# Bengal cats



## Cherry.Chops (Oct 8, 2008)

Who here has bengal cats?

for those of you who do, you will know that they are not like other cats, there a class of their own, especially the males.
I know they do have an agressive streak to them, but what are yours like?


----------



## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

My ex husband had 2 but the 6 month old boy was aggressive to the female so he gave him to my daughter. She adored him but he was evil and knocked 7 bells out of my Oriental boy, then went in my daughters room and savaged her. We tried for 5 months but in the end we rehomed him to a lovely couple with no other cats and they still have him 6 years later
The breeder of my Sphynx used to breed and show them but she gave up when the queens attacked and ate their kittens(F1) It sort of put me off Bengals even though they are stunning looking cats. I think the F3 ones about now are far more domesticated though with a lot less problems


----------



## P.A.D (May 11, 2009)

I have two one year olds, a Snow spotted female and a Brown marble male. They are extremely intelligent cats and are very boisterous in their play. They are also extremely mischievious and are always looking for naughty things to get up to. The male does get abit rough with the female at times but she gives as much as she gets. They are quite vocal but not to the point that it gets annoying, unlike my Burmese, and are very affectionate towards me. For prospective owners I personally wouldn't go any closer to the wild mating than F5. This way you get a more domesticated cat but with the wild markings.

Phil.

Teddy.








Phoebe








Phoebe with Muffin my Lilac burmese.


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Have to agree with you there - about the F5 - genes will out and a lot of Bengals have been known to turn a bit nasty when they got older, even if they'd been big soft and delightful kittens.

Shell, in your post you're saying about the queen attacking and killing her kittens and then you've got F1 in brackets - are you saying that the queen was an F1??


----------



## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

You need a DWAL for F1 bengals... A friend of mine has Asian leopard cats


----------



## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

the one in woodgreen that my dad fell in love with, wasnt allowed within a 5 mile radius of cats or dogs!!!


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Amalthea said:


> You need a DWAL for F1 bengals... A friend of mine has Asian leopard cats


Yes Jen, that's why I was asking.

I have to say I wouldn't be surprised to see an F1 eat the litter, they are still wild cats.


----------



## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

My friend's ALCs act a lot like Bindi, honestly...


----------



## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

I've not owned a begal but the ones in differant F's have been ok BUT F5 removed from the Asian leopard cat.Would be the best for a pet house cat.F5's would be like any other cat but are vocal and repeative.Can be live wired.And if you have a bath lock your door out the begal will be in there with you:lol2:.
F1 You need DWA.And a out door very large cage would be best.

F2,F2,F3,F4's Can all be very unpredictable personalitys.But you can get begal cats in these's F's sutible as a house pet.It's just finding them and you can't judge personality really in a kitten.

F5 & + Deffo the way to go for a house cat.


----------



## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

My mistake, they were F2s as the cats parents were both Bengals but the grandparents wernt. I find the Fs very confusing as its the other way round with Sphynx. An F1 is an outcross but an F3 is a pure Sphynx. It was many years ago when the Bengal breed started she then went to British and now breeds mainly Sphynx


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I thought maybe the Sphynx had confused you! :lol2:


----------



## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

feorag said:


> I thought maybe the Sphynx had confused you! :lol2:


So why is it different to Sphynx then as I dont really understand :lol2:


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

To be honest neither do I.

The term F basically refers to hybrid breeding. So an F1 is a first generation hybrid from crossing a Asian Leopard cat to a domestic cat. An F2 is a second generation, mating that hybrid to another domestic cat or another F1, so why the Sphynx do it differently I've no idea!


----------



## butterfingersbimbo (Jan 26, 2008)

all those F's have gone right over my head, but have to say that Phoebe is gorgeous :gasp: as are they all!


----------



## Cherry.Chops (Oct 8, 2008)

Shell195 said:


> My ex husband had 2 but the 6 month old boy was aggressive to the female so he gave him to my daughter. She adored him but he was evil and knocked 7 bells out of my Oriental boy, then went in my daughters room and savaged her. We tried for 5 months but in the end we rehomed him to a lovely couple with no other cats and they still have him 6 years later
> The breeder of my Sphynx used to breed and show them but she gave up when the queens attacked and ate their kittens(F1) It sort of put me off Bengals even though they are stunning looking cats. I think the F3 ones about now are far more domesticated though with a lot less problems


Well there my bf's cats and apparently the first 3 years of the males life, he was a complete b*stard. he has settled alot now, but he has attacked me twice which is truely terrifying. We even use soft paws on him and he still managed to injure me through a thich dressing gown!

Ours are VERY vocal. Roowwwwing, yaaawwwwing, 'ra'ing and chattering! they never shut up!! they love the sound of their own voice!

But when they are affectionate, they are SO affectionate!


----------



## missk (Jan 14, 2008)

I have a bengal. He has calmed down as he has grown but I wouldn't get a bengal if I had kids. He plays rough, and my other cat gets beaten up by him a lot. 

He will be sitting on you having a cuddle and dribbling, then turn around and savage you. He also likes to climb curtains.

I love him to pieces but I wouldn't get a bengal again, I have scars that will remind me of this one forever!


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I do know that they have a tendency to be intensely loyal to the person they choose to be _theirs_, to the extent that they will fight to keep other cats or animals away. I do know of one case when a Bengal came into the bedroom and saw his owner's Birman sitting on the bed where she was lying and literally charged and butted him off the bed. There was so much force and power behind the blow that it stopped the Birman's heart! fortunately the owner got him going again by breathing into his mouth and gently massaging his heart, but needless to say she sent the Bengal back to my friend who bred it, because she couldn't take the risk of that happening again.

I really do not believe that Bengal cats are a good pet for someone buying their first cat.


----------



## ipsilon (Oct 27, 2007)

I've never owned one but I lived with one for a year 2007/8 and he was a real treat. He latched onto me and we would sleep together with me spooning him while he purred like a train.

He is very vocal and enjoys playing, climbing trees and most of all being with people - very much a lovable, charming, loyal cat. If he was the measure of Bengals I don't think I'd ever want to own another type of cat. But I think he's a lot more placid and attention/affection seeking than I have heard of other Bengals.

He did have a Persian living with him for a few years who went with one half of the couple who owned them when they split up, and he terrorised her (they grew up together from tiny kittens too, so it wasn't like she'd come in and tried to take over his place). I don't think I'd want to have one if there was another cat in the house. 

As a purely people cat though I can't fault him. I miss him so much since I moved out of that flat!


----------



## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Yes, I would agree totally with that. On their own they are much better because they get all the interaction with their owner.


----------



## ipsilon (Oct 27, 2007)

He really was all about interaction with me and his owner. Me more in reality as I was home most of the day while his owner was at work, so I did the feeding and spent most of my time with him either draped round my shoulders or curled up on my lap, when he wasn't climbing trees!

I'm going to see him tonight


----------



## ratley (Nov 17, 2007)

I have four bengal crosses and they are tremendous fun, they join in with everything going on in the house. They are very differerent from your 'normal' moggy, they leave my old boy well behind (bless him). its a little disconcerting when they decided its time for lights out and your still feeding the snakes though :lol2:


Best cats I've ever had!


----------



## medusa0373 (Mar 18, 2008)

I really can't understand where the bad reputation of Bengals comes from??

We have four bengals - 2 we've had from when they were 12 weeks old, one is a an ex-stud cat, and one is an ex-breeding queen. They are from 2 different breeders.

All of them are neutured/spayed. In temperament, they are fantastic. Yes, they play fight between themselves, but apart from that they are fine. They are playful and affectionate and will happily spend hours just curled up on the sofa/your lap, watching TV. They are not hugely vocal - they will chirp at you but don't spend all day yowling. They are not destructive, either to us or furniture. They are social and inquisitive and love to see what you're doing. And yes they are definitely pure-breed, all of them.

I really don't understand why people describe them as "difficult" and "destructive". I know several people who own/breed Bengals and no-one has ever had a problem with their cats?

If anything, I've seen people have far more problems with their moggies, and that has always seemed to be down to how they were treated as kittens (not saying this is always the case!).


----------



## biohazard156 (Nov 11, 2007)

I have a bengal/Mau cross and he is a nightmare. He yowls a lot, he picks on the smallest/youngest cat we have, he breaks things constantly..to the point we have nothing nice out on display....and he is generally a pain in the bum.

He is almost 3 years old, he hasn't gotten any better, infact I would say worse. We are on the verge of talking to a behaviourist as he is breaking things daily.

I wouldn't ever recommend bengals or ever get one again. Its sad, because I love cats, but he is too much for me to handle sometimes.


----------



## stacy (May 9, 2009)

i had 1 last year very nice cat , mine was crazy used to chase people round house if they didnt have shoes on and was always stalking people was good 2 watch , she was nasty to other cats and dogs, , , but sadly got ran , i was gutted as always wanted1


----------



## Dizz (Mar 29, 2009)

We have a Snow Spotted Bengal called Shan.

He is the funniest cat EVER.

I have never known a cat so vocal (and we also had a siamese!). Almost like a puppy cross cat!

He's lovely - temperement is fantastic, never gets grumpy.

He has a different noise for every thing. He announces himself everytime he enters with a YOWL, squeaks if you tell him off, meows IN YOUR FACE complete with paw poke when he wants feeding.

He is feisty! Love him :flrt:

This is him:


----------



## I want a beardy (May 3, 2008)

I don't have a bengal but the kitten I hand reared last year that I kept we think is part bengal.
She's black but in the light you can see very bengaly patterns in a dark brown colour. She adores water and will quite often take a showe with you. She has a right temperment though, on the verge of being bipolar I'd say! One second she'll love you and the next she'll attatch herself to your arm and try and kill you.
She's very vocal and will talk to her toys, as well as the bearded dragons!
She is also exceptionaly clever, the most intelegent cat I've ever known, she turns taps on, opens doors, unlocks the cat flap and I swear she knows exactly how to open the window but she can't!
She'll watch everything you do and then will normally try and do it herself.
If someone walks through the door then she's up on her back legs looking around seeing who it is, I swear she's a meercat! She also has the longest tail I've seen lol.
She'll also poke you with her paws and nudge you if she wants something, if that doesn't work then she'll start yowling, and well if that doesn't work she'll nick something off you and carry it away in her mouth so you have to get up and follow her!


----------



## ipsilon (Oct 27, 2007)

Dizz and iwab - you both might as well be describing the cat I lived with. He'd drive me crazy in the bath (no lock on the door) by coming in and eating the bubbles, splashing me with his paws, drinking the bath water and once walked the length of my body from knees to head while I was still in the water. Crazy git! 

I went to see him last night and was asked to do his flea spot-on as his owner has difficulty getting him to sit still for it. He yowled at me for ages then sat right next to me with his back to me - wanted to make absolutely sure I knew he was upset and ignoring me, the little git!


----------

