Hi,

First off, I'm a brand new member to the forum, so hello everyone!

I'm looking to buy a Bengal, and I thought that it would be a good idea to see what fellow Bengal owners have to say and just ask a few questions to a disinterested party (i.e. not the seller) and get a general feel for things.

I have never owned a Bengal, and so the research that I have done has undoubtedly left me with some preoccupations about Bengals, so any wrong assumptions that I have made, please forgive me!

I've found a breeder who has a Queen that he is planning to sell, and they sound like very reputable people; caring for the Bengals, ensuring that they are fit and healthy before selling them and from the look of their website they have experience of the breed.

What I would like to ask is:

1) Are Bengals as destructive as some people say? I've spoken to a few people who know of Bengals and I seem to get mixed opinions. I'm sure that individual cats are as a different as individual people, but generally...? I ask just so that I know whether I will have to move things that may be breakable from shelves (not that I have much stuff like that!!) I've heard about Bengals that switch the lights on and off?!

2) If I go to work in the day, will the Bengal be OK? I know cats are not fussed at being left to their own devices, but Bengals are apparently a lot more loyal and friendly, so will it be a bad thing to leave it some days?

3) All of these traits - vocal, boisterousness etc. - I am assuming that they are just the Bengal equivalent of a 'normal' cat in that they don't do it 24/7?

4) (And most importantly I feel) If I am buying a retired queen (3 years old, had three or four litters) - is there anything you would recommend I look out for in particular? For instance, will it be a challenge to get her to be friendly towards me?

The reason that I have opted for a Bengal over other cats is their personality which I get the impression they have a lot of!

I hope you are able to help and I appreciate any advice that you can give!!


Best wishes and hope you all had a Happy New Year!!


Chris.

I know of a Leicestershire breeder, Loughborough to get precise, who breeds cats in cages in small areas.... whilst thus is very sad and cruel I would never encourage anyone buying a kitten from them as it encourages them to breed more and more. Rehoming ex breeding cats from them would be ok providing they are not asking for lots of money... Retired breeders usually go for the price of the neutering. But, be prepared for some behavior issues from cats bred in cages.


I wanted to say that just in case this was the breeder you had spoken with. They have a nude looking website but the kittens and cats are in quite small cages stacked on top of eachother!


I would want to know how the cat has been kept, preferring inside all the time to outside in pens (exception of stud boys as they are mostly in outside pens). I would want to know exactly how many litters she had had over his long. If she is 3 years old I would expect no more than 4 litters really. I would want to know when she was spayed and what screening has been done on her. Also vaccinations, what she has had and when is she due again.

Visit them without expecting to take her home so you can see how she us kept. Then go home and think about it.

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Lollo

Thanks for that Lollo, I think it is the same breeder that you are thinking of (GSB?) so I'm glad to hear that from you. I'm thinking of getting an adult purely because I work during the week and I think a kitten would be a lot more difficulty than an adult Bengal would be.

They are charging £100 which I think is pretty reasonable, and they seem to keep up to date with vaccinations etc, so they definitely seem to take care of their cats.

I'm just concerned that I might get her home and she's either really noisy continuously or destructive.

Can you offer any other advice of things to ask when I see her?

Oh my, that will teach me to read before posting! How many errors and auto corrects were there?

My main concern is about how she has lived and how many litters she has had. I know they do not screen for HCM nor did they test for PKDef. This may not necessarily be of concern fir a retired breeder but it is worth knowing about those and asking yo see what they say. There us a lot of advice and info on both on here and around the internet. This website is very good: http://www.bengalbreedersukunited.co.uk ... ssues.html

In my experience bengals are destructive when they are bored and don't receive enough attention or have enough things to do. Essential are tall scratching towers. These are great for all cats really.


When you visit assess how sociable she us. She shouldn't be scared of you in her own home. She should be inquisitive and interested in you. Possibly wary but not scared.

I have not been to their house but I know people who have who wouldn't recommend them because the kittens were very scared an unsociable living in very small cages.

Neutering should cost £50 - £60 pounds around here.

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Lollo

Thanks for that. Can't say I feel 100% about it now, but at least I can go in to it with a bit more of a balanced opinion... Ultimately I see it as a rescue cat, so in that respect I would guess that the Bengal's behaviour would be a similar unknown to a regular cat rescue place....

I will see how she is and I have read about HCF screening and that some breeders don't do it. Is it a common enough condition to be worth insisting on getting it checked or is it something I could check for once I own the cat?

Have you heard of anyone who has bought a retired queen? I know it will be different to buying a kitten but there seems to be no advice on getting an older Bengal...

I have a retired stud and I took him in almost a year ago. He has turned into a really great cat with only a few behavior problems. It has taken almost a year for him to be confident and act like a"normal" bengal. He was a show cat and was handled a lot, I would imagine a queen in a cage that is not socialized can be quite a handful and will take a lot of time and patience. I would be very cautious with this situation and make a few visits to see her and how she acts, I also think it is important to see how she acts outside of the cage if she is in fact being held in one. Cats that are raised in cages only know that life and will freak out when introduced into a normal household environment. I am not saying this is an impossible situation and she will never be a great pet, but I would expect her to be scared and take a lot of work to eventually come around.

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I took in my second retired queen about nine months ago. She has been wonderful. She was kind of shy at first and, like all Bengals, has her quirks. When you go and see her realize that she may be standoffish because (in her eyes) she is there with her human (the breeder) and the breeder is probably a bit upset to be getting rid of one of his/her babies.

I would advise getting her to the vet for a checkup and confine her to a room so you can really get to know her for the first week or two. Building trust takes a bit more time than with a kitten but, in my opinion, it is more rewarding. If she really has spent most of her time in a cage, you will have a lot of new things to show her and teach her.

It is super hard to judge personality in the situation you will be going into. I would ask the breeder about her favorites, any behaviors to watch out (is she really into string or cords), and if you can see any of her babies or the studs she was with. Ask about her litters (how many, how big, was she a good mom-mine was a terrible mom!- etc.

Oh, to answer your original questions - duh!

1. Some are. When mine have been (I have had 2 and fostered 1), they were bored and/or confined and unhappy about it.

2. Most are fine left alone as long as they have things to do. Toys, puzzles, windows to look out of, stuff to scratch, etc.

3. Some are really chatty, some aren't. Mine is a yeller. She will yell at something for five minutes or so and then move on. Some are more obsessive than that.

4. I think it is awesome that you are considering a retired girl. I have gotten nothing but love from both of mine. The situation the cat is coming from may or may not be ideal and that is something I think only you can work out. :)

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think essentially the reputation of the owner when it comes to an adult cat is different to a kitten, and there are so many variables that I'm just going to see how it is on the day.

Personally I think of it as getting a rescue cat, in that you don't know it's full background and what it's likes and dislikes are, but that is part of the challenge with getting an older cat.

I will definitely see how she is in her own environment with me and I think that will be the ultimate way to feel if this is the Bengal for me. I shall let you know how I get on!