*those with experience only, please* What is the "truth" about "bengal" cats??

Question

That up and coming breed that is large and exotic, and according to the breeder I met at a pet market today has Chinese Leopard Cat in the mix. If the info I'm going on is current, I think it's only in it's 4th/5th generation of being domesticated, but she swore they are great pets whereas I can swear I've heard otherwise about all the exotic cat "breeds"
So what's the truth? I'd preffer answers to be from personal experience and not what you've researched on the web, because most of what you read is mostly opinion passed as fact. In other words, if you've owned on or had close contact with a bengal, feel free to share, but if you haven't and have only heard the hype *good or bad, it's still just hype* please, hold your tongue.

She did have kittens there for show, but even a lion/tiger cub can play nice when it's young.

Answer 1

I knew a lady in CT years ago that bred them. She had to move suddenly and gave me a kitten. She was 10 weeks and was very cute. She was a little aggressive with food, but we worked on that. Things went along pretty well for about 5 months..she was spayed, she was still a little food aggressive, but otherwise OK. Around the time she was 10-12 months...she started becoming VERY food aggressive and a little aggressive at play.
She would attack the window if a bug or leaf or anything even blew by. She got to the point where we could not trim her nails or restrain her in any way. We had been trimming her nails WEEKLY before and we were pretty knowledgable about cats as both my husband and I were Vet Techs at the time. We consulted the behaviorist at Cornell University, and we were working on the problems. We also had another older cat at the time. They had always tolerated each other but otherwise left one another alone.
One day she attacked the other cat and had him by the neck, and it took me beating her on the head with a plastic bat to finally get her to let go. The other cat suffered quite a would to the neck and required drains and it was a mess.
The Bengal continued to become more aggressive and the final straw was when she attacked my husbands hand. He had just had a piece of beef jerky in his hand and she smelled it and attacked!! He ended up with stitches and she ended up being euthanized after the final talk with the behaviorist.

I personally would avoid them like the plague. There are so many other breeds of cats out there. I do not care who has one and says it is the most timid thing around. I can tell MANY more stories about ours!!!!! Would NEVER let one in my house again!!!

Answer 2

In my personal experience (I'm a vet, I've been a zookeeper), the breeding of wild animals to domestic ones for the purpose of making money and satisfying the needs of people to own/control/show off "exotic" pets is deplorable (this includes wolf hybrid dogs as well...and don't even get me started on Paris Hilton and her kinkajou!). I've had experience with Savannah cats, and though I'm sure that there are some exotic breed cats out there that are wonderful pets (possibly many diluted generations away from the wild...and I believe that many Bengals generally are), many of the ones that I have dealt with have been a nightmare. Not fair to the vet, and more importantly, not fair to the animal. These were essentially semi-wild animals that the owners had purchased to make a fashion statement, purchased on looks alone. Just giving basic medical care became close to impossible. Wild should stay wild. Domestication is a long process (how long did it take for wolves/dogs to become domestic? Probably hundreds if not thousands of years!) and should not be forced for profit or trend. It is of my opinion that often these hybrid animals can be unpredictable...and if someone gets hurt, who gets blamed? The animal. Is that fair? No. It is not the animal's fault that it is born with wild tendencies but be expected to be a pet (again. Paris Hilton.....groan).

Please. I beg people that are considering purchasing a cat, any cat. Give a homeless cat a chance. Visit a shelter. There are so many...I can't stress that enough...SO MANY that need homes. The numbers of beautiful, healthy, friendly and personable cats and kittens that are put to sleep...ok, I won't sugar-coat it...KILLED daily for lack of a home is staggering. So what if your friends and neighbors won't ooh and aah over the looks of your "exotic" or pedigreed pet? You've saved a life and gained a best friend.

*steps off soapbox* :) Sorry there, I got a little off topic at the end! You hang around shelters enough, it gets to you!

Answer 3

It looks like part of your question got cut off, so I am not sure exactly what you are asking. If you are asking why sometimes the answer "take your cat to a vet" gets a thumbs down, I've got a few possible explanations for that. In fact, mea culpa, I've given that answer a thumbs down a time or two. Sometimes a vet isn't needed -- vomiting up a few blades of grass is natural, but to a new cat owner, this can be freaky, yet, rather than see people give an explanation or insight, I see "go to the vet." Another common one: lethargy, vomiting, bloated belly, blood in stool. For those of us that have dealt with worms, we know the signs, but to those who don't, it can also be freaky. It doesn't need an emergency vet -- Monday or tomorrow is good. In fact, to an experienced person, it doesn't mean a vet at all, just the right meds. Then there are the questions from people -- children mostly -- who are trying to do something for a cat/pet when they live within a family structure that has no regard for animals. "Go to a vet" isn't always in their power. Then there are the people who don't read the question -- I saw one yesterday where the asker said the vet was on the way, should be there in an hour or less, and three people said, "Get your cat to the emergency vet immediately!!!!!!" I have also experienced a whole 'nother life when I moved to the Catskills of NY. In Fairfield County, CT, I could drive for 10 minutes in any direction and come across 6-8 vets, with the emergency vet 20 minutes away. Now, there are two vets, both are only open two days a week for small animals (they serve livestock also) and the emergency vet is a 3 hour drive. People here are dirt poor. Shelters are no longer taking animals and euthanasia has tripled. I got a call from a neighbor 1/2 mile down the road at 2 in the morning when her cat was having an asthma attack. If she had had a computer, no doubt she would have been on it looking for answers, but instead she called me, and I gave her a quick home remedy that eased his symptoms. She got the cat to the vet at 8 am the next morning, and the vet said without the emergency care, the cat would have died on its way to the emergency vet (at triple the cost) three hours away. If I had seen that question, I would have given the answer "get the cat to the vet" a thumbs down if had offered no insight or remedy. You've been around YA enough to know that people cruise for points. "Go the vet" is an easy non-answer to an often troubling question. I've seen your answers, and I know you are able to discern those who genuinely need some advice and help versus those who should be smacked upside the head and removed from the gene pool. When I advise someone to go to the vet, I try to give the reasoning behind it, a lot of people don't bother. Now, when someone asks, "how do I get my cat declawed?" I will *definitely* give the answer "go to a vet" a thumbs down! ADDED: Regarding the well-thought out answers, I have little insight why those would receive thumbs down other than by the asker because they claimed "can't afford a vet", or other people might think the "diagnosis" off the wall, or by trolls. A troll or someone who got thumbs down for their answer is very likely to go though and thumbs down everyone else for spite. An as a comment about thumbs u p and down, I think they serve a purpose other than for point gaming. It does let askers and viewers know prevailing feelings on a subject or an answer. I will frequently thumbs up answers rather than adding my additional 2cents. There are a few subjects I "auto thumb." Thumbs up or down for declawing, thumbs up or down for dry food questions, thumbs up or down for altering. I like the idea that when I say don't declaw, 23 other people agree with that, or that all dry food is not good that 12 people agree, or that cats should be altered that 4,963 people agree.

Answer 4

Greetings! I have a seven month old Bengal-Savannah mix and she is wonderful!! I found mine in the paper from a local couple whose exotic cats had kittens, so I paid around $300. The cat you are looking at is, like mine, a mix of an exotic breed and a domestic cat (at least 4th or 5th generation), and if you found it in a pet shop/market, it is probably a later generation like mine. The earlier generations are usually only available from breeders. I don't know how much they were asking but if the cat is expensive, you may as well just buy from a breeder if you are looking for top notch markings, and remember, these cats can cost thousands!

I wouldn't pay more than a couple hundred from a store because, like my cat, their markings aren't as defined as the pictures of these cats you usually see on the internet (because they are later generation and usually mixed with other breeds). As a baby, my bengal-mix looked like she would have the two-colored leopard spots, but as she is getting older, they are changing and she almost resembles a tabby when you don't look closely. But she is still exotic looking and a vibrant shade of orange with unique black markings.

I also had heard many things about their personalities but was assured that they were great pets. I think that in the end, it depends on each animal's personality - you can get a regular domestic cat that is a pain in the butt. From my experience, exotic-mixed cats are just like any other cat but a bit more feisty!

As far as temperment goes, I have heard that these exotic/wild cats can be very antisocial and aggressive - but that refers to the younger generations that have more wild blood, like from a breeder. She is much more affectionate than my other cat (a grey tabby), but still feisty when I try to hold her and pet her for an extended period of time (but no cat really likes to be held long). I have raised her with affection and a lot of human contact, so she is used to it and asks for it. She goes up to any visitor at my home and rubs on them and always asks for affection. I have found her sleeping under the covers next to me or nudging my head and purring for a midnight rub - so cute!

Mine loves to CLIMB, so be weary of that. As she has grown, she has preferred climbing everything to jumping up onto it. She has climbed my kitchen drawers like a ladder to get on the counter, and I am glad I don't have furniture that snags or shows claw marks. However, she easily understood "no!" and is pretty obedient. I sometimes have to spray her with a little water when she just HAS to have her way. I have started to toilet train both my cats and it is going well, so she can learn quickly.

She gets along perfect with my other cat. They love to wrestle and she has started to win more fights than he - she is pretty strong and very feisty. She still seems small to me but that may be because of her age -still growing- or because she is female. She loves the furry-tail-on-a-stick toys and acts like she is hunting and even growls, but has never shown aggressive behavior towards me when I try to take it away. She is very comical and always seems to get herself in strange predicaments because she's so adventurous. Bengals have huge personality.

Overall, I have to say again it just depends on the animal, but make sure the cat is a later generation if you want a sweetie pie. As far as this breed goes, I say I got what I asked for and much more from my bengal. I love her to death and always get compliments on her personality and of course her beautiful markings. Hope this helped and good luck!