A. YES! Bengals are very social animals and get along very well with most dogs and cats. In fact they are much happier in a household that has other animals.
Q. How are Bengals with young kids?
A. All Bengals are different and their upbringing at an early age determines this somewhat as well. All of our Bengals are socialized with our young children and are used to being picked up and carried around by them so they usually do very well with young children. Bengals are great family pets!
Q. How big do Bengals get?
A. They get to be the size of a typical house cat. Bengals are very long in the body and are very muscular cats. Females are about 6-10lbs on average, males are about 10-14lbs on average and there is always the possibility of them being bigger or smaller.
Q. How much do Bengals cost?
A. Our Bengals vary in price according to their quality and color. Here is a link to my list of prices
Q. How do you determine their price?
A. I price each kitten individually based on many criteria. There is a standard for Bengals with TICA and the closer the kittens are to that standard the higher the price. Kittens are judged on head and body structure, ear size, shape, and position on the head, eye shape and size, profile, chin, whisker pads, length and thickness of tail, coat texture, clarity of coat, and flow of markings. Females are also slightly higher than males of the same quality because the cost of spaying is much higher than the cost of neutering.
Q. How can I get on your waitlist?
A. The first step is to fill out my questionnaire! You can find it here. Once that is approved I require a $300 non-refundable deposit to be added to my waitlist. I also require your mailing address, personal phone number and email address for my records.
A. Much of this depends on their environment and how they are brought up, but generally Bengals are very social. They like to greet people that come into your home, snuggle under blankets (especially if there is a lap to snuggle on), they like to talk to you and tell you about their day, play in the dish water and bubbles when you are washing dishes, drink from the tap, watch (or join) you in the shower, play fetch, keep you company in the bathroom, shred toilet paper, play with anything small (elastics, bottle caps, pipe cleaners), go for walks, and much more..... Bengals don't typically like to be picked up and carried around but do like to snuggle on their own terms.
Q. I work an 8 hour day and have no other pets, will a Bengal do well in my house?
A. NO! Bengals are very social animals and do not do well if left alone for any more than a few hours a day without an animal companion. This is one of the big ways that Bengals differ from other Domestic cats. If you are away from the home for any more than a few hours a day you will either need to get a second Bengal, or a higher energy domestic cat. If you don't get a second cat your Bengal is almost guaranteed to become unhappy, and this is not a good thing. The most common ways a Bengal will let you know they are unhappy is to start peeing inappropriately (usually on beds, clothing, sofas), or they will start playing very aggressively.
Q. Do Bengals need a special diet?
A. No, Bengals don't specifically require a special diet, but with that being said, the best diet for ALL cats is a raw diet. Cats are obligate carnivores and therefore are not able to digest grains, fruits, or vegetables well. When fed a commercial dry or canned diet cats can become fat and unhealthy. I like to relate a commercial diet with eating McDonalds every day, it will keep you alive but you will most likely get fat and not be very healthy. For more info on feeding a raw diet here are some great websites http://cats.about.com/od/catfoodfaqs/f/obligatecarnivores.htm http://catinfo.org/ http://feline-nutrition.org/one-page-guides http://www.rawfedcats.org/index.htm
Q. What kind of litter do you use?
A. I have tried many kind of cat litter and have found that the best one by far is Pine pellets. It is not a clumping litter, which actually means less work for me because then I don't have to scoop out the pee :). The pine absorbs the urine (and completely absorbs the ammonia smell)and turns into saw dust. Once it starts tracking out of the litter box too much you just dump the whole thing, wash, and put in fresh litter. It is very cheap litter and you only need enough in the litter box to cover the bottom because it expands as it turns to sawdust.
Q. Why are your kittens so expensive? I've seen Bengal kittens advertised on Kijiji for only $400.
A. All of our Bengals are registered with TICA (The International Cat Association) and all of our litters are registered. This proves that they are Purebred Bengal cats and that I have breeding rights to produce kittens. We do lots of testing on our adult breeding Bengals to ensure they are in top condition for breeding. We are responsible breeders and spay/neuter all of our pet kittens before they leave here. Our kittens get all of their shots and are dewormed several times to ensure they are coming to you healthy. We give a 2 year health guarantee for congenital health defects, and a 72 hour complete health guarantee (so long as they are kept isolated from other animals). I also provide support after you buy your kitten, if you have any questions at all I am here to answer them.
If you are purchasing a Bengal from a "breeder" that does not have registered Bengals, there is no guarantee that they are even 100% Bengal! It will likely grow up to have poor clarity in its markings and have physical qualities that are very unbecoming for Bengals. These breeders are called "Backyard Breeders", they are more concerned with making money off the kittens than their health and welfare. They are not concerned with improving the breed and producing top quality Bengals.
Regarding purchasing a Bengal you really get what you pay for!
Q. Do you have any Bengals available?
A. We might! I keep my website up-to-date, so all of our Available Bengals are listed on the kittens page!
Q. I have allergies to cats but I've heard that Bengals are hypoallergenic. Is this true?
A. Yes it is true, but saying they are hypoallergenic only means that they have less allergens than most cats. It is really something that must be tested to know for sure. Everyone's allergies are different and every cat is different. I encourage people to make an appointment and spend some time with our cats, at least 30 minutes, more if that is required for you to typically react. You should get the cats to scratch you (if that's what it takes for you to react), rub your face in the cats fur, pet them vigorously... anything that would normally cause you to react. And it is best to test out your allergies with an adult, as many people do not react to kittens. I would say about 75% of the people that have tested their allergies here have not reacted.
Q. Do Bengals have lots of health problems?
A. I wouldn't say they have lots, but there are some. One of the biggest concerns is heart disease (HCM). Unfortunately in most cases it results in an early death, however if caught soon enough, with daily medication it can result in a long full life for your cat. We do screen our breeding cats every one or two years, however this does not mean that it is impossible for their offspring to get this horrible illness. HCM is something that can show up many years down the road, or it can happen early on in life. Since Bengals are a fairly new breed they haven't been able to develop a blood test to see if they will get HCM as they have with some other breeds. So scanning often is all that we can do to lessen the numbers of positive cats we produce. Other health issues are PK Deficiency (a type of anemia), and PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) which can cause early blindness. Our cats are all tested for both of these health problems and cannot produce kittens that are positive for these diseases.
Q. My Bengal has started peeing, why is he/she doing this and what can I do to stop this?
A. We don't always know why they do it, but typically it happens when they are unhappy about something. Although the first thing you should do is take your Bengal to the vet and have them checked for a UTI just to be sure its not something medical. If all is fine, then you need to think about any changes that may have taken place in your home recently. It could be something small like routines changing (spending less time at home, playing with your Bengal less), a stray cat walking outside near your home, not enough litter boxes (you should have one for each cat plus an extra one, more if you have many levels in your home), your cats not getting along, not having a closely bonded high energy playmate for your cat, not providing your cat with enough stimulation (interactive toys, cat wheel, walks outside on a leash), or welcoming a new baby in the family.
If the thing that is upsetting your Bengal cannot be changed, then the first thing you need to do to re-train your Bengal (ideally before it becomes a habit) is put him/her in a small bathroom with litter box, food, and water for 3 days. DO NOT let him out during this time at all, although you can go in to visit with him. While he is in the small room fully clean the areas he has peed with an enzyme cleaner, or I've also heard that vinegar works well. After the three days are up you can let him out, if he pees inappropriately again then immediately put him back in the bathroom for another 3 days. Continue these steps until he stops this behavior, typically just a few times in the bathroom and they stop the bad behavior. There are times where this doesn't work, or that it just lessens the behavior and they still pee inappropriately on occasion. You can also try getting a Feliway plugin diffuser and/or calming collar. Trying out an unscented clumping litter may also help.