Bengal cats question

With the exception of the 15-20 pounds part you are also describing a
Japanese Bobtail. They too are an active breed and also open cabinets, knock
things off shelves, etc. They are not too high in maintenance because of
their single layer coat but they do like to be around their favorite human.
They also seem to have no problem with water but do know they don't like the
squirt bottle as my Icarus has shown. You also have a hard time keeping them
off the counters because they are the most difficult to train not to do
something. They can be a very stubborn breed and they are highly
intelligent.

They also can be escape artists. My Icarus has escaped outside so many times
that you have to be quick to catch him. Because of his powerful hind legs,
Icarus was able to jump up to the top of a cat enclosure I have on the back
porch and would have gone over had I not been there to grab him. In fact he
actually jumped up on the side of a thick post in order to propel him to the
top. Bobtails also like to scratch as well and as a result I may be getting
a new scratching post soon. They also are good eaters and is the type of
breed you won't see getting fat anytime soon. They are also fast runners and
can sometimes use their back legs to propel them like a jack rabbit. They
can be a handful and somewhat vocal. I have read somewhere that some people
think they can actually sing but my Icarus would rather meow and yowel to
the point of obnoxiousness which I have read is part of the breed's nature.

I have also learned that a Bobtail can be somewhat protective of the
household. Whenever Icarus hears what he thinks might be someone or
something outside approaching he will growl a little and go into his "red
alert" mode and run into the room closest to the sound. Bobtails can be
loving of their humans and will often attach themselves to one human. Some
will be so attached that they will follow the person from room to room, jump
in their lap and of course want to sleep near or next to their human
servent. Icarus often wants to be near me and will of course protect his
position from the other two cats. Like the Bengals the JBT also needs
constant stimulation to keep from getting board. Bobtails are medium sized
cats and often as kittens grow up quickly.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com

"Orchid" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 04:37:40 -0500, (B B) wrote:

Hello...I was thinking of buying a Bengal cat. A person told me these
cats really like water, and will even walk in the shower sometimes....is
this true? If so, is it rare or common with this breed?

I think the Bengals look pretty cool...those with the gold coat
with black dots are my favorite...very wild looking. Anything major to
know about this breed? I have always owned a short haired tabby.

Heh. I have two show alters, and I love them dearly, but there are
some things you should know before you start looking for a breeder.

1. Bengals are active cats. Really active. Like eleven on a 1-10
scale active. There is no shelf they cannot get onto, no mantel
that's safe from kitty romping. Knicknacks that aren't stuck down
with museum wax aren't going to survive. 16 week old Bengal kittens
can jump from the floor to the top of the fridge.

2. Bengals are high-maintanance pets. They need attention, and they
need company. If you work outside the house, do yourself a favour and
get two Bengals or a Bengal and another high-energy cat. Otherwise
you *must* expect to spend 3-4 hours playing with and interacting with
your cat. That drops to 1-2 hours if there are two of them. They
need interactive play -- if they don't get it they will do anything
and everything they can to get your attention. Remember those
stuck-down knicknacks? They're history if you don't give your Bengal
enough attention.

3. Bengals are smart. Spooky smart. They work together and teach
each other things. My boys can open both the fridge and the freezer,
can open baby locks (Temujin pulls the door open, Kefka swats at the
latch), can open cabinets, open drawers, and have almost mastered the
round doorknob. They must have sufficient mental stimulation or they
get bored. Bored Bengals make up Bengal games. Humans generally do
not like Bengal games, as Bengal games often involve swatting things
(like stuck down knicknacks) off high places.

4. Bengals are not decorative. Okay, they're decorative when they
are tired, but most of the time they are spotted and marbled blurs of
activity. They will not lounge around prettily for admiration -- they
want to be doing what you are doing, helping with whatever you're
doing.

5. Bengals are *big* cats. Males are 15-20 pounds of muscle fully
grown, and females are 10-15. Both sexes are very long bodied -- my
boys are ~22 inches from shoulders to tail base. When they stand on
their hind legs, they can touch my waist easily. A well-bred Bengal
is an incredible cat -- friendly, affectionate, confident. A
poorly-bred Bengal is a nightmare because of their size and strength.

6. Bengals are heavy scratchers. You can forget about those wimpy
little 2' carpet-covered scratching posts at Petsmart -- posts for
Bengals need to be tall and heavy. Cat trees are best -- and
expensive. If you don't provide enough places to scratch, your
furniture is history, and declawed Bengals are usually biters.

7. Bengals are greedy. I am a professional trainer, and my cats are
very well trained with ~20 behaviours including dog-style obedience,
stupid tricks, and agility. I cannot train them to stay off counters
and cannot train them to leave food alone. All the usual methods
(aluminum foil, upside-down carpet runners, citrus, cans full of
pennies, etc) simply do not work. Bengals will be good until you
remove the offending object (carpet runner, etc) and will then hop
right up again. They are too smart to think that the counter is doing
anything to them.

8. Bengals like water. Which, granted, is pretty cool -- having a
cat join you in the shower or hop into your hot bath to swim around is
neat. But it also means that squirt guns are useless. And guests are
often not amused.

9. Did I mention that they're active? Because they really really
are. I often compare them to Border Collies when trying to get across
how active they are. They need the mental stimulation of a job of
some sort, which is why my boys are clicker-trained.

10. They're expensive. No, you can't cut corners by buying out of
the newspaper. Well-bred, well-socialised Bengals generally start
around $400 for a pet-quality and can go all the way up to over $1000
for a show alter.


If you still are interested in a Bengal, read the Guide in my sig, and
please feel free to email me with any questions. As well, join
Bengals-L on yahoogroups.




Orchid
See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage
Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid

That is a good suggestion. Most people would be surprised to see how many
purebred cats end up in shelters or dumped on the streets to fend for
themselves. I found my Japanese Bobtail Icarus as a stray.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com
"Rene S." wrote in message
ups.com...
I don't know where you live, but please consider adopting a rescued or
shelter Bengal, if that's what you truly want. This is a great site,
which includes the US and Canada: http://www.petfinder.com
You can search your ZIP code by type of animal. What's great is
shelters and rescue groups have adoptable animals posted, often with
links to their site.

Rene

On 14 Jan 2005 12:41:54 -0800, "Rene S."
wrote:

I don't know where you live, but please consider adopting a rescued or
shelter Bengal, if that's what you truly want. This is a great site,
which includes the US and Canada: http://www.petfinder.com

Sadly, 90% of the 'Bengals' on Petfinder are not. Since
Bengals are a popular breed, anything with a spot anywhere on its body
is dubbed a Bengal by most shelters. While I am sure they are still
wonderful cats, they are not Bengals and will probably not have the
qualities that the OP is looking for. Your best bet on Petfinder is
to inquire with Bengal Rescue.



Orchid
See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage
Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid

On 2005-01-14, Orchid penned:
On 14 Jan 2005 12:41:54 -0800, "Rene S." wrote:

I don't know where you live, but please consider adopting a rescued or
shelter Bengal, if that's what you truly want. This is a great site, which
includes the US and Canada: http://www.petfinder.com

Sadly, 90% of the 'Bengals' on Petfinder are not. Since Bengals are a
popular breed, anything with a spot anywhere on its body is dubbed a
Bengal by most shelters. While I am sure they are still wonderful cats,
they are not Bengals and will probably not have the qualities that the OP
is looking for. Your best bet on Petfinder is to inquire with Bengal
Rescue.

Unless what the OP really wants is a sedate cat with pretty looks, in which
case the breed really doesn't matter, just certain fur traits!

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 14:17:34 -0700, "Monique Y. Mudama"
wrote:

On 2005-01-14, Orchid penned:
On 14 Jan 2005 12:41:54 -0800, "Rene S." wrote:

I don't know where you live, but please consider adopting a rescued or
shelter Bengal, if that's what you truly want. This is a great site, which
includes the US and Canada: http://www.petfinder.com

Sadly, 90% of the 'Bengals' on Petfinder are not. Since Bengals are a
popular breed, anything with a spot anywhere on its body is dubbed a
Bengal by most shelters. While I am sure they are still wonderful cats,
they are not Bengals and will probably not have the qualities that the OP
is looking for. Your best bet on Petfinder is to inquire with Bengal
Rescue.

Unless what the OP really wants is a sedate cat with pretty looks, in which
case the breed really doesn't matter, just certain fur traits!

Absolutely. In that case, *please* adopt any other cat
than a Bengal. Bengals are not for the faint of heart.
However, IIRC, the OP was asking about the liking water, which
is an inherited trait.

As I type this, Temujin (one of my Bengals) is standing in the
hall trying out various of his calls to see which resonate the most
impressively. I really need to remember to mention the Bengal voice
-- which is operatic to say the least.




Orchid
See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage
Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid

Most shelters? I have seen hardly any that put Bengal in the discription.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com

"Orchid" wrote in message
...
Sadly, 90% of the 'Bengals' on Petfinder are not. Since
Bengals are a popular breed, anything with a spot anywhere on its body
is dubbed a Bengal by most shelters. While I am sure they are still
wonderful cats, they are not Bengals and will probably not have the
qualities that the OP is looking for. Your best bet on Petfinder is
to inquire with Bengal Rescue.



Orchid
See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage
Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid

"Rene S." wrote in message
ups.com...
I don't know where you live, but please consider adopting a rescued or
shelter Bengal, if that's what you truly want. This is a great site,
which includes the US and Canada: http://www.petfinder.com
You can search your ZIP code by type of animal. What's great is
shelters and rescue groups have adoptable animals posted, often with
links to their site.


Rene--I cannot believe how many Bengals are up for adoption.
They sound so rare and special, and I'm sure they are, but there
must be some behavior problems or something that makes people
give so many up. Another thing--I have never seen so many
4-paw declaws in my life. It makes me want to retch.

"Orchid" wrote in message
...
On 14 Jan 2005 12:41:54 -0800, "Rene S."
wrote:

I don't know where you live, but please consider adopting a rescued or
shelter Bengal, if that's what you truly want. This is a great site,
which includes the US and Canada: http://www.petfinder.com

Sadly, 90% of the 'Bengals' on Petfinder are not. Since
Bengals are a popular breed, anything with a spot anywhere on its body
is dubbed a Bengal by most shelters. While I am sure they are still
wonderful cats, they are not Bengals and will probably not have the
qualities that the OP is looking for. Your best bet on Petfinder is
to inquire with Bengal Rescue.



You can look at the eye color and body shape of many of
these cats and tell they do indeed have Bengal bloodlines.
It is not necessary for someone to pay $400-$1000 for
a cat when others have done so and thrown said cat
away. Have a heart, will you?

"Mary" wrote in message
m...
You can look at the eye color and body shape of many of
these cats and tell they do indeed have Bengal bloodlines.
It is not necessary for someone to pay $400-$1000 for
a cat when others have done so and thrown said cat
away. Have a heart, will you?


If the OP is dead set on a purebred Bengal (which it didn't really sound
like) then Petfinder probably won't do it for him, but I would advise to
check with a Bengal rescue. If OP just wants a cat that looks like a Bengal
and acts sort of like one, then Petfinder should do just fine.

We get people at the shelter looking, for instance, for a Maine Coon (most
common breed request we get). They come in, see a longhair with some ear
tufts, and squeal "oooh it's a MC!" I tell them, no not really, may have a
MC ancestor way back, but we don't know. Then they will say yes it is, look
at this, blah blah. I don't say anything and just let them think whatever
they want to think. Hey, I still try to convince DH that NewCat is a
British Shorthair, just for fun.

--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
"Wake up, and smell the cat food" -TMBG

"KellyH" wrote in message
...
"Mary" wrote in message
m...
You can look at the eye color and body shape of many of
these cats and tell they do indeed have Bengal bloodlines.
It is not necessary for someone to pay $400-$1000 for
a cat when others have done so and thrown said cat
away. Have a heart, will you?


If the OP is dead set on a purebred Bengal (which it didn't really sound
like) then Petfinder probably won't do it for him, but I would advise to
check with a Bengal rescue. If OP just wants a cat that looks like a
Bengal
and acts sort of like one, then Petfinder should do just fine.


Have you actually looked at the so-called Bengal mixes at Petfinder?
Some are certainly spotted tabbies, but others you can TELL have
Bengal in them. There was apparently a big rescue operation out
west that involved hundreds of Bengal and other breeder cats.
I was amazed when I looked at the search results. (I looked because
I thought I might like to rescue a Bengal mix.)