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Introducing a Kitten

Introducing a kitten to household of existing cats can be a stressful time for you, the kitten and the cats.  Doing it careful and slowly is the key to reducing stress for everyone.

First of all, it’s really rare for the kitten to be upset about the new living situation; it’s really much more about the other cats – this is their territory and their environment that this kitten just invaded.  “That’s my spot! Mine!”.  So most of the effort needs to be concentrated on the current cats.

Isolation

You need to start by isolating the kitten from the rest of the house.  First you aren’t going to overwhelm them with too much to see / explore at once; but also to prevent the other cats from seeing them too soon.  The longer they go without seeing each other; the easier it will be between them when the time comes.  Overtime, increase that space.  Initially you could start them in an en suite bathroom and then allow them access to the bed and bathroom (or something similar).

What’s That Smell?

Cats are very smell oriented and smell driven.  As soon as they notice a new scent they will try to figure it out; especially from another animal.  It’s really important that the cats do not see the kitten for as long as possible.  The longer they don’t know it’s a new kitten, the more they will accept the new smell as just a part of the environment.

Spread the smell around!  If the kitten came with a blanket – get the cats with the blanket.  As the kitten puts their smell on various new things (blankets, etc) – spread those around.  A good thing to do is to swap spaces between the kitten and the cats.  Put the cats in the isolated space and the kitten in the rest of the house.  Try to avoid having them see each other!  Let the smells permeate so that they are swapping scents.

See No Evil

The next stage is to introduce them through a door.  Play with the kitten under the door so their paw comes through and make sure that the other cats notice.  This is their opportunity to link smell with something else; but to not see it.

Untouchable

The next stage is to introduce them face to face but in a controlled way.  Ideally through a screen or mesh.  We like to use a show cage or a screen between them to do the initial introduction.

Don’t worry if they hiss; it’s completely normal.  The senior cats will almost always use hissing and paw swipes to express dominance over the new kitten. By introducing it this way you are avoiding physical attacks and getting them use to each other.

The Big Moment

This is the final stage – the face-to-face, all out rumble between the kitten and the cats!  Winner take all!  Or more likely some hissing, paw swiping, the kitten submits and the cat walks away victorious.  This is totally normal and expected.  Cats must establish their own hierarchy – so let them interact and fight a little; however, there is, obviously, a point where you need to step in and protect the kitten (just don’t do it right away).

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Litter Boxes

How to choose an appropriate litter box

Cats prefer unscented, fine textured litter.  People prefer scented but cats do not, if you switch to a scented litter you may find the don’t use it as much or at all.

Cats like clean litter boxes.  If you don’t clean it regularly that can easily avoid it until it’s clean.

A good depth is 2-3 inches of litter.  Too much and they will spray it all over the place.  Too little and they can avoid it or make a big mess.

Make sure you get a box big enough for your cat.  Bigger cats need bigger litter boxes.  Overweight and large cats will like litter boxes with larger sides. This is an excellent choice as well for stand up pee-ers and those who like to play and dig deep.

Electronic litter boxes

Open Air Litter Robot

We’ve had both success and failure with these litter boxes.  We currently use an Open Air Litter Robot; however, these are expensive and only work for full grown cats. Additionally you need to user only certain types of litter. Quick clumping and fine litter is necessary.

Other electronic litter boxes we used still need to be cleaned really regularly and basically don’t twice the burden very much.  Just not worth the cost.

Flushable litter

Flushable litter is great and we use it for our kittens.  We’ve used a few different kinds and they all seem to work similarly.  The key thing is the cats liking them and the smell to you.

Location

Like in real estate it’s all about location location location.  Find a quiet private location away from their food.

It needs to be easily accessible

You need multiple litter boxes (one per cat minimum and usually one more extra).  This is especially important with multiple cats to avoid litter box guarding.

Maintenance

Daily cleaning is important or they will stop using it.

You can use a covered litter box but not all cats will like it.  If it’s covered you need to clean it very regularly.

Change all the litter at least once a month and you should clean the entire box at that time.

If the litter smells or the bottom of the box is wet then replace the litter.

Replace the box when it’s cracked or smells and can’t be cleaned.

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Finding a Cat Breeder

Do they belong to a respectable association or society?

There is no reason any reputable Cat Breeder wouldn’t be a member of a respectable association or society.  They don’t cost a lot of money and they make sure that you are getting the pure bred cat that you are paying for. There’s no reason they (or you) shouldn’t be able to register a kitten.  It costs very little (under $20) to do so.

In Canada they should be associated with TICA (The International Cat Association) or CCA (Canadian Cat Association).

Do they provide a pedigree with your cat?

You should be able to get a 5 generation pedigree with any Bengal Cat.

There are 2 large problems without a pedigree:

  1. Frequent medical issues.  Frequently “kitty mills” or “backyard breeders” are producing cats that don’t have clean, pure bloodlines.
  2. Are you sure you are getting a purebred cat?  The whole point of these registry is to guarantee that they are purebreds and to monitor the breed.  It costs a very minimal fee to be a member of these associations and registering a cat / kitten is a fraction of the cost of the cat itself.  You have to wonder why anyone would pay a large sum of money for a purebred cat which isn’t actually a purebred.

Do they provide a health guarantee?

There are lots of congenital defects for various breeds.  Bengals are prone to: PRA (blindness), HCM (heart disease), PKD (kidney disease) among other congenital diseases.  There are tests for all of these conditions and a responsible breeder will test for and ensure that they are not breeding cats with these conditions.

All cats can have FeLV, FIV, Coccidia, Giardia, etc., which are easily tested for and can be avoided.

It’s absolutely horrible when someone brings home a new family member and then has to watch them die from one of these conditions.

How old are the kittens when they leave their mother?

Everyone wants a kitten as young as possible.  Ideally as soon as it’s weaned!  While it seems like it would be awesome and cute to have a young kitten, understand that it’s very vulnerable – the immune system of a kitten doesn’t kick in until 8-10 weeks, before that it’s entirely from its mother; it’s not socialized – kittens learn behavour from their mothers and their littermates.  The most important age for this is between 6-11 weeks old. Separating kittens too early will make them socially maladjusted and can easily lead to behavioural issues.

What do the breeders feed their cats?

There is so much information now on cat nutrition that anyone who breeds cats has a responsibility to know about it.  Cats are obligate carnivores (meaning that they do not have the ability to make certain amino acids and vitamins that are found in meat.  A simple well-known example is the amino acid Taurine.  Cats must get this in their diet and without it they will suffer from blindness, bone decay and eventually heart failure.  This is why you can’t feed dog food to a cat – it doesn’t contain Taurine).  A good breeder will know something about cat nutrition and be feeding a high quality diet to their cats and kittens.

Here’s some basic information on what to look for in Cat Food and what to avoid:

  • Avoid dry foods as much as possible.
    • Cats get most of their water from food (despite having a water dish they are usually under hydrated if they eat only dry food).
    • Carbohydrate content in most dry foods are too high.
    • Many Dry foods contain high plant-based protein instead of animal protein.

Try Raw Food

Wait, did you say Raw?  As in uncooked?  That – Is – Disgusting!  Perhaps, but what do you think cats are eating in the wild? Do they have a little campfire and cook their mouse, fish, bird? They do just fine on raw food. Their digestive track is very different from ours and they simply don’t have the same problems we would.  For more information, see our  information on feeding Raw Food.

Do they monitor who breeds their kittens?

Any ethical breeder will not let just anyone breed more cats.  As you can see from these points, it’s not just as simple as have a boy and a girl and letting them make kittens.  If the breeder will let you buy a breeding cat without any questions and ensuring that you will be a responsible breeder, then you should probably stay away from that breeder.

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Good Homes for Bengal Cats

Are you aware of and up to the responsibilities of being a cat owner?

  • This cat will be part of your family for 10-20 years.  There is a lot of work and commitment involved.  Are you ready for it?
  • Litter boxes, trimming nails, vomit, hair balls and diarrhea, visits to the veterinarian.  It’s not all fun and games.

Cost

  • The price of purchasing a Pure Bred Cat is just the beginning.  Food, litter, toys, treats, veterinarian visits, and insurance are just some of the things you have to be prepared to pay for.

Outdoor or Indoor Cat?

  • An indoor cat can live 17-20 years while an outdoor cat live on average 2-5 years.
  • Outdoor cats catch many more diseases (FeLV and FIV being common).
  • Outdoor cats can get into fights, hit by cars or killed when they drink poison like antifreeze.
  • Pure bred cats can easily be stolen – Your expensive exotic cat could easily end up as someone else’s exotic cat.
  • If you really want your cat to go outdoors, we recommend you build a secure outdoor enclosure or walk them on a harness and leash.

What will you feed your cat?

  • Dry food has been long suspected to cause urinary tract issues and diabetes.  This poor diet leads to dehydrated cats. More Info Here
  • We want to see our cats live long, happy and healthy lives and diet is a big part of this.

Does the Bengal breed fit your lifestyle?

  • Purebred cats tend to have personality traits that are inherent in the breed.
  • Bengals are active, human loving cats.  Their way of bonding is through play.
  • They want attention and are energetic.
  • They are not lap cats and don’t sit quietly on the sofa arm all evening.  If you want a placid cat, a Bengal is not for you.  That isn’t to say a Bengal won’t sit in your lap; just don’t expect them to sit all night!
  • If you plan to leave a single Bengal alone for long periods it’s going to make for a sad, problematic cat.
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Bengal Cat Personality

Bengals have a lot of personality and are lively, intelligent and interactive cats.  They, typically, don’t ignore you nor are they dull cats.  They will be an active part of your family.  They are outstanding athletes: running, climbing and jumping to huge heights.  They’ve been known to play fetch and can be trained.  They love attention too and will frequently nuzzle your face, flip on their backs and crave affection.  Don’t be surprised to see your Bengal jump on the bed and kneed the covers with their paws and sleep with you until morning.

Bengals are NOT wild animals.  Unless you specifically buy an early generation Bengal, then your Bengal will be many generations removed from the Asian Leopard Cat and they have been domesticated with lots of skill and work from dedicated Bengal breeders.  They will be no more aggressive or wild than any other domestic cat.

How are Bengals With:

Kids: Great!  Bengals love kids and enjoy their high levels of energy.  All of our Bengals have been socialized with some very energetic, grabby and loud children so they will be familiar with most behaviours that children do. Just remember that children need to be coached on how to approach a kitten and how to be gentle.

Dogs: Great!  With all other pets make sure that they are gradually introduced and have an opportunity to get familiar with each other’s scents before they physically meet.  Bengals can actually bond with dogs and become great friends.

Water: You wouldn’t believe that a cat would like water so much.  Most Bengals love to splash and play with water.  Running water from a sink or a fountain is a blast to play with.  Watch your toilet (especially if you use cleaning agents like bleach) and running hot water.  It’s rare, but some Bengals have also been known to swim or to shower with their owners!

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Basic Bengal Genetics

So this is a massive topic and there is a lot of information about feline genetics that you can get into.  What I would like to focus on is purely the most commonly asked information about Bengal Genetics.  I’m going to brush over all the complicated details of genetics and just say this at a high level.

One chromosome comes from the father and one from the mother.
The father’s chromosome can be dominate over the mother’s or vice versa.
If one is dominant then that is the trait that applies.  If they are the same, then you get that trait.
Dominant chromosomes are denoted with capital letters while recessive ones are lower case.

Coat

The coat contains a bunch of different genes:

Agouti: this gene controls whether the hair of the fur contains a single solid color or alternating banded hair.
A (meaning banded) is dominant and a (solid color) is recessive.

Charcoal is from the ALC agouti allele and is recessive to A and dominant to a.

Brown: this gene controls the color with B (Full Colour), b (brown), b(l) – Cinnamon and b(s) – Snow as the options.

Dilute: this gene controls color dilution with D being Full Colour and d being dilute.

Inhibitor: this gene inhibits the color and creates silver colours.  With I being inhibits and i being not.

Pattern: Sp is now thought to be the pattern gene and (T was previously thought to control pattern).  Sp is spotted and sp is marbled.

Glitter: this gene controls whether their coat has glitter (g) or not (G)

Example Bengal Colours

This shows you how changing one gene changes the colour of the Bengal.

Brown Spotted Bengals: They must be Brown Full Color (B), Full Colour (D), Not Inhibited (ii), Spotted: (SP)

Snow Spotted Bengals: They must be Brown Snow (bsbs), Full Colour (D), Not Inhibited (ii), Spotted: (SP)

Blue Spotted Bengals: They must be Brown Full Color (B), Dilute Colour (dd), Not Inhibited (ii), Spotted: (SP)

Silver Spotted Bengals: They must be Brown Full Color (B), Full Colour (D), Inhibited (I), Spotted: (SP)

Brown Marbled Bengals: They must be Brown Full Color (B), Full Colour (D), Not Inhibited (ii), Marbled: (sp)

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Raw Feeding

Wait, did you say Raw?  As in uncooked?  That – Is – Disgusting!  Perhaps, but what do you think cats are eating in the wild?  Do they have a little campfire and cook their mouse, fish, or bird?  They do just fine on raw food.  Their digestive track is very different from ours and they simply don’t have the same problems we would.  Here’s a few pointers on how to get started feeding your cat as nature intended.

Do I just cut up a raw chicken and put it in a dish?

That sounds like a great snack; but, it’s a really poor diet.  Balanced diets are the number one reason people struggle with raw food and veterinarians don’t recommend it.

Where’s the Taurine?

Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is very important in the metabolism of fats.  If there is not enough Taurine in a cat’s diet, he or she may develop a taurine deficiency which could lead to heart or eye troubles. Taurine is highly concentrated in liver – not in breast or leg meat.  If you are making your own cat food, make sure that you include ingredients that are high in Taurine in your recipe.

If I feed raw food, do I need to spend hours in the kitchen?

Absolutely not!  There are many options available for owners who wish to provide the best nutrition for their loved ones.  You can buy Raw food from your local pet store!  Nature’s Variety is one example, there are many more.  It’s easy to store / serve.  There are lots of places that will make / deliver raw food too.

Where can I learn more?

Take a look at  http://www.catnutrition.org/ or http://www.catinfo.org both sites are great resources for raw cat food.  Take a look at http://www.cat-crap.com/ too.

If you must, used canned wet food.

I don’t recommend it; but, a quality canned wet food is way better than dry food.   It’s got high water content and is usually animal based protein with much lower carbohydrate content.

General Guidelines:  Try to feed Chicken, Turkey and Rabbit.  Avoid Fish as a part part of their diet as it’s highly addictive and frequently contains other chemicals harmful to cats.  Avoid Grains and Vegetables such as Corn, Rice, Peas, Wheat, Carrots – these may sound healthy to us, but we aren’t cats;  they are not species appropriate foods (but they are cheap!)  Ideally you want high protein foods – watch for high fat instead of high protein.

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Why Choose a Bengal Cat?

Exotic Domesticated Cat

It’s an exotic domesticated cat – how cool is that?  You get all the look of a wild cat and all the affection of an adoring domestic cat.  A well bred Bengal will have all of the disposition of a loving house cat and the markings and pattern of a wild Leopard.  They are active, inquisitive and definitely each has their own personality.  Their look is such that it never fails to get attention, we can’t count the number of times people have stopped and marvelled at a Bengal Cat.

Athletic and Muscular

They are born athletics, very muscular; they are natural leapers and climbers.  They are able to climb higher and jump farther than most other domestic cats.  They love running, heights, climbing and jumping – so much so that Cat Wheels have become very popular just so that some Bengals have an opportunity to get more exercise.  Take a look at this great wheel that was developed for Bengals:  One Fast Cat.  (Yes, we own one!)

Their Amazing Coat

Their coat is extremely short and soft, it’s sleek and velvety (similar feel to a mink coat) with minimal shedding (yes Bengals still shed; but not nearly as much as a lot of other domestic cats).  They are sometimes referred to as Hypoallergenic (and this is true as some people who are allergic to cats are not allergic to Bengals, but not everyone!).  If you do have allergies to cats and want to see if you are allergic, we recommend a house visit to us or another Bengal only cattery.  It usually becomes obvious fairly quickly if you are or are not allergic.

All of our Bengals are brown spotted; however, Bengals come in all sorts of colours and patterns.  We find the brown spotted rosettes the most amazing colours, so that’s what we have; but take a look around for lots of different coats!

Family Oriented

Great for kids, dogs and other animals, they do very well with the whole family (I would probably avoid putting them together with a hamster though!).  They love to play and sleep with the children of the family and are naturally good at avoiding hurting children (that being said, if a child hugs too tight, they could get scratched!).  Our family spends hours playing and enjoying our Bengal cats, we are confident that you will too!

They are incredibly loving – following their owners around, greeting them at the door, communicating their needs and develop a strong bond with their owners.

Super Intelligent and Curious

Bengals are amazing intelligent cats.  They can be trained to do tricks, to play fetch, to walk on a leash.  They can learn how to open doors and drawers. We are constantly amazed at what our Bengals figure out.

If curiousity killed the cat, he got the Bengal first.  Bengals can entertain themselves for hours with a cardboard box, a straw or a piece of ice (well until it melts).

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What is a Bengal Cat?

Cats could be considered nature’s perfect hunter; stealthy, agile, graceful, high jumps, fast movement, incredible athletes capable of performing amazing feats.

Bengal cats are everything you would imagine that cat to be. Athletic, muscular, agile, high jumper, fast movement. Bengal not only look like they belong in the jungle; they look like they would rule there. Bengals are, on average, better climbers, jumpers and generally more athletic than other breeds of domestic cats.

Coat

The first thing that most people notice about the Bengal Cat is their amazing coat. It’s beautiful, soft, sleek, it can glitter – it’s a wonder! They shed less than most other domestic cats and some people allergic to cats are not allergic to Bengals.

Like most cats they do not need to be bathed (though Bengals have been known to play in water!)

Hypo-Allergenic

Are they Hypo-Allergenic?  This term comes around a lot with Bengals and there are definitely people who might be allergic to cats in general but are not allergic to Bengals.  As a breed, Bengals do not shed much, they have a different style of coat which is soft and silky and are often compared to mink.  Since Hypo-Allergenic means that they cause fewer allergic reactions the answer is yes; however, that doesn’t mean that no one is allergic to a Bengal.  Your best bet is to go and visit a house with Bengals and spend some time there.  Most Catteries will welcome visitors so test out any allergies for yourself.

Size

Male Bengals average 12-14 pounds; however, they can get to 16 or even 18 pounds.
Female Bengals average 8-12 pounds; however, you can see smaller females as low as 6 pounds.

Personality

Bengals have a lot of personality and are lively, intelligent and interactive cats. They, typically, don’t ignore you nor are they dull cats. They will be an active part of your family.
Read more here: Bengal Personality

Common Genetic Diseases

Bengals are generally healthier than most pure breed cats. This is due to them being a relatively newer breed with lots of new blood from other breeds and the wild Asian Leopard Cat. That being said – watch out for the following diseases:

HCM: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. This is a genetic heart disease. while there is no genetic test for it, a lot of breeders do regular testing of their breeding cats to ensure that if they show signs of HCM they stop breeding those cats.

PRA: Progressive Retinal Atrophy, a degenerative eye disease which causes blindness. There is a genetic test for this disease – ensure your breeder has a clean bill of health.

PKD: Polycystic Kidney Disease, a progressive kidney disease which, also can be tested for – ensure your breeder has a clean bill of health.

PK Def: Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency, not to be confused with PKD, this impairs red blood cells and causes anemia. Once again this can be tested for – ensure your breeder has a clean bill of health.