Hello, I'm new to this site! My name is Jazmine and my F1 girl comes home in about a month so once she is here, I will definitely upload pics and introduce her (still not set on a name yet and she is very much in the "fuzzies" stage). She'll be coming home around 9 weeks old. I'm so excited but a little stressed at the same time because I'm still figuring out exactly what things I need to have in the house for her to be happy, and me as well. I just want everything to be as perfect as it can be when she comes home. Let me first say, YES, I know she is an F1 and I know what that means. I also know that no matter how much research I've done and how much I've talked to my breeder, there will be some things that I might not be able to prepare for until I just experience them with her. I hope that makes sense. I just don't want any negativity or anyone to tell me that I don't know what I'm getting myself into because I do. I grew up with all kinds of animals and have experience with sphynxes and other "special" animals. But in no way am I an expert on bengals or F1 bengals and I know they are very different from sbt and I also know each individual cat is different, I've just always loved the breed and fell in love with the F1 personality and have done extensive research on the pros AND the cons. I do have great contact with my breeder but it would be nice to hear from other F1/EG owners.



Things I have questions about/would appreciate advice on:



Feeding:

-How long should I keep her on the wet kitten food the breeder feeds her? I do want to transition her into an all raw diet which I have some experience with. I know I need to let her get use to her new home before I make any drastic changes, but i would like to get her on raw as soon as i can so when do you think it’s appropriate?

-Also, what do you guys think about raw premixes? I won't be able to grind the meat and bone myself so I need to find the best way to get a balanced diet for her. (When I did raw before I just bought pre-made raw once a month from a local company that made it themselves). It was also quite expensive to buy it that way. I am open to doing other forms of raw but the premix powder seems so much easier than mixing each supplement individually and making sure the proportions are right, etc.

-What are the best snacks to feed a kitten once she is on raw? The breeder mentioned frozen feeder mice and chicks and live goldfish in a bowl of water for her to play and eat. i'm not too sure about any of those…I am completely willing to make sacrifices for her but I don’t think I could handle anything thats alive or still in it regular form and if there were any leftover parts or blood…..

-Should I give her space when she's eating or pet her and talk to her during her meal? Does that help with bonding? I suspect this will depend on how she likes to eat.

-What is the best meat to feed her? Especially to help with odor in the litter department? I know raw in general helps with odor but I've also heard chicken specifically can make it more smelly and most people tend to feed raw chicken...so is turkey or something else better? I know it will also depend on what she will eat. She could be picky.

-Best way to give them water? Just a regular bowl or should I get a little fountain? I'm worried she would just play in it and not drink it.

Nails:

-Any luck with those nail caps? I'm nervous about furniture scratching even if I have scratching posts out. I also heard there is something the vets can do now where they put the caps on but they stay for 3 or 4 months instead of just a few weeks when you do them yourself. Has anyone heard about this? I cannot find any info about it on the web. I refuse to declaw but the breeder warned me it may be really difficult to trim her nails because F1s typically do not like it at all and will fight you if you try.



Random:

-What are you EGs fav litters? Has anyone ever tried wood chips in the litter to help with smell? The breeder strictly litter trains her F1s so I shouldn't have to worry about her using the bathroom in the tubs, sinks, water bowls, but I know it is a possibility.



-Fav toys for your EGs? I’m already planning for cat trees and scratching posts/the basics and different shelving combinations for her to climb the walls and I want to get one of those “PetCubes” if anyone is familiar with those. It’s a little camera i can view from my phone when i’m not home so I can see her, talk to her, and play with her via the built in laser!!



Sorry I know this is a lot. Hopefully I get some responses on her and I can ask more questions over the next few weeks and when she comes home.



*Any random tips/tricks/advice would be greatly appreciated! Especially on her first coming home (I was told to keep her in a small "comfort" room if I'm not home and when I am home with her be really affectionate and hold her as i show her and help her get use to the house), any good training techniques, etc. Glad I found this community!

Welcome to our forum and congratulations on your upcoming baby girl. My first question to you is why will you be getting her so early? Bengals should not leave the mother until they are at least 12 weeks old. Second question -- are you SURE you're prepared for an F1 bengal? Seriously ......they are the most challenging of the F generations. I have an F9 and he is a handful. Depending on where you live, EG bengals can be banned. Or you need a permit to own one, so be careful.

As for transitioning to a raw diet -- you would naturally wait until your little girl has settled in and is comfortable and confident in her surroundings. Since kittens get multiple feedings a day, you can start with a feeding that is raw. Then gradually make all the feedings raw. I don't feed mine raw, so I don't know anything about the premixes. I'm sure your breeder has talked with you about what it takes for a full nutritious diet with all the vitamins and supplements a bengal kitten needs.

Lets forget about the live goldfish! Seriously????? Freeze dried rodent might be okay. But, no feeding live mice or anything live. Please tell me your breeder did not recommend something like that.

As for treats, they may come in raw form as well. Even though your girl is 50% wild, she is still a CAT!

The razor sharp nails? I've never trimmed mine. The vet has, but trimming them, they only grow back due to the scratching. You will have to have a million scratching posts and at least one tall cat tree. And you'll have to protect yourself. Kittens are playful and do use their claws. Most kittens do not like having their nails trimmed. Soft paws can help, but it can be difficult getting them on your cat.

I think most cats prefer to eat without anyone bothering them. Would you like to be stroked while you're trying to eat? Give your little lady her space. There will be plenty of times for cuddles, but know that many bengals are not lap cats, do not like to be held. We've had members here with F1's and once they actually grow into an adult, they start to have other issues.

As for cat litter, keep using what the breeder has been using -- at least until your little gal is comfortable and settled in. You can try anything you like and see how well it works. What works for one cat may not work for another.

Bengals love running water so a fountain would be wonderful. Just expect her to play in it as well.

Toys? I think any kitty toy would do! However ..... you might want to limit her area while you are gone. She's probably going to be bored, will explore, and will find something to get into.

I wish you luck!!! We're here to answer any questions.

Jazmine,

Welcome to our forum - letting a bengal kitten leave her mother at 9 weeks sounds very off, even more so for an F1. I'd suggest that you check with your breeder why they think that this is appropriate - that is 4 weeks of not learning behaviour from it's mother and having the security of its litter mates around. I would be concerned that you could end up with a poorly socialised f1 that would be a handful to look after.

I'm not sure I agree with your breeder, even with her 20 years of experience. The mom teaches the kitten a lot in those last few weeks -- things you cannot. Emily has not posted in a while about her F1 named Luca. In the beginning, things were going extremely well, but her last posts showed there were issues. I hope all goes well with you and your F1 baby.

I'm going to mostly stay out of this - we don't do EG so don't have a lot of experience.

What I can say from experience with SBT Bengals is that:

1> The last few weeks do have some important learning from littermates more so than mom. The core socialization period / copycat from Mom typically goes to around 8 weeks. Full Weaning happens around then too. Between 8-12 weeks is the motor skills, getting better at play; jumping, pouncing, bite control - more "fine motor skills" as it is. Much more time is spent here with littermates than mom - that is all about separation and independence at this stage.
2> When they are "released" earlier they tend to form a stronger bond with 1 person who essentially becomes their surrogate mother.
3> If you have another cat they will learn from them too eventually. If you don't be prepared for some potentially strange behaviour; but, you'll probably chalk it up to be an F1 :)

Having helped raise two litters of kittens, I strongly disagree with your breeder's opinion about letting kittens go at 9 weeks. 12 weeks is the usual guideline. As others have stated, the mother (and the father also) teach the kittens so much. One of the pleasures of having a cat family is watching the mother teach them how to be cats. I wonder what the breeder means by them being 'better pets' if let go at 9 weeks.

I had Soft Paws put on my crazy kittens when they were 5 months old. They were insane and super destructive. They definitely left their mark on my skin and belongings. I think this is unavoidable, but I did take them to the vet and tried Soft Paws. Trust me, there is no way you could put them on yourself. They worked great. I only had the front paws done and they last until they naturally grow out which is 4-5 weeks. My one cat constantly tried to pull them off, but they use a strong glue and they stayed on. They behaved as normal but couldn't break my skin, and they were constantly on me at that age. It cost $20 per paw, so $80 for both cats. About that time I started buying cat gyms and trees and wanted them to be able to scamper up and down easily so after the Soft Paws grew out, I would take them to the vet each month and get their nails trimmed for the first year. Now I occasionally trim Blondie's nails when she falls asleep on me. There is no way I can trim Grace's nails but she is more careful with them so I just let her maintain them. They have tons of scratchers available, but they still love to sink their nails into my leather furniture. They also chew my wood furniture (Grace does). Grace also rips my bed sheets with her nails when she is purring and kneading. They all have holes and slashes in them. I love them so much I don't care what they destroy. In the end I changed how I felt about how a cat should behave, because you can't really change a cat from doing what comes naturally.

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The little monsters 3

Holy Cow, F1. That's pure wild horsepower. You'll probably need this shielded cage:

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https://www.instagram.com/xanderbengal/