How do I tell which Bengal kitten is the best?
notsure asked:
I have a choice between 2 bengal kittens but not sure which is best. I have read the Bengal Standards (show standards) but in a kitten its sort of hard to tell what to look for since they are only about a month old right now. What should I look for specifically?
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I have a choice between 2 bengal kittens but not sure which is best. I have read the Bengal Standards (show standards) but in a kitten its sort of hard to tell what to look for since they are only about a month old right now. What should I look for specifically?
February 27th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
If you don’t know this answer then you obviously haven’t researched the breed very well. All cats have a specific breed standard.
Are you looking for a pet quality cat or a show quality cat?
Is the cattery providing a pedigree and breeding from Champion animals?
What registry are the cats with?
Are they requiring that you spay/neuter the kitten? If not, backyard breeder.
Is the cattery providing a health guarantee?
How old do they allow their kittens to leave the cattery?
A lot of greedy backyard breeders are selling domestic cats with the spotted tabby pattern and telling people they are “Bengals”. I actually saw one of those on here. Some woman in I think it was Kansas claiming she’s selling “Bengals”. Greed does funny things to people.
Does this cattery have a website? If they do - link us to them and I could tell you in 30 seconds whether this is someone you should consider buying a cat from or not.
I do hope you’re not just getting a Bengal because you thought it “would be cool” or to “impress others”. Bengals are VERY active cats and can be VERY aggressive if not properly trained and handled. I’ve seen hundreds of them at shows and they are NOT a breed I would ever want in my home, that’s for sure.
March 1st, 2009 at 5:29 pm
by smile & SMIL
March 1st, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I have a bengal cat of my own and I bought him last year.. (so he is almost a year now). If you are looking for a bengal with great spots this is visible even at 8 -12 weeks. The price the breeder determines cannot be determined until this age due to the spots are not completely formed yet. So based on this has the breeder already put a price down?
Other than the spots make sure to know how big the mother and father are, this will give you an idea of big/small yours will get. Males are larger than females.
Also if you are looking to just have a bengal like I was and the spots don’t matter as much to you, I picked up 3 different bengal males and the one that took to me the best is the one I purchased.
I hope this helps!
p.s. It is true Bengals CAN get aggressive. But the ONLY time mine becomes a little bit aggressive is when he is VERY upset, like when unfamiliar cats come into my house. But don’t let this scare you at all! They are more like dogs then cats is the best way to put it. The thing is they are more like children I find. It is harder to train them and they do not scare easily so when they want to do something they are going to do it. Training is more work with him then my other 2 house cats. They are ALOT more active so I advise not getting just one cat.(mind also loves to fetch his mice!)
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:02 am
You are correct. Bengal markings and coat contrast change quite a lot between the ages of 3 months and 2 years. This makes it difficult to predict how your kitten’s coloring will look when grown up.
In general kittens tend to have mono color markings that will gain different hues as they mature (e.g black rosettes -> black/grey/red/orange), plus the background color may change from light cream to light grey with black ticks. This can mean that dramatic colored kittens can be less so as they mature - however sometimes the color variation can be stunning - it is a bit of a gamble!
However some guidelines can be helpful:
- Do the parents have good clear markings?
- Did they win awards at shows?
- Do you like how the parents look - build and head type?
Build and form can be just as important as colors (e.g musculature + head type) means that a good Bengal looks like a little leopard - as opposed to merely a spotted tabby.