As a new Bengal kitten owner I am very excited to join this forum! My tabby passed away after 20 years of unconditional love a few months ago. My wife is okay with a (1) cat, but hates the shedding. So I Googled cats that don't shed. Well, the hairless cat was a little extreme then I came upon a picture of a Bengal. Lets see, doesn't shed and very attractive, the search is over. I put a deposit on "Lucy" and began researching, which is the wrong sequence. After watching the Youtubes and reading many articles I thought, well, at least she won't shed and is very pretty. Lucy is a F5 brown and black spotted kitten that just turned 8 weeks old today. She's been in our house for about a week now. She is TICA registered but more the "average" looker. She is beautiful to me, but her coat isn't as dramatic as some of the beautiful creatures I've seen, but I already love her personality! She has made the transition to her new home flawlessly so far. She is great with the litter box and her food. She has two modes of operation; sleep and full throttle! A one and a half pound high energy fur ball. I look forward to learning from you experienced Bengal lovers!

Sincerely,
Rich,
USA

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The little monsters 3

They are very playful and mischievous at that age.

I agree with the coming home too early part.

I was fortunate to live 3 miles from my breeder, and she let me come over twice a week to play with all the kittens. So I was able to see all of the stages.
They do calm down a bit as they get older, but they also get smarter and stay just as curious!

I would definitely suggest "Baby-proofing" the house. Mine can open doors and cupboards!

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Archer- Born March 8, 2016 gold with amazing ink jet rosettes
DiVinci- Born July 31, 2016 charcoal seal lynx point

The breeder I get mine from doesn't let them go until 12/13 weeks, 7 weeks is far too young.

Her coat markings will change when she gets a little older, she is probably still in the fuzzies.

Bengals do shed like any other cat, my girl isn't too bad but my boy sheds all the time, all year round.

Pearl my girl will be 1 year old in October and she's still as nutty as ever and bouncing off the walls and up the curtains.

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

The shedding part depends on the bengal. Mine sheds very little and only in the spring time when losing the winter coat. I feed an outdoor cat that is still shedding horribly. I brush him daily and get mounds of fur out. In the winter, he has a ton of fur.

At any rate -- 7 weeks is way too early for a bengal to leave its mom and siblings. Bad, bad breeder!!!! But, what's done is done and you'll have to take over and continue the socializing and doing all the things the mother would have normally done.

Bengals are not like your regular cats and you will discover that before too long. They are energetic, very vocal, highly social, quite demanding, not always lap and snuggly. They require climbing devices (cat tree, shelves on the wall) because they want to be high up in the air. They love wand toys and will play and then come back to you for more. Be prepared to interact with a bengal far more than you ever would with a regular cat.

They are challenging and very adventurous. Bengal proof your home. They can find and get into everything. Most of all, enjoy your bengal. I keep telling my husband it's not Raiden's fault he's a bengal. He behaves perfectly normal for a bengal.

Thanks to all for the responses! I guess I'm at fault for not vetting the breeder! I don't know why she lets the kittens go at nearly 8 weeks, now I'm worried my kitty will be maladjusted I googled "Cats that don't shed" and for some reason multiple sites claim Bengals shed very little because they don't have a coat of dander. One site or video (watched so many I can't discern) did disclaim that Bengals were hypo-allergenic, as some also claim. My wife and I do give her a lot of attention, however, we are out of the house 9 hours a day at work. The kitty seems to be very happy and affectionate.

I don't think the breeder sells show quality cats. Full disclosure, she sells them for $550 USD. She said if we wanted a Bengal with dark rosettes, expect to pay into the thousands. I have to tell you, I thought I researched this breed pretty well, apparently not! The breeder did give me paper work with kitty including the application for TICA registration which includes the lineage. Also a contract that I have her spayed within 6 months. I did see the parents, the father is silver with dark grey spots and the mother is light tan with cinnamon spots. They looked healthy and attentive. The breeder has three sets of parents she breeds. Our kitty was in her house with 7 other kittens (from 2 separate litters). The breeder had the kitten vet report done the day before we picked her up. The report had heart murmur circled and she has a slight discharge from her left eye. The breeder told me she would grow out of the heart murmur and passed along the eye drops from the vet. I took kitty to my vet the day after we acquired her. My vet said the breeder should never have said that the kitten "would grow out of the murmur". Although he didn't do an echo test, he did spend about 5 minutes listening to her heart. He did not hear a murmur, and said sometimes things like a fever could sound like a murmur. The breeder should have let me know before we drove 3 hours to pick up the kitty, so I'm upset with that, but the bottom line is as my wife said on the way home, "It is what it is, and we will love her dearly for as long as she lives". Kitty's eye no longer has a discharge and is very clear. Doc said to keep up with the drops for 12 days, which I will do. Our vet said she is healthy and normal except for the minor eye infection.

My wife is going to be very upset (with me, not kitty) if Lucy turns out to be a heavy shedder like our last cat- a true shed beast! All I can do is show her the websites with the spurious claims.

We only let Lucy in our living room and adjoining kitchen so far. We have a very large cat tree, which to a pound and a half kitty must look like the stairway to heaven! She drinks from our cat fountain and eats and uses the litter box routinely, BM about twice a day.

Again, thank you for all your help!
Rich

Ugh, so to sum it up... breeder sold you 7 week old kitty who vet found to have a heart murmur, but at least you saved some money Good for you to make the best of it though. Have you considered pet health insurance? You might be able to get it, since your vet gave her a clean bill of health.

Anyway... I don't think she'll be a heavy shedder, most bengals are not, mine don't shed much, but after 5 years if you look at their favorite sleeping spots, you can probably find enough fur lying there to stuff a pillow (well... maybe a very small pillow), mainly I was just pointing out that "doesn't shed" is blatantly false. The other thing is that of course, allergies are usually to dander (dead skin), not actually the fur, and I'm not even sure if that really correlates to shedding necessarily. The good news is that many people have said that bengals don't seem to trigger their allergies near as much as other cats (for whatever reason).

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The little monsters 3

I can assure you that a bengal will not shed as much as your other kitty! Mine does not have any dander at all and leaves very little hair on any of his beds.

As for the heart murmur .... very common in bengals, due to the inbreeding. Mine has had a Grade 2 heart murmur since birth. Some cats do grow out of it, some do not! The Grade determines the severity of the heart murmur. One is low, five to six is high. Your vet will monitor the heart murmur at every visit. Raiden acts perfectly normal and you'd never know he had one.

At least you received registration papers. It's fun selecting a pedigreed name (which does not have to be the name you call the cat). I've come across some real crazy names in my research. The blue paper will have the name of the cattery on it, which cannot be changed. You simply select the name and alternate name for your kitty. Costs $12 to register with TICA and you can order a 3 or 5 generation pedigree if you'd like (for additional money). I did for mine and researched his pedigree back to the Asian Leopard cat. I found out Raiden is an F9. I'm currently doing a database of F-generations. Have 24,742 cats in there so far, so if you have the parents' names, feel free to post them and I'll see if I can find out anything on your little baby. A 3 or 5 generation pedigree would probably at least go back to cats that I have in my database, but I have about 1,000 "unknowns" currently. Can't find any information on them.

Happy that she appears to have settled in, even with your being gone for much of the day. You'll have to spend a lot of time playing with her when you are around.

Hi Sherry, thanks for the encouraging words regarding the murmur. The original vet report, in the box designating "Heart/Lungs" has murmur circled and from what I can make out "1-2/6" written in. I will call that vet for clarification because I don't want to assume that means grade 1 to 2 out of 6. Again, I didn't know about the grading so thanks! I'm trying to wrap my head around the blue TICA membership regarding a name. In type, the form lists Sire: Chester Sid Gunner, and Dam: Pepples Chester. On the breeder's agreement of sale, the Dam is noted as "Pebbles" not "Pepples" so I think that is a typo on the TICA form. Not sure what to do about that? What does SBT mean? So I'm not sure what to put in as her name, I'm confused about the name structure. If I understand you, just because we call her Lucy, doesn't mean that is what her registered name has to be? I only work 4 days a week, so I do get in some quality kitty time 3 whole days, plus I (we) give her lots of attention before and after we get home from work! As you mentioned about Raiden, if she indeed does have a murmur, you'd never think there is a problem based on her running around her area like a crazed spider monkey!

Brian12; My wife has asthma and my adult daughter was allergic (puffy eyes) to our previous shed beast Minka (RIP). A little shedding is perfectly fine. My daughter has had no problems with her eyes while playing with Lucy and my wife snuggles (or try's to) Lucy with no reactions, which wasn't true with poor Minka. Please be assured I wasn't bargain hunting our Bengal, and I do appreciate your insight and experience with Bengals.

Sincerely,
Rich

SBT - stands for Stud Book Tradition, meaning your kitty is not an early generation hybrid. She is at least 4 generations removed from the ALC - Asian Leopard Cat.

You can name your kitty anything you want within the limits designated on the blue TICA form. There is a limit to the number of characters you can have in the name, including your breeder's prefix.

My cat's name is Quasar. My breeder's prefix is Freedompride. When I filled out the registration form, I had to give my preferred name and an alternate, in case my first choice was already taken. My cat's registered name is Freedompride Quasar.

With regard to Pepples vs Pebbles, verify the correct spelling with your breeder. Ask them what to do if it is incorrect on your blue paper. Your breeder may need to contact TICA and have new blue forms issued.

Sounds like you're enjoying your new fur-baby.

We (I) would love to see more pictures.

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~ Kyenta

I have pretty bad asthma (I've had it since I was a child) and I'm prone to chest infections, I've often had issues with the fur from previous cats and dogs that I've had over the years.I have found that bengals (had them 16 years now) don't seem to agrivate it anywhere near as much, just make sure she doesn't sleep on the pillows on your bed etc. My asthma is another reason why I have long coat chihuahua's as they don't make me wheezy either. The best thing to do usually is just make sure she doesn't sleep anywhere people sleep and regularly change pillow cases during shedding months. You will find that she will be shedding a bit over the next few weeks though if she is in kitten fuzzies whilst she loses that and gets her adult coat in this only happens once though so don't be alarmed if you find more fur around.

My bengals have often been seasonal shredders could be the UK climate plus I don't have the heating on much unless it's very cold as I need to breathe cold air or I start coughing, I've also found heaters set off my asthma. So mine tend to shed in spring the heaviest (which tbh isn't much compared to other cats) and some in Autumn when getting their winter coats in. I would recommend during the periods of shedding (if you live somewhere with extreme seasons) that you give your daughter antihistamines to help if her allergy flares up.

With her heart murmur as long as it's low and monitored she should be fine (my cavalier King Charles spaniel as a kid had one) the main issue will be making sure she doesn't have any major risk factors that could stress her heart. Once she has been neutered make sure you keep an eye on her weight as being overweight can stress her heart also if she's panting or seems lethargic during a play session stop and let her calm down. A murmur can be easily managed and maintained as long as she's kept healthy.

Good luck with your new little one.

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- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

Kyenta...Thanks for that information! You taught me I am having a problem with what the prefix is? Is it the name of their business or is it the Sire/Dame name? At any rate, I won't do anything until I speak with the breeder to be sure I need to wait for a corrected form. Jeesh, I may as well ask the breeder my TICA questionsns !

I'll try to post a few Lucy pics!

Thanks Again,
Rich

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- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

(there was a photo here, but I'll have to do some more photo posting lessons!)

Okay, I don't know why she is sideways, so you have to turn your computer. I now call this "the look", which is more of a "stare down" anytime I tell Lucy "NO"! In this particular incidence I was just about to type good-bye to Seraph when this quarter-pounder walks on the laptop keyboard, closes the forum, and loses my reply! My fault for letting her watch all those youtubes of talking cats!

Hi Seraph, Lucy seems to have had her way with the room and me and has repaired to underneath the couch (safe to type). Thank you and let me say asthma sufferers bear a heavy cross! So grateful to hear from your perspective as having asthma along with a history of being a cat parent! Thanks for the advice and information. Lucy seems to be comfortable in her safe area (living room/kitchen). The bedroom will be next! Today is her seventh day in our home! She has also turned 8 weeks and 1 day old (breeder left her go too soon). My vet gave me a Revolution flea and parasite treatment (30 day) and said wait till she is fully 8 weeks before applying.

Also thanks for your "prefix" explanation. Would have gotten back sooner but someone deleted my response!

Rich