't keep him because of his behaviour with young kids will tell you that it's just luck whether they'll be good with kids or not.

Shaka totally dominated my sisters dog though. He was quite a bully and her poor dog Bella got pounced on at every opportunity. Shaka looked like he just wanted to play but Bella looked terrified....

Glitterglam has not added any kitties to the bengal pedigree website since 2012. Thus, many of their new kittens will never have a complete pedigree in the database. I checked their last cat and saw the same kitties that appeared in Suri's pedigree -- going back to the Centerwall Asian Leopard cats. The Lakewood line was prevalent which goes back to Leapole of Newhorizon (ALC). Glitterglam has some spectacular kitties and plan for litters in 2016. It doesn't cost anything to inquire and do your research. Good luck!

Thank you all that is a great help once again.

The reason I am looking to understand more about the generations as I would like a true Bengal so when checking on potential kittens I can understand this and not be sent off down the wrong path. I also am interested in them as I don't want something to closely related to wilder more complexed animals.

We are looking for a Bengal as we like what we currently understand about their nature but we want a cat that can be part of the family also.

Regards

A bengal will definitely be a part of your family. Many appear quite needy! Just know that children will not be able to lug a bengal around the house -- some are okay with that but most are not. A purebred bengal will come pedigreed, so you will know. A purebred bengal can be registered. If you get an F6 or higher, you will be well removed from the wildcat nature of the ALC. The breeder can tell you what F generation the kittens are. Or should be able to tell you. The guidelines for breeding are no more than two litters per year per queen -- so you may have to go on a waiting list for kittens.