I picked up the phone this morning and booked Arya in to be spayed on the 5th October as she's still on the small side I wanted the head vet to do it for me. She's around 2kg these days so I'm not super worried I actually will be more relieved when it's done as the last thing I want is for her to start calling. Once they are both done I can worry less about them using the garden unsupervised as they sometimes struggle to run or play off all their energy unless I devote a couple of hours to play with them both. I know when they haven't exercised enough because they refuse to let me sleep lol.

It will be nice for Griff to finally go out and play as he won't do anything without Arya being there, I've found for recalls now all I need to do is call her and she follows me and he will follow her. It's really sweet how close they both are although it has made it so Griff is very dependant on Arya, who would have thought such a big boy would be dependant on a tiny girl lol.

Also I did warn the reception that she will cry the whole time she's there when I leave her cos she's so clingy and she can get very loud if she doesn't get what she wants. I somehow expect an early phone call with them saying can you just come get her she's making too much noise lol.


Fingers crossed it all goes fine it should do I have faith in my vet and spays are routine anyway. At least once she's neutered I can then look into sorting her TICA paperwork out.

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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

She will be absolutely fine, my Pearl was only tiny when she was spayed but I had to get it done earlier as she went into season at 4 months which is unusual so my vet said.
I have only had boy cats so I was surprised how tiny the cut was from her operation, she only had one stitch.
When I got her home the vet said I wasn't to let her run and jump, I told him she's a bengal there's no way I'm going to be able to stop her, how right I was, she charged around as if nothing happened.
If that were a human we would be laid up for weeks, not my girl.

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

Lol I do wonder if them charging around after is because bengals seem to have a higher threshold for pain than other cats. What would usually make another cat pretty poorly is like a paper cut to them or a minor annoyance, although it does make it very hard to tell when they are in pain as they don't show anything until they are in absolute agony.

I think it's just me being a worried mummy about her deep down I know she will be fine. Wow 4 months that is early especially considering Pearl is tiny and I heard that the age they come in is meant to be due to size lmao seems Pearl proved that one wrong. I was always worried Arya would come in before I could spay her as her breeder originally said wait until 7 months due to her size. Although as she's caught up so well now it's less of a worry and I kinda just want it over with so I can stop worrying about her coming into season.

I'll be happy when it's all over with and I can stop worrying lol. I'm just hoping she doesn't come in these last two weeks.

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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

I had the same experience with my two. "keep them quiet, no running or jumping" Umm... how do you propose I do that... for BENGALS???

The second I let them out of the carrier, they started an epic game of chase, racing up the stairs after one another. I'm so glad that vet wasn't able to see that...

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The little monsters 3

I thought the same, it was "oh no the vet said she mustn't do this" as she charged up her 7 ft cat tree and flew back down again, it didn't do any harm luckily.
I weighed her the other day, she will be 1 year on the 1st October and she weighs just under 8 pounds, she's so little she still looks like a kitten, whereas Magic is over 17 pounds he looks huge up to her, I think he may be a little overweight

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

Sarah, do you have a safe spot for them outside if you are going to leave them unsupervised! Here in the States, most breeders contracts state the cat will NEVER BE OUTSIDE UNSUPERVISED. It was clearly in Raiden's contract and his previous owner probably never even read it. I'm just so hesitant to allow a bengal, of all breeds, to be outside and roaming. Even neutered! If I let Raiden out on his own, I wouldn't see him for days. He will be out scouting other cats to tangle with and come home on the losing end of the battle. It just scares me. Thus .... he's on a harness and leash when we are outside.

I'm sure Arya will do fine with the spaying. At least you will have it over with and not have to worry about her calling or getting pregnant.

I think my breeder would kill me if that happened I still talk to her several times per week about how they are both doing. Arya is far too small and she's one I would actively worry about her health of an accident happened which is why I neutered Griff early and I've kept her inside except on a harness to walk around in the garden.

Yes the garden is enclosed we have cat Proof fencing all around it, I won't have them outside unsupervised until the know the garden fully first. Thankfully in the UK we have no natural predators or animals to worry about the worst they'll get is a wasp sting and Griff has already had one of those when one got into the house and he tried to eat it. Considering how they both are I doubt they would stray too far from the house anyway in the garden, even when I take Arya out on her harness she walks around for 20 minutes and then keeps trying to zoom back to the house so she can go back in. Griff prefers the garden to Arya but even he doesn't stray far from me and he has a 5m extendable lead. We had a Bengal for 16 years in the garden and didn't have any issues with her once we cat proofed it, she just went outside to play and sunbathe and tbh she was more often in the conservatory than the garden anyway.

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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

So it's the big day tomorrow trying not to worry too much

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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

Oh how I love that in the UK you have no natural predators! Thus, many think that means it is okay to allow their cats outside! What about cars? What about other people? Do you have dogs in the UK? They can attack and kill cats. Foxes can do the same! Any poisonous snakes around? Seriously, it almost makes me laugh! You cannot think that antifreeze can't kill your cat. Or that some children may be cruel and try to hurt your kitty. Or, in the case of a gorgeous bengal, someone comes alone and picks the cat up and drives away!

Happy to hear your garden is cat proofed! I know you would be devastated if something happened to your babies.

They just found a missing dog here who had been attacked by coyotes! Sadly he was deceased! So devastating for the owners who were outside tossing the dog a ball when he heard something and rushed back into the woods behind their house.

Sarah, I'm sure the spaying will go fine tomorrow.

Luckily we have no poison snakes apart from an adder which are very rare, dogs do not roam the streets, where I live I haven't seen a dog on the streets for probably 15 years, they will get picked up by a dog warden if they are roaming.

I would not let mine out because of the risk of cars and as you say anti freeze or cruel people.

What they don't have they don't miss.

I don't know about foxes where you are but our foxes are scared of cats, I've seen many a fox cornered by a cat, one of my cats years ago pinned a fox against the wall, I had to go and rescue the poor fox.

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

A lot of people allowing their cats out comes down to the argument that they live in a safe rural area usually with hardly any traffic and fields around. You do have people allow cats out in the suburbs but again they tend to have limited traffic you never see cats out in urban areas. Many people believe that cats need to have access to the outside and some form of freedom much like if you have a dog you have a fenced back garden and walk it a couple of times daily. There will always be people who believe cats should be allowed to roam. It's very hard to change people's opinions and get them to understand that animals roaming isn't good for anyone.

I personally believe my cats like having access to the back garden it's cat proofed and secured the cats can't get out and other cats can't get in (it has some wire fencing around the top of the fence with an overhang to keep them in) it also deters foxes. Even with running around the house they can see the garden out of the windows and want to go out there. I don't have them outside unsupervised and considering how they both are I doubt they would stay outside unless I was there anyway. I guess I see it as due to my cats being allowed to use the garden to play in if god forbid anyone left a window or door open to the front of the house they usually don't have any interest in it cos they can already go outside so they are less likely to bolt off to see what's out there.

The British way of life is very different to how things are in the US, everything in the US is very carcentric over here we tend to use public transport and walk a lot more often, I actually remember being shocked when I was in Florida as a kid that I couldn't walk anywhere. New York made a lot more sense to me as there where actual foot paths on the streets lol. That said no one in a big city would allow their animals out due to the dangers. Here the only poisonous snakes we have are adders and they are endangered and concentrated in certain pockets throughout the UK. Most people would know their local wildlife a kestrel is too small to carry off a cat and the most the crows do is dive bomb them. All dogs are kept inside here it's very rare to see a dog kept in a garden or a kennel, here everything is fenced in you very rarely see a stray dog and dog wardens are very strict over loose dogs. We also have the dangerous dogs act (which personally I think needs some changing) which bans many dangerous breeds and if someone is seen with one they are confiscated and put down so anyone with Pit types tend to keep them hidden as they will end up taken by police if found. I've never heard of a fox attacking a healthy cat in all the years I've lived around here and we do have quite a few foxes usually the only time anything has happened is if the cat has already been injured in a traffic accident. People here do let their children out unsupervised here I've seen kids as young as 5 playing outside with older siblings and going off over the park together I did the same when I was younger it's just how things are in the suburbs also I at least don't live in an area with gangs of thuggish kids and you do find it depends on where you live as to who is around. People are always very slow to change their opinions on cats being allowed to roam but I also understand that it's their decision depending on the area they live in if it's quiet and rural with barely any traffic or natural hazards then they would see it as safe. Arguing that cats should all have no outdoor accesss is probably never going to get you anywhere in the UK. It's actually harder to take a cat out for a walk on a harness here around the streets or at the local park as that's where they are more likely to meet dogs and over the park 80% of dogs are walked off the lead.

I understand the argument for why people believe their cats should be allowed in the garden that I see no issue with, how is a fenced and secured garden any different to a catio? The cats can't get out and nothing else can get in it's more they have the run of the whole garden instead of a select area. My issue is more when people allow their cats to roam and they don't check where they are, they also allow the cats to eat local wildlife and fight. The other issue is when people allow their cats out at night and don't really care where they have gone. I like to know where my cats are much like if I had kids I would like to know where they are but a lot of people just don't seem to mind as long as they show up for dinner.

There is a certain etiquette to responsible cat ownership which is often ignored with cats being left to go into other people's houses or go and terrorise other people's cats without a care as to where they are or what they are doing. I also think that people should make sure all of their animals cats and dogs are inside as soon as it gets dark to avoid issues with some of the wildlife.

I've seen the indoor vs outdoor debate play out too often on forums and FB groups and there will always be staunch supporters of both at the end of the day people will do what they have always done until something happens to a pet which makes them change. I see having a secured garden as a compromise as my cats get fresh air but I also always know where they are.

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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

Arya is home and fast asleep next to me, she is feeling pretty poorly and isn't eating but that's to be expected. She did start caterwauling as soon as she heard me when they nurse brought her out from the back.
Griffith has missed her like crazy today he's so happy his little sister is back.

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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

Poor Arya. She will be back to normal before long!!!

While Raiden is an indoor cat with an outdoor cat enclosure and walks on a harness and leash, I do take care of an outdoor cat that ran away from his home three blocks away. This morning, I had to rescue him from a crawl space at a neighbor's house. A couple of months ago, he was locked in there for 4 days. This time, it was only one because I knew to look there. The worry I've had the past 24 hours, and the many walks around the neighborhood calling his name and not finding him (he will usually run up to me) has just stressed me out to no end. I hate the worrying and wondering, but he can't come in my house with a highly territorial bengal and I really don't want two cats. However, he continues to seek out open garages and has been shut in -- I think this is the sixth time in a year. He needs to be an indoor cat for his own protection!

Bless her, by tomorrow or even later today she will be up and about.

Pearl didn't even seem to notice she had anything done, she was charging round as usual.

As for the debate about in or out, the reason I choose to keep mine in is I live in a busy area, the roads have all been changed to 20mph not that you would think it, I think Bristol has one of the worst drivers.

My garden is not secure, I used to take my previous boy out on a lead, but after being chased by a dog not on a lead, I picked my boy up thinking I was protecting him, wrong scared cat goes beserk and sunk his teeth into both my hands, blood everywhere and 2 miles from home as we had driven to the place we took him.
A bengal bite seems much harder than domestic cat, long story short I ended up in A & E with 28 bites all infected and he had bitten through a small vein, was off work for a month and on penicillin for a month and all bandaged up.

So when I got Magic I decided not to go down that route, neither of them look to go out.

I think it's like you said it's personal choice, I've done both, but unfortunately before I had bengals I had rescue cats and 2 of them went missing never to be seen again and one of them was chipped, this was at 2 completely different times, it's heart breaking not knowing what happened to them.

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

Forgot to say she has a very little square shaved off, this is a picture of Pearl before hers grew back, I think my vet went a bit mad with the clippers.

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