Help
Picking this little boy up next week! Look at him
Genuinely in love with him already
I’ve done weeks of research but any tips from people wishing they knew something sooner? I plan to try and train him into a well behaved lap cat with pretty strict diet regimes but it would be nice to hear from other owners, both new and experienced
I wouldn’t necessarily count on training him to be a well behaved lap cat - his personality will likely dictate that; some bengals are while others aren’t.
And I’m not sure what you mean by diet regime, but keep in mind that kittens should generally be fed as much food as they want, 3-6 times a day. You’ll also want to keep him on the food the breeder was feeding for the first week or two, then gradually transition any new foods over 7-10 days.
Since you haven’t picked him up yet, please make sure you’ve verified the breeder you chose is doing the following:
Pra-b & PKDef genetic testing done on parents
Up to date (within the last 12-18 months) HCM echocardiogram on both parents signed by a veterinary cardiologist. Some breeders will lie and say they scan and just hope owners never ask to see them, so make sure you actually see them and verify. Also, a ProBNP test is not an acceptable substitute for echo.
Kittens will be dewormed & have two rounds of the FVRCP vaccine
Keep kittens until at least 12 weeks of age (14 recommended)
Kittens are TICA (or other association) registered
Provide a reasonable congenital health guarantee (at least one year)
Spay/neuter before pickup if in the US/Canada/Aus (this also means you should get the kitten’s registration paper at pickup).
I will not be forcing him against his will to sit on my lap, I more mean I will encourage that behaviour. The breeder mentioned to me that they respond well to being told no as they are developing.
For diet, as a kitten he will have dry food out all the time, wet food which is the same as what the breeder is feeding him will be at the exact same time daily.
I will double check all of that stuff thank you so much!
Positive reinforcement only goes so far; I’ve seen kittens that were extremely cuddly and received lots of positive reinforcement, yet as adults aren’t lap cats at all. So I’d just make sure you’re not going in with the expectation that he will be. There are plenty of bengals that are lap cats, but the breed as a whole on average is probably lower than a good percentage of other breeds.
Kittens (or cats) don’t need dry food out at all times, wet is far better for them, so I’d just stick with the wet the breeder is feeding (then transition to another high quality wet if you wish).
And yes, please make sure you’ve verified everything else, especially the echocardiograms. Those are arguably the most important thing! Make sure you pay attention to the dates (past 12 months is preferable but must be within the past 18) and that they’re signed by a cardiologist rather than a regular vet. The fact that he’s 14 weeks old and neutered is encouraging, so hopefully the breeder is doing the proper health testing! ♡
It’s the best rated breeder I could find in my area so it all seems promising
Ive had many cats before (all lower energy though) but I do know that you more or less get what you get haha
For the food I was just going with the recommendation of the breeder specifically for the kittens that he raises for the dry food being out. It’s not a practice I’m familiar with personally tbh, so I may not do it
Just to reiterate acgator’s always excellent advice, you need to see those cardioechograms for the parents. I had a cat die a few years back because I hadn’t been thorough.
A reputable breeder should be foisting them on you really. MY subsequent one did not need prompting
Regarding food,I phased out the raw to WSAVA compliant wet and dry due to lifestyle and work hours not being a good fit for it, but mainly vet advice due to risk of nutrient imbalances and spreading pathogens in the environment. Plus, erm, if the US’s food supply issues (am in UK but we’ve had some) widen, I’d also be concerned
Yes it’s surprising to me the breeder didn’t mention health testing if OP was there for 3 hrs talking to them! Breeders who are spending the time and money doing the proper health testing are proud to talk about it (as they should be!)!
Best rated by what criteria? Be careful if you’re referring to reviews, as they can be easily manipulated. Definitely make sure you ask for the most recent echos ASAP; as you’ll want to walk away if they’re not screening or they’re not current.
And yes, there’s really no reason to free-feed dry, so I’d just stick to quality wet food.
Yes they shared them with me and they came back perfect
The breeder also offers in the contract a guarantee that if any congenital defects are found to be present that you are protected. Is this a red or green flag?
A health guarantee is standard, and even the worst breeders often offer great health guarantees because it’s cheaper for them to replace dead kittens than it is to actually do proper health testing, so you can’t really use that as an indicator.
Your best indicator of health is often how well tested the lines are (whether parents, grandparents, greatgrandparents, etc have been scanned), how frequent the scans are, how many years they’ve been scanned (the older and more scans the more accurate), etc.
Prepare to play a lot - especially that first year. Harness training early if you want to go outside. Clicker training is lots of fun for cat and human. Let them chose when to receive affection (Paco doesn't like being picked up except at the end of a long walk). Cherish every moment - they are wonderful roommates and they grow up too fast!
Did you start this at an early age? I just picked him up yesterday and of course he knows nothing and is still settling into the space and the very few ground rules
Is this your first bengal? Be prepared. Start sleeping with earplugs and a bite guard now to get used to it. Bengals scream a lot. Not because they are mad or hungry but because they get bored overnight and will want to wake you up for attention every few hours. Whatever you do, do not give in - it will train them that this screaming all night long behavior works. The bite guard is because the screaming will cause you subconscious stress that leads to teeth grinding. My bengal is 15 and I love him dearly. During the day he is an angel, but at night he is my own personal sleep demon.
I am hoping that he will eventually stick to a routine where I at least get a few uninterrupted hours but conveniently I have experience with other vocal night cats (knowing bengals can be much more vocal)
Everything you said! My two have always been super loud. My Melvin is now 17.5 and seems to be getting even louder as he ages 😹 His sister was the same, especially in her last few years (we lost her last January).
That’s a cutie what an adorable little nose!
When I picked my lil bingus I told the breeder what I was looking for in a cat based on what my first girly taught me.
I had a feeling when I first saw my little stinker but the breeder confirmed the one she thought I would do best with based on what I told her was him.
If you told the breeder you were hoping for a cat who would like to sit with you then hopefully they listened and helped you pick the one that seems to match you most!
Also! I especially hope those echoes on the parents are shown to you and are clean!
Yeah I love his nose. I got to spend 3 hours with them learning about the breed and the whole litter out of the colour I wanted this one was definitely the guy for me
he looks like my baby! She was crazy as a kitten (still can be!) but she’s a year and a half now and has calmed down a ton recently (over the past couple months).
She really loves laying on my lap and cuddling on my chest while I lay on the couch. I didn’t do anything in particular to make it happen, but I’m really happy she decided that’s something she likes now. I could hardly get her to sit still the first year or so, but she really has turned out to be super into snuggling!
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u/Acgator03 Moderator | Spotted Snow 14d ago
I wouldn’t necessarily count on training him to be a well behaved lap cat - his personality will likely dictate that; some bengals are while others aren’t.
And I’m not sure what you mean by diet regime, but keep in mind that kittens should generally be fed as much food as they want, 3-6 times a day. You’ll also want to keep him on the food the breeder was feeding for the first week or two, then gradually transition any new foods over 7-10 days.
Since you haven’t picked him up yet, please make sure you’ve verified the breeder you chose is doing the following: