Greetings all,

Its my first message here. I currently live overseas (Turkey) and have located a Bengal cat. The vet says its a bengal, to me it looks like a bengal. The vet says the cat was imported from Ukraine, the vet also has a health certificate that says the cat is a Bengal cat (3 months old) and its color is "Ben 24". However the vet does not have the certificate. The health certificate also says the breeder was Kravcheek.

I have the following questions:

1) Is it normal that a Bengal cat does not come with a certificate ( i believe this considering its imported from Ukraine and may not be a official breeder).

2) I currently own a long haired tabby, would they get along?

3) Is there other methods I can use to prove that this is 100% bengal and not mixed. The vet was a bit hesitant and didn't allow me to take photos (red flag).

4) The cat is priced at about $850 USD, is this a fair price?

5) The cat has a face of a bengal, its spot seem a bit faint. Considering the cat is only 3 months old will the spots develop overtime?

Thank you for the help!

Welcome to the forum. It's apparent that red flags have gone up and you are right to think long and hard about getting this kitten. I know a breeder from the Ukraine that puts their kittens on the Facebook Page "Bengals the beautiful cat". They usually have kittens that are older. Their prices are quite high, in my opinion. May be a totally different breeder! Legitimate breeders of purebred cats have no problem issuing the necessary papers proving a pedigree. Without the papers, you will never be certain your kitten is 100% bengal. There are DNA tests that can be done that "point" to a breed but even that can't prove 100%.

As for your kitties getting along, if they are introduced properly, things do go better. That means, keeping your new kitten in a "safe" room (this is done for multiple reasons -- to keep the cats apart if there is a transmittable disease and to secure a smaller, safer environment for the new arrival).

Cats are priced differently based on several things. Location can affect this -- the type of cat (show cat, pet quality). There is no set market price for a bengal kitten. It's whatever price you can agree upon.

As for the markings -- bengals are born with what they have. The pelt can change over time, especially as Deputy said -- in snows and silvers.

Since the vet refused to allow you to take a picture, I'd be a little hesitant. However, there is a kitten who needs a loving home. If you do not care whether the kitty has papers or is a purebred bengal, and you want to spend that kind of money .... by all means do. There are other bengal breeders listed here:

http://www.topcatbreeders.com/breed/bengal

You may find for the price you can actually purchase a purebred bengal from a registered breeder. The BEST thing is to always visit a breeder in person! Tour the facility and see the kitties. Outside of that, you are taking a chance and there are scam artists out there everywhere. Shipping a cat to another country isn't always the easiest thing.

Deputy gave you some great pointers, too. Hope others will weigh in.

If you want feedback on the cat's appearance, you really should post some good pictures, showing the cat in profile and with a good face shot. People can then give feedback on whether the cat has the appearance of a bengal or not. Vets don't actually research a cat's heritage at all. You take your cat into the vet, they make a very vague guess about heritage based on appearance (or simply take your word on it) and check the box. The "not allowing you to take pictures" thing is ridiculous. I wouldn't accept such a restriction.

A purebred cat, bred by a conscientious breeder will always come with a certificate. Cats that are either not purebred or bred by a non-conscientious breeder will not. You have to decide:

(a) whether the fact that your cat may not be prebred, and/or raised conscientiously is important to you
(b) whether or not your are willing to support such breeders

Although it may not sound like it, I'm not advocating for one position or the other. Definitely go and meet the cat if you are serious about it, prior to making any commitments. The biggest thing of course is that you get a healthy cat, and one that you can bond with. To me, $850 for a 3 month old cat with no paperwork is a bit much. I'd be willing to bet you could pay much less (maybe offer half that), because if there was a lot of demand for that cat, he'd already be gone imo.

As far as whether your cat will get along with the bengal, you are in the best position to determine that. How is your cat around other cats? How does the tabby react when he sees another cat? Realize too that there are two different parts to this question. First, how long will it take for your resident cat to accept the newcomer? And ultimately how will they get on when they are adults? Bengals tend to be "alpha" sorts of cats, which can often mean that they bully to some degree, once they become adults. So you need to carefully think that through, and research how to handle such things. How old is your tabby? In general, the younger the cat, the easier the initial transition is likely to be. One factor to consider is that since this kitten is now in the hands of a vet (for how long?) that cat's socialization is pretty dicey. That may be a big factor as far as his ability to get along with other cats.

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The little monsters 3

Thanks for all the replies and assistance. There were three total cats and only one was left today. After playing with the cat for a bit we had to purchase it. Here are some photos of our new family addition. Please help me determine if this is a real bengal :) thank you all!

looks like a bengal to me. Is his/her tummy spotty?

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

I'm seeing a bengal! Your other kitty is gorgeous as well. I think the important thing here is that you are providing a home for a kitten who needs one. If you were comfortable paying that kind of money, then it's fine! You have a beautiful kitty with all the markings of a bengal. I don't see one thing that would not point to your kitty being a bengal -- and probably a purebred one at that. I'm confident you can tell people you have a bengal cat. I'm hoping both kitties will get along famously! Give it some time. Don't expect miracles all at once. Be patient as you will need to supervise them when they are together until you are certain both are safe being in each other's company. Your other beautiful baby looks curious, that's for sure.