Hi, I just joined this site because I think my cat Navi might be a Bengal mix. I say I think because her colors are so mottled that it is difficult to tell if she has spots or stripes on her torso. She is tortoiseshell-and-white, but she has three colors, some very interesting patterns and body shape. Her fur is thick, shiny, VERY soft, and has a slight golden tinge, as do her hazel eyes. Her head is small and round, with big ears, yet small in comparison to her long, tubular torso. And her back legs are HUGE in comparison to the front ones; her posture is forward-leaning. I've had cats my whole life and have never had one quite like her. I am planning on DNA testing her, just to satiate my curiosity.
Navi was a rescue kitten found all by herself in someone's backyard. She was only a couple months old. She stayed with a foster family until I adopted her at 3 months. I picked her because she was the prettiest and friendliest, and definitely the smartest. She was the one trying to open the cage door.
I mentioned that I've had cats my whole life. I forgot what it was like to have a rambunctious kitten. Navi immediately acclimated to my apartment and declared it her parkour playground. She is now seven months old and HUGE- she was big to begin with- and utilizes every vertical surface possible for her antics. My living room literally is a cat playground now. We installed cat shelves on one wall, we have a mouse hanging from the hallway doorframe, and the floor is littered with cat tunnels, scratching posts, boxes, and paper bags. Soon to come is the cat tree so she stops using the furniture. Her acrobatics are very impressive, too. My cats back at my mom's house are pretty fit, but Navi tops anything they can do. She even plays tug-of-war with one of her toys. Her behavior is pretty intelligent compared to the other cats I've had.
Then we tried to get her a playmate a couple of months ago. Bad idea. We adopted Link the tabby-and white kitty, AKA the cutest baby I ever had to give away ;( We kept him in the bedroom for almost two weeks, but his presence immediately made Navi depressed. She stopped eating and kept vomiting, so I brought her to the vet. He charged me $80 and sent her back home. She had a snack there, though, and felt much better after regaining her appetite. Then the peeing started. I mentioned that I rent an apartment. The wood floors are not mine. It took weeks to purge the wood of her awful pee. We ordered Jackson Galaxy's Spirit Essences, which was a waste of money, then we ordered Feliway. My boyfriend lost patience before the Feliway arrived, and we ended up having to give Link away. I bring this up because most kittens are not territorial before a certain age, certainly not by five months. Navi seems to be fiercely territorial and she is not even a year old yet. Yet she is extremely social and vocal, talks all the time, and loves being on people.
Now, I know that this is an expensive breed and most breeders would not intentionally breed a Bengal with a domestic cat. It is not completely unheard of, however, for someone to buy a Bengal not knowing what they are getting themselves into, not getting it spayed/neutered, and abandoning it because they cannot take care of it. In my town there are hundreds of homeless kitties everywhere. I'll attach some pictures so you can decide for yourselves. But that's what I'm wondering, if anyone thinks she is a Bengal mix or of Bengal ancestry.
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