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Most often asked about Bengals....
| Bengal behavior |
| Male or Female? |
| YOUR BENGAL AT HOME |
| Technical information |
| Championship cat |
| Introducing new genes |
| Foundation Registry |
| Percentage of wild blood |
| Choosing a Pet |
Bengal cats are active, curious, intelligent companions that are very entertaining. Some have an affinity for water, all a love for heights, and are excellent climbers. Bengal cats vary in personality a direct relationship to temperament inheritance and how they are raised and handled influences their personality development. Well socialized, late generation Bengal cats, make excellent, reliable pets that adapt to many different situations. When speaking to a breeder, make sure you are confident of what is meant by "pet"... because often this vague term is understood differently.
Owners report Bengal cats follow them from room to room, wait at the door for their return, talk with them, and confidently meet strangers. One owner’s kitten learned to turn on the faucet for sink play! Bengal cats playing fetch is a common occurrence. The greatest compliment and endorsement of the Bengal cat is the number of repeat owners that buy their second, third, sometimes even fourth Bengal cat.
It is important to remember the Bengal cat’s strong muscular body means vertical as well as horizontal movement to enable them to move well, carpeted and sisal wrapped climbing trees provide hours of entertainment as you watch these little athletes move through your home.
Bengal cats get along well with other cats, dogs, ferrets, and other four and two legged creatures. There are many different living companions that verify their ability to adapt and enjoy a menagerie of companions!
WHICH IS BETTER A MALE OR FEMALE?
This is an individual decision. Either sex is extremely affectionate, interactive and adjusts well to home situations. The main difference is that males tend to be larger (12-15 pounds) than the females (8-10 pounds). Both sexes make better pets when altered, taking their attention from reproduction. . At the Cornell Feline Behavior Seminar, one speaker said, “There are three basic sexes of cats, male, female and alter. If you want a pet you want an alter.” As many people tell me that males make better pets as tell me females do.
Look for a breeder who has handled the kittens, raised them in a normal home environment, and has spent time selecting parents that are confident, outgoing and friendly. Selection of a kitten should be based on your family‘s home environment, number of other animals, .and what interaction you are expecting. Be clear in your description… kitten personalities vary and the breeder can select for the temperament appropriate for you. To do this the breeder has to know the kitten.
Introduce your new cat or kitten slowly to its new home. If you have other animals, don't expect everyone to get along right away. Instead, take your time and be patient. By respecting the needs of each individual you'll go a long way in becoming a multi-pet family. The average transition time for new animals in a multi-pet household is two weeks. I will work with you to assure an easy transition. In general, your new kitten will be more talkative for a few days and will need special attention. Most breeders recommend a minimal two week isolation period for a new kitten in a multi-cat home, to be safe you might want an even longer period. Check with your veterinarian.
Your new kitten will enjoy climbing areas, scratching posts, and every Bengal cat needs toys! Have a litter pan in an area that is easily accessible and food that the kitten is used to. Any changes should be done slowly.
The Foundation Registry and the Championship Registry
There are many responsible foundation cat breeders, and they appropriately, delineate the foundation generations (the first three generations from the Asian leopard cat) from the SBT. This is an important point. Not because of some arbitrary line drawn to differentiate the two, but because of what is known about genetics. I will explain, as simply as possible, why the first three generations from the Asian leopard cat are not Bengal cats, but are instead foundation cats for the Bengal.
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To be a breed of cat. That breed must be able to sustain itself, by itself. The foundation generation cannot. They cannot quite simply because the males are sterile. There are exceptions to this, but they are the exception. An F1 cannot be bred to an F1. This is the only generation that technically can be called a filial generation, F1... from that generation on, because we do not breed F1 females to F1 males... the next generation is not really an F2, but is appropriately called a second generation from the Asian leopard cat. The Foundation generation simply cannot reproduce itself. The very definition of a breed is based on its ability to reproduce itself... so, just from a rudimentary point of view, the foundation cats fail this test. So they are not felis catus, the domestic cat. They are not both sex reproductive to felis catus which is the most rudimentary test of species. |
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Foundation cats cannot be shown. In the beginning of the breed, foundation cats were taken to show halls and transported to the rings in the carriers because they could not otherwise be handled. As a rule, they would find the chaotic smells and noise of the show halls overwhelming. |
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The Bengal cat is qualified as an established breed in The International Cat Association, TICA. This means that there must be three generations from any outcross before the cat can be in championship. This is not an arbitrary number; it is based on the basic idea of selection for genetic material when incorporating new genes into a program. Let's look at a simple example... let's use the introduction of the Burmese gene into the Bengal gene pool to show why it is necessary to work out three generations. see below... |
I will show a very simple reason that the introduction of new genes is done in a certain way. My example is the introduction of a new color using a different breed of cat. This was done in the Bengal cat to capture the cb (Burmese) gene.
first generation
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F1 |
My first outcross is to a seal sepia, Burmese and a brown spotted tabby, Bengal cat. (This too is referred to an a hybrid, in the cat fancy, meaning that two different breeds of cats were combined) Each of the offspring would carry the brown tabby genes and the seal sepia genes genetically. But they would all appear to be brown spotted tabbies. |
Parents
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seal sepia |
seal sepia
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brown spotted
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brown spotted carrying
seal sepia |
brown spotted carrying
seal sepia |
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brown spotted
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brown spotted carrying
seal sepia |
brown spotted carrying
seal sepia |
second generation
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F2 |
My second outcross is
the brown spotted/seal sepia progeny of the F1 generation.
So now I am able to create (on the average) one seal sepia spotted
progeny, one brown spotted tabby, and two brown spotted tabbies that
carry the seal sepia gene. What I am trying to get is the spotted seal sepia coloring. So far I have one. |
Parents
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brown spotted carrying seal
sepia |
brown spotted carrying seal
sepia
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| brown spotted carrying seal sepia C |
brown spotted |
brown spotted carrying
seal sepia |
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brown spotted carrying seal
sepia
cb
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brown spotted carrying
seal sepia |
homozygous seal sepia cbcb |
third generation
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F3 |
By the third
generation, I know that I have the brown spotted carrying the seal sepia
gene, and I have the spotted seal sepia. (At least I have a 2 out of 3
chance of a brown spotted, carrying the seal sepia...) Remember this is a genetic model, reality does not work like this, but the least number of generations needed to stabilize recessive genetics is three. Thus, the three-generation rule. |
Parents
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brown spotted carrying seal
sepia
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brown spotted carrying seal
sepia |
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spotted
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brown spotted |
spotted
seal sepia |
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spotted seal sepia
cb |
brown spotted |
spotted
seal sepia |
This model shows you that it takes three
generations to have a line of cats that you know is homozygous for the sepia
gene, cbcb. This is a model that is accepted
in genetics. Simplified!
The Foundation Cats... behavior and human relationship
Humans began to appreciate the presence in the beginning for the killing of rodents, vermin, and in the end, for companionship.
Non-domestic cats find humans to be unbeneficial, and they choose to have a distant relationship with humans. Their survival is based on distance from human environments. Thus they are non-domestic.
Foundation cats, as a rule, do not enjoy an active, changing life of the human environment. That is one of people coming and going, people moving things around, television, radio, etc. They seek an environment that they know... stable, without a lot of change. Let me assure you that there are always exceptions to any rule. There are instances of later generation cats, and cats of other breeds, that do not like change as well... but as a general rule of thumb. A domestic cat finds the human environment one that it seeks and finds sustaining to its life choices. The above statement is true by definition alone.
Domestic cats have chosen to be domesticated. They have sought human environments over the years as a means of providing for their lives and those of their young. They have selected human environments for the rodents, the readily available food, and shelter. There is evidence that shows that this selection was on their part and not visa versa... that is the ancestors of the domestic cats chose to be with humans
A note about the use of percentages for showing
inheritance of "Asian leopard cat blood"
as fact:
This is a mathematical equation only... it
does not show genetic inheritance. At most it shows the number of Asian
leopard cats to domestic cats in a bloodline, but certainly in no way shows
actual inheritance. That cannot be derived with mathematics.
It is a question of genetics... the use of percentage of wild
blood is misleading, and, if believed by the one using it, shows a lack of
knowledge in basic genetics.
To use math to show genetic inheritance, is
like sending in the
"if you have the winning number" letter we all
receive. The odds are not in your favor. The wording is
deceptive and wants you to believe something. Question it!
Make sure you have your definition of
pet in mind when you speak to a breeder!
RELIABLE, FRIENDLY TEMPERAMENT
is vital in a pet animal, it is important to work on temperament, to know
what you are selecting for when choosing a pet and to find a breeder you can
trust.
There are examples of early generation cats
that are able to handle many changes and life styles, there are examples of
Siamese, Persians, and, yes, SBT Bengal cats that are not. So what do you
look for: in a pet or in a
breeding cat?
| When approached, does the kitten back away? |
| When holding out your hand how close can you get to the kitten/cat? |
| Can you pick the kitten or cat up? |
| How does it respond? |
| Is it relaxed enough to play? To interact? |
| How does it respond to changes in the scene? For example, clapping hands? |
| Does it hide and not come out or hide for a moment to observe? |
There are many other tools to use for
judgment, and you need to decide what you are looking for in a pet or breeding
cat.
BE CLEAR IN YOUR OWN MIND AND
COMMUNICATE THIS. PUT IT IN WRITING...
Feel free to ask me more questions...