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Bengal cats question
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. |
#2
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"B B" wrote in message
... 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. Aparently yes, Bengals and Turkish Vans both generally like to play with water. Especially swatting running water from taps. -- I.P.Freely |
#3
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It is true that Bengals generally like water, but cats are like people,
and every one will have their own personality. There is lots of information on the internet about Bengals. My neighbours have one and adore him - they say he doesn't shed. If you buy one, buy at least an F4 (fourth generation removed from the original wild cat from which it was bred) otherwise some of the wilder attributes may be present. Best of all, go to your local shelter and rescue a cat. Purebreds are prone to all sorts of health problems because of inbreeding (and Bengals are a relatively new breed) and my experience with breeders has been very bad. |
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On 2005-01-14, catlvr penned:
It is true that Bengals generally like water, but cats are like people, and every one will have their own personality. There is lots of information on the internet about Bengals. My neighbours have one and adore him - they say he doesn't shed. If you buy one, buy at least an F4 (fourth generation removed from the original wild cat from which it was bred) otherwise some of the wilder attributes may be present. Best of all, go to your local shelter and rescue a cat. Purebreds are prone to all sorts of health problems because of inbreeding (and Bengals are a relatively new breed) and my experience with breeders has been very bad. If the OP is really crazy about Bengals, maybe there's a Bengal rescue group that has cats in need of homes? -- monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!* |
#5
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You must research the breeders and the breed (which I assume is why you're
posting!) before you purchase. Bengals are a cross with a with a *wild* cat called the Asian Leopard Cat. When you research your breeders, it is best to buy from a breeder that has LATE generations of this cat. So for instance, the mating between the wild cat and the domestic cat gives us the F1 generation. An F1 generation bred with another domestic cat will give us an F2 generation. So the farther down you go, there is a little less of the actual wildcat in the breed. I talked to an expert who recommended no lower than the F5 generation. These cats have the markings of the leopard cat, but have really great personalities and are very cuddly cats. If you purchase an F1 generation from a breeder who is still breeding the original leopard cats to domestic cats, these cats are what they are, **practically wild**. They tend not to be very cuddly and are quite independant. They are also more resistant to training and will want to JUMP JUMP JUMP all over anything, so don't expect to keep them off your kitchen counters. Of course this is a generalization, just like anything, but your taking a gamble. So all I can stress is that you must research your breeders, ask them what generation the cats are, or you might be disappointed and get a cat that is not affectionate and is actually more trouble than it's worth! Kelly "B B" wrote in message ... 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. |
#6
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I have a Bengal and love her. I'm getting a Snow Marble later this year. My
Rhiannon crys outside the shower stall till I'm done and she can go in and play. the water doesn't last long though. Some will get in the bathtub or even use the pool. I suggest going to shows and talking to the breeders. Some breed for looks without much concern for temperment. I use Adventure Beach Bengals in south Florida ( http://www.bengal-cat.net ). She breeds for looks AND temperment. Joe www.isleofavaloncathaven.com "B B" wrote in message ... 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. |
#7
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Adopt a cat from the shelter. So many need good and loving homes and are
also cool. -- Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs! www.panthertekit.com "B B" wrote in message ... 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. |
#9
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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 |
#10
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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 |
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