Bengal pet info needed

Anyone here know anything about Bengals? A friend of mine has gone out and bought TWO Bengal kittens, at $500 each (pet quality). I've heard they are a cross between an Asian Leopard cat and a domestic cat. She insists they have the temperament of a domestic cat, and are not wild in any way. That they make great pets. Is this true? Do Bengals normally retain any of their wild ancestry? I know that wolf hybrids can often cause major problems when they hit maturity. Is the same true with Bengals?

 

Well it just so happens I know someone very well (in VV) who has bred Bengals, has 2 at home that are both adorable, the male is a little 'testy' at times. I have sent her an e-mail for more info.

 

Congrats on your friend's acquisition of Bengals! Lynnhaz, Lucidity03, and I have marbled Bengals. Lynn has Max and Chris who are both so photogenic and adorable while Lucidity has a sweety named Kitters and I have a very spastic but lovable Rene. I swear they are not cats but toddlers or dogs! They are generally more social, verbal, and are very inquisitive and extremely aquaphilic. :roll: Rene has destroyed our aluminum shades, ripped out basement wall panels, gave me a few keloids (when jealous of my 2 year old who was 1 back then), knocked over flower vases a million times, and dugged out potted plants- real or fake. I also believe they are more prone to being sick. Rene recently had gastroenteritis and is sick again today. :roll: On the other hand, I can pick her up anytime I want and she just goes limp. Plus, she's a great lap cat and snugglebum. She just loves napping with us and takes lots of abuse from my toddler!

Watermanic:


Toymanic:


Takes abuse from my toddler:




Lap kitty:


Monty's buddy:


Rene is higher maintence than my 3 other kitties, but well worth having. Her sweet qualities make up for her bad ones. :mrgreen:

Interesting Bengal sites:

http://www.defiant.net/info1.html

http://www.exoticbengals.com/types.htm

http://www.breedlist.com/bengal-breeders.html

True, they are not wild, make great pets, and do not retain their wild ancestry except for the athletic part. A cat tree is a must or your furniture will be doomed. :mrgreen: What major problems do wolf hybrids get when they hit maturity? I've haven't seen any problems with Rene except for her tummy problems and she is now 2 years old. I'm sure Lucidity and Lynn will have lots of info for you!

 

Hi!

People always ask me if my Kitters is going to be wild and weigh 50 pounds. The funny thing is that she's smaller than the other four cats I have.

Bengals are not wild. Vene has some good info and links for you.

I can just speak for my cat (mind you - she's half bengal and half maine-coon. But, all I see of her is bengal)

-She is vocal (she's always saying something. She talks to her siblings a lot, too)
-She is inquisitive (she's always under foot wondering what you're doing)
-She likes to drink out of and roll in the sink
-She is friendly
-She is very soft (her fur is like mink)

I love her to death and she was a great addition to my family. There are tons of sites with info on Bengals and their bloodlines. Bengals are far enough removed that they are not dangerous or wild - they were bred partly because of their interesting coat (and markings) - That's from what I understand.

I wouldn't worry at all about your friend. Also, the breeders around here charge $500 for a pure bred bengal.

Here's my beautiful baby girl.








This shows that she's about the same size as any other cat:

 

My TJ is Bengal and Angora and is about the sweetest cuddle bug I have ever seen in a cat. He also has his mischievious side as well as his playful side. (I sometimes wonder if he doesn't think he's a puppy.) My TJ is also very paternal and doesn't rest until all of his humans are home safe at night

 

Ever since I joined this forum I have fallen more and more in love with bengals. Mostly because of Lynn's Max and Christopher, they are the sweetest!
I want a bengal someday. Not sure how I'll afford it but... I guess I'll just have to rob a bank or something :mrgreen:

 

i think we should start a bengal club...

here are my babies...and i ditto everything that has been said. they are fabulous pets...huge personalities...warm and loving, and very very smart...














as you can see....maxie likes to talk to the camera...lols... :lol: :roll: :wink:

 

Beautiful kitties everyone!! :love_y_t_much:

 

bente...look...we posted at almost exactly the same time. thats weird...i havent been on the forum in about a week due to my schedule. your post wasnt even up when i posted mine. lols....

and thank you for the compliments about maxie and chris...

 

You're right. I didn't notice that...
The forum has been very slow latly, but it seems like everybody is catching up now :wink:
I have a thight schedule this week, and I'm not looking forward to it. I've been working 11 hours today and on Friday I'll have to work 13 hours, with normal days in between plus on Saturday :| The upside is the extra cash next month

 

Adorable kitties! One of my friend's is a "snow" which I don't see any of here so far. Its just drop dead gorgeous. Also, she said they do get bigger than your average domestic cat. From what you are telling me, they are pretty much the same size. My main concern was that the breeder was tellling her things that weren't true just to make a sale. I am a skeptic because I know that breeders of wolf hybrids will tell you they are no different from domestic dogs - which is NOT true. At sexual maturity they start to exhibit signs of their wild ancestry, which is very scary. They can become very dominant and I've seen them turn on their owners, and will try to take advantage when a person is sick and weak, etc. Extreme caution has to be used, and novice owners almost always end up giving them up. In short, they are still wild animals and should not be kept as pets. Seems as if Bengals are a different story, and far enough removed from their wild counterparts to be of no major concern. Thanks to all for the info and beautiful photos!

 

Lynn...I love that second picture!! That Max of yours really cracks me up the way he always has his mouth open in almost every picture. :mrgreen:

 

In my experience with Bengals they tend to be around 16 to 20 pounds when full grown. The average cat is usually between 10 and 14. So, yes, they do usually tend to get bigger than the average cat. But I have yet to see one get aggressive at any age. Other than the typical playful aggression that you see in any kitten.

 

I have a good friend who breeds them occasionally, she says they love stalking and hunting, have 'outrageous' personalities, I do remember the 2 she has now both using my legs as a climbing 'apparatus', they werent being aggressive just VERY firendly and wanted to play, her female weighs about 8# and the male about 10# (both full grown) The only down side is that they generally dont appreciate another adult cat coming into the family although they a great with kittens.

 

I have a good friend who breeds them occasionally, she says they love stalking and hunting, have 'outrageous' personalities, I do remember the 2 she has now both using my legs as a climbing 'apparatus', they werent being aggressive just VERY firendly and wanted to play, her female weighs about 8# and the male about 10# (both full grown) The only down side is that they generally dont appreciate another adult cat coming into the family although they a great with kittens.

 

=P~ lols nern. max's mouth is open in EVERY pic! the first one is of christopher...lols... :roll:

well, a couple other comments about wildness in their breeding and accepting other cats. :kiss_heart:

they are great with other animals. :qm3: even when they are adults, although there are certainly exceptions as there are with any animals. as a breed they are very social and love to play. chris came when he was two years old and max was an older kitten. they got along much better than mikey and chris did in the beginning. but now...they are the closest of brothers. they are like a "cat pack" roaming together around the house, always playing 24/7....funny, funny things.

this is my house on a regular basis.... :shock:

a couple of weeks ago i heard a sound....and looked over. there was christopher (my 2y.o. bengal) sitting on a rug. mikey had the rug in his mouth and was growling and pulling the rug with chris on top of it. lols lols....max runs around the house with his mouse from room to room looking behind him to see if anyone is chasing him. if he lucks out....they both are. then...he crouches :m37: ....with mouse in mouth...and growls...grrrrr.....grrrrr.....then takes off again!!!
:qm4:
those are my cats... :roll:

bengals are categorized in terms of "foundation". which is generations removed from the asian leopard. in foundation 1 or F1 bengals, they are close to the wild, but can live in homes. here is some info on foundation bengals....

most bengals are F4 which means they are four generations removed and are fully domesticated. but they do like water!! (the asian leopards are swimmers)