AS SEEN ON ANGLIA NEWS 15/09/97!

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Elmo is a little leopard, and a playful scamp to go with it...

Elmo is our Bengal, a wonderful type of cat bred by crossing domestic cats with the Asian Leopard Cat a few generations back. The result has the size and temperament of a pet cat, but the wild ancestor’s glorious spotted pelt, which is phenomenally lush and silky to the touch.

The Bengal's amazing looks are self evident, but it is Elmo's character that makes him so special. He is the perpetual kitten, and exists in two modes only - on and off. In 'on' mode he is the most ridiculously playful animal on earth. First he's haring around chasing a pebble, lying on his back juggling it in both paws like an otter. Next he's leaping at the bathroom light switch, turning the light on and off, squawking indignantly that he can't make the toggle come off the end. Then out of nowhere he's landed on your shoulder from a flying leap and is snuffling at your ear inquisitively. Then he's off again, sitting in the bath, howling for a ping pong ball to bat around it! All of this is done with an amazing sense of wide eyed innocence

Then, exhausted from all this activity, Elmo goes into 'off' mode. He crawls lovingly up to you, nuzzles your cheek, kisses you on the nose, curls up in a ball, purring insanely loudly, falls fast asleep and remains calm and stretchy for many hours...

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If you are an experienced cat keeper who wants a rewarding entertaining relationship with your cat, then Bengals are wonderful pets. However, if you like your pets low key and quiet, then you're probably better off with something like a Persian or a stuffed nighty case (same difference) or a more conventional cat at least. Elmo is more like a dog really. He even asks you to throw his teddy for him so he can retrieve it!

Bengals are reputed to like water, even to the point of swimming and jumping in the bath. Elmo doesn't quite go this far, but he delights in splashing about in water, particularly in a game that starts with him clearing the surface of his water mug with sweeps of his paw and ends in him energetically splashing water everywhere. Elmo is also a bit of an artist. If you put him in the bath with some water soluble paints he purposefully streaks it around into patterns on the ceramic.

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Buying a UK Bengal

Buying a Bengal in the UK can be a difficult process, to be entered into carefully. Since this is a new breed, there are relatively few breeders, and the breed standard is only now being decided... Furthermore, they can command a high price, and there have been some problems where punters have been misled by the romance of photos of the F1 and F2 original crosses, which look significantly 'wilder' than the true Bengals on sale. There are plenty of responsible breeders of Bengals in the UK, but if you are buying one, as with any cat, there are a few simple rules to follow. Don't impulse buy, view litters from more than one breeder, and make sure that you've seen the litter looking healthy with their mother (healthy kittens have shiny fur and eyes, with no discharge). It should be obvious who the mother is; buying from a breeder with several litters loose in a room isn't recommended.

After much searching, we eventually consulted Jean Sugden Mill, of Millwood Bengals in the USA, who was the originator of the breed, who recommended, amongst others, the Randall's 'Llandar' cattery in Berkshire. We were very happy with this recommendation, which led us to a delightful, high quality, healthy litter at reasonable prices.

If all goes well however, your Bengal will be a wonderful, rewarding pet for many years!

More information on Bengals can be found at http://www.bengalcat.co.uk
Here is a picture of Elmo's brother Warrior

BACK Django | Elmo | Kookai | Mbuna

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This cat belongs to Claire Robson and Henry Ritson
Page maintained by webmaster@bengalcat.co.uk | Last updated 13:06 28/01/98