Author – Joanna De Klerk
Bringing Your Kitten Home – What to Expect
It is extremely exciting to bring home your brand-new Bengal kitten, but it is a time that also fills some people with apprehension. You suddenly have a big responsibility to look after this little cat, who is still learning about the world himself. Kittens can be extremely fun to have around the house, but it is important to prepare your home for their arrival and understand what to expect.
Kittens are very inquisitive, especially Bengal kittens. They love to explore, hide, pounce and taste every new thing they come into contact with. Therefore, it is important to remove certain hazards before you bring your new kitten home. Start by ensuring all windows and doors are closed. For the first few months, your kitten will need to stay inside while he learns that this is where his home is, and where he has food and water.
If a door or window is open, he can easily find himself wandering outside and becoming lost. Additionally, it is important that anywhere your kitten could get stuck, is blocked off. You may wish to start your kitten in just one room for a few days until he is using the litter tray and knows where his food and water is.
Your kitten will probably choose their own place to sleep, however, he may appreciate a small and cosy cat bed, with a hot water bottle filled with warm (not hot) water under a blanket. He has never been away from his mother and siblings before, and so this will help to comfort him.
Needless to say, your Bengal kitten will be full of energy, playfulness and nosiness, so supervising him as much as possible over the first few weeks is very important.
Introducing Your Kitten to Children and Pets
When you introduce your kitten to children and pets, you must do so extremely carefully. Your Bengal kitten will have the potential to become best friends with them, however, an introduction that goes wrong will set the tone for the relationship to come.
Children can be very excited when it comes to any new pet, so teach them that they are not a toy and must be handled very gently. You should limit interactions to being short and positive. Remember that kittens do not understand about playing with their teeth and therefore they have the potential to bite your children. But this can be overcome by encouraging any mouthing to be directed towards a toy.
Bengals have personalities much like dogs, and therefore they will get on extremely well with cat-friendly dogs. Allow the introduction to be done on your kitten’s terms though, and for the first few weeks, try to control your dog when they are in the same room, so that he does not become over-excited.
Introducing your Bengal to an existing cat may be trickier. Most cats, apart from Bengals, are not very sociable and prefer their own space. So, if you have an existing cat of a different breed, then provide plenty of space for the cats to get away from each other, and place litter trays and food and water bowls in multiple rooms so they do not need to share.
Your Kittens Diet
With the extensive choice of cat food in the supermarket, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed. But there are some key pieces of information to look out for so that you are confident that you are feeding your kitten a quality food.
When you first pick up your kitten from the breeder, ask what food he was eating, as it is best to keep your kitten on the same food for a couple of weeks while he settles in to his new home. After a couple of weeks, he can be changed onto a kitten food of your choice. It must be a kitten food as adult food does not have the correct quantities of calcium, phosphorus and protein for a growing kitten.
You can feed either wet or dry food, but there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Dry food is the best long term when it comes to dental health. The biting-through action on the biscuits creates abrasion on the outside of the teeth, and as a result, reduces plaque build-up. However, wet food is far more palatable than dry food, and it will also provide a good source of water, which will reduce the chances of your Bengal developing cystitis; a common cat problem.
When choosing what flavour, the most important thing to look at is the main ingredient. This is the first ingredient on the ingredient list. It should be a quality, ethically-sourced, meat-based protein. Fish, in particular, is an excellent source of protein, as not only is it very healthy, but it is full of omega-3 and omega-6 which helps keep your cat’s coat shiny and skin barrier healthy.
Parasite Treatment
You kitten should have been dewormed by the breeder at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks of age. This will be against roundworms. You should deworm your cat every three months if he likes to hunt or is an outdoor cat, and every six months if he is an indoor cat. This should be a deworming treatment which covers both roundworms and tapeworms. It can come in a variety of forms, including a paste, tablet, treat or spot-on pipette.
Preventative flea treatment is also important if you have an outdoor cat, or other pets in the house if your Bengal is an indoor cat. This should be done as frequently as indicated on the medication. Some will require monthly treatments, and some will last up to six months. Preventative flea treatment can come in the forms of a spot-on pipette, tablet, spray or injection.
Vaccinations
It is extremely important for your kitten to be vaccinated, regardless of whether they are going to be an indoor or outdoor cat. The initial vaccination course is two injections, three to four weeks apart. The first one can be given as early as eight weeks of age. After this, they will need yearly booster injections.
There are two components to a cat vaccine:
- Feline flu and enteritis = This part of the
vaccine is a mixture of feline panleukopenia virus (FPV, feline infectious
enteritis), feline herpesvirus (FHV-1, cat flu component) and feline
calicivirus (FCV, cat flu component). This is all given in one vaccine. - Feline leukaemia virus = Otherwise known as
FeLV, this part of the vaccine is usually included as standard, mixed with the
flu and enteritis vaccine, however, you should always check. It is recommended
that all cats get the FeLV vaccine, but some people choose not to vaccinate
with it if their cat resides indoors all the time. As we have discussed on a
previous page, even though the Bengal cat’s ancestors were resistant to FeLV,
it does not mean a Bengal cannot contract it.
Neutering
Neutering is recommended for all cats who will not become breeding cats, especially if they venture outside.
A male cat can be castrated from any time that there are two testicles descended, however most owners choose to wait until at least five months, as then they are a little bigger and can manage the anaesthetic better without their glucose dropping low. The castration procedure takes 5-10 minutes, and your cat will go home a few hours later. Castration is recommended as not only will it eliminate testicular cancers, but it will also reduce roaming, and therefore traffic accidents, reduce spraying in the house, and reduce territorial aggression with neighbouring cats.
A female cat can be spayed at the same age as a male is castrated. This is a slightly longer procedure, but will not take more than 20 minutes. Some vets choose to do the spay procedure through and incision in the flank, and some choose to do it through the midline of the belly. Regardless of the method, the result and speed will be the same. However, the hair may grow back a slightly different colour, particularly if you have a lighter coloured Bengal, and therefore if you would like this hidden, ask your vet for a midline incision. If your cat is going to go outside, spaying her is very important, as otherwise she will certainly have an unwanted litter. It will also reduce her calling instinct when she is in oestrus.
Microchipping
In the UK, it is a law to have your dog microchipped, but not your cat. Nevertheless, it is vitally important that you microchip your Bengal kitten, regardless of whether he lives inside or outside. If he ever became lost, this will help him be easily reunited with you. Cats easily lose collars, especially Bengals, who are extremely inquisitive and love to explore. Therefore, you cannot rely on him to keep a collar on with his identification information. A microchip cannot be lost, and as long as you keep your details up to date with the microchip company, it is an excellent source of identification.
Another reason why you might microchip a Bengal cat, is because Bengals are highly sought after in the thieving world. Since they are a striking, pedigree breed, they can be sold for a high price. Therefore, if you Bengal is ever stolen, it will be easier to reunite him with you and bring the thief to justice if he is microchipped.
Letting Your Kitten Out for the First Time
Once you have vaccinated and neutered your kitten, and he has spent several months in your house, learning that it is the place where he is fed and receives attention, you can let him out for the first time. Initially, this should be under supervision in your own garden. Let him out on a day with fine weather, at a time of day when he is fairly hungry, so that he has a drive to return to the house after not too long.
After a few times like this, you can let him out unattended. It is easiest to install a cat flap in your door, so that you do not need to worry about opening and closing doors all the time. You may initially need to prop it open, until he has got the hang of using it. If you wish to deter cats in the neighbourhood from using the cat flap, other than your cat, investing in a cat flap which only operates via a magnetic collar on your cat or their microchip will ensure only your cat can come in.
Playing with Your Kitten
Bengals are extremely playful. Even more so when they are kittens. When your kitten was very little, he would have played with his mother and littermates, so don’t be surprised when you bring your new kitten home and he wants to play with you.
You should encourage your kitten to play with toys, rather than your fingers or toes. It may seem funny at the time for him to play with you, but as he grows up, biting and scratching your hands and feet will be less enjoyable. Toys which can be thrown away from you and pounced on will provide endless entertainment.
Since Bengals are extremely intelligent, look for more complex toys for your kitten. A toy which you can fill with some treats is a good example, as then once he has pounced on it, he must work out how to get the reward.
Your Bengal will be extremely sociable, and will also try to play with other pets in your house. Some dogs and cats are open to this rough play, but others will become quickly irritated. Therefore, you should supervise this play time at all times. If you can see that your other pet is not enjoying time with the kitten, distract the kitten with some toys, and your kitten will soon realise that playing with you is far more fun.
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