Author – Joanna De Klerk
Buying or Rescuing
It’s an exciting time when you start scouting out potential Bengals to join your family. But there is a lot to consider. Just turning up at a Bengal breeder or rescue centre can be overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re looking for. In this guide, we will look at how you can ensure you go home with a happy, healthy Bengal.
Finding the right Bengal
Before you decide to purchase a Bengal, it is wise to consider your circumstances to decide if the Bengal breed will suit you, and whether a kitten or adult would be the best option. Do you want a pet? Or are you wanting to breed or show your Bengal?
You will soon realise, when looking around, that all Bengals have their own personality, and so whilst one Bengal may be excellently suited to a relaxed indoor lifestyle, another might be extremely active and insist on exploring the outside world, day and night. All Bengal cats have specific needs and individual personalities, and therefore you should try to find one which suits your lifestyle.
Bengals are a modern breed of cat, which are still closely related to their wild counterpart. The first three generations (F1, F2 and F3) still have wild personalities, and are best suited to professional Bengal owners, such as breeders who wish to establish excellent bloodlines. From the fourth generation (F4) onwards, Bengals are more domesticated and make superb pets. These later generations are also the ones which are recognised by the GCCF or TICA for showing.
Finding a breeder
Bengals are a pedigree breed which command a high price. As a result, unfortunately some backyard breeders have taken advantage of unknowing potential owners and conned them into buying Bengals, which are actually Tabby cats or cross breeds, for high sums of money.
Therefore, it is important that you find a responsible breeder. This is best done by contacting a reputable Bengal breed society or organisation, who will be able to give you a list of highly regarded breeders in your area.
We also provide a list of breeders who are registered with the GCCF and/or TICA, which you can find on our Bengal cat for sale page. Once you have made contact with the breeder, they may have questions for you, as well as you having questions for them. This is important, as they are invested in their kittens and will want to find them suitable homes.
You should consider asking the following questions to the breeder before viewing the kittens:
- Are you registered with the GCCF or TICA and do
all the kittens have GCCF or TICA paperwork? - Are there any genetic conditions you are aware
of in the mother or father, or any of their previous kittens? Have they been
tested or checked for any genetic conditions? - Have the kittens been dewormed and vaccinated?
- Do the kittens come with pet insurance?
- Is there a warranty on the kitten if there is
something wrong or he doesn’t fit in? - How old is the mother, and how many litters has
she previously had?
Once you have selected a couple of breeders, you should visit them all before settling on a kitten. The reason why you should visit several breeders is because each breeder will have slightly different looking kittens, and it will give you a feel for what you like. For instance, some breeders’ cats may have a golden glitter over their coat, and others may have a wilder look to the face, or bigger spots, or rosettes, or a combination of several factors.
Also, by visiting several breeders, you will be able to judge which one you will get on with best. A breeder is a valuable resource for vital information about your future Bengal. Most dedicated breeders will want to know about their kittens for many years into the future, so they are likely to be someone you will keep in touch with for many years to come.
When you are faced with the kittens, you should look for one which is bright, sociable and healthy. He should be happy for you to pick him up, without scratching, biting or excessively wriggling. He should have a shiny coat, bright eyes with no discharge, and a clean bottom with no signs of diarrhoea.
If you are wanting a pet Bengal, you can consider any of the kittens. They could be male or female, as long as you intend for them to be neutered. If you do not mind about waiting a few months, some breeders will keep behind potential breeding or show cats to see how they develop, and may sell these at a later stage once they have decided they have not made the grade. These can make excellent pets.
If you are looking for a show Bengal or one to breed, you should be looking at the most expensive one you can afford. You should ensure that you know the bloodline which it has come from and that they have been performing well in the show world. These cats will have to remain unneutered, which can be hard work during breeding seasons for females, as they will be calling for a male.
Male stud cats can be even more difficult, as they can have some antisocial habits, such as spraying in the house, fighting, roaming and siring unwanted kittens. A neutered cat will be a much cleaner, happier pet and can be shown in Premiership classes if you wish to have a male Bengal for showing.
When you look at the kittens, it is likely to be around 10 weeks old. This is their ugly duckling phase, where they will have a fuzzy coat. If you are looking for specific markings, then you should ask to see a picture when the kittens were slightly younger, such as around 6 weeks, or wait for a further two or three weeks when they emerge from this phase. This is particularly important if you wish to enter your Bengal into shows, as it is a fault if there is ticking or long hair, which you will not be able to tell when they go through this fuzzy stage.
Cost of a Bengal
Bengal breeders can command a high price for their Bengals, but they will vary significantly between breeders and individual cats, based on their merits. An average pet Bengal may cost between £450 and £600, whereas a kitten with excellent bloodlines and potential for breeding or showing may cost from £900 up to several thousand pounds.
Included in the cost of the kitten should be the first vaccinations, GCCF/TICA paperwork, insurance and de-worming treatment if the breeder is a responsible breeder.
Rescuing a Bengal
For some people, having a kitten is not ideal. Kittens can be full of energy, and unless you have two kittens who can burn out each other’s energy, you must ensure you have plenty of time to provide stimulation and play for your new Bengal addition. Kittens can be an excellent choice though if you have other pets which are well established in the household, as they do not fight for hierarchy, and slot quickly.
If a kitten is not for you, and you wish to have a Bengal who has matured and calmed down a little, there are several options. As mentioned earlier, some breeders ‘run on’ potential show or breeding cats, only to rehome them at a later stage if they have not reached their potential. There is unlikely to be anything wrong with these cats, but are simply not what the breeder is looking for, and will make excellent pets.
Another option for acquiring an adult Bengal is through a rescue centre. You might not easily find a Bengal cat in a cat rescue centre, as previous owners will have paid a high price for one, and therefore might rather sell him if he is unsuitable for the household. However, there are certain circumstances which may lead to a Bengal being taken in by a rescue centre.
These situations might include things such as the death of an owner or a change in circumstances such as a divorce, financial hardship or a relocation to a place where cats are not allowed. Since they are a breed with special requirements, a rescue centre or foster home specific to Bengals is more likely to take them in, than a normal cat rescue centre.
When visiting a cat in a rescue centre, you should enquire about how the cat has been in the centre or in their foster home. The staff or foster home carer will usually be able to give you a good idea about the cat’s personality and health status. Cats will have been vaccinated, health checked and neutered prior to rehoming. As a result, rescue centres will have invested money into the cats they are rehoming, and usually will help out financially if the cat has any health issues in the future. A reputable rescue centre will also always take back any cat they rehome if it does not work out.
Unfortunately, most cats which are being rehomed through a rescue centre will not come with pedigree paperwork, nor a complete vaccine history apart from any boosters they had in the care of the rescue centre. This is to protect the confidentiality of the previous owner from the new owner. Microchip information is also transferred to the details of the rescue centre initially, then to the new owners, or alternatively coordinated through the rescue centre, to ensure complete confidentiality.
You should expect to pay when you rehome a Bengal cat. The price is not likely to be anywhere near the cost of a Bengal kitten from a breeder, however, rescue centres must cover their cost somehow. This price will go towards the cost of the care and health checks your Bengal has received prior to you rehoming him.
New Bengal checklist
So, you’ve decided you want to either buy or rehome a Bengal cat. Here is a checklist you should consider beforehand:
- Do you want a kitten or an adult?
- Do you want to buy a Bengal or rescue a Bengal?
- Do you want to show your Bengal, breed from your Bengal, or just have a loving pet?
- Do you want a male or a female?
- Are all the kittens bright and sociable?
- Do they all look healthy, with clean bottoms and clear eyes?
- Does the kitten/cat come with GCCF/TICA paperwork, vaccine card, insurance and deworming?
Once you are ready, visit our bengal kittens for sale page to get you on your way to acquiring your exciting new Bengal addition.
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