All about Bengal cats and cats

Bengal cats differ from other breeds in their special cunning and unique intelligence. During active games, these beautiful graceful animals often show their wild nature, but at the same time they are very sociable and friendly pets that easily find contact with people and other pets. The conditions of keeping and feeding these cats largely determine the lifespan of such a pet.

The history of Bengal cats began relatively recently - in 1961. In those years, the famous genetic biologist Jean Mill worked on the development of a new breed. A little earlier, she went to Bangkok and saw there wild cats Felis Bengalensis - they were remarkable for their amazing beauty, their skin was considered especially valuable, so the population was quickly exterminated and was on the verge of extinction. In those years, small kittens were sold in large numbers to all tourists who came to the country.

Seeing a kitten with such an unusual color, Jean Mill immediately decided to purchase one of them and brought it to America, where she lived and worked. To her surprise, the animal turned out to be completely non-aggressive, although it did not show affection either and tried to stay completely alone.

The result of this union was a healthy kitten with a rather unusual coloration. It was then that Jean Mill came up with the idea to create an affectionate and kind pet with an exotic appearance. In 1991, her efforts were crowned with success and the geneticist was able to present a new breed at the ongoing international cat show.

Representatives of many exotic short-haired breeds, as well as Persian cats, took part in the formation of the breed. The first representatives of this breed came to the territory of our country in 1997.

The Bengal cat looks like a small leopard. The standards of the American Association ACFA clearly state that the goal of breeding Bengal cats is to obtain a domestic cat with a gentle character, but so that in its physical parameters it does not lag behind the representatives of the feline family living in their natural habitat - in the wild forest. They are hardy cats with characteristic external features, they have bright patterns on the soft glossy fur and slender paws.

They are characterized by the following features.

• Ears set high, short, with rounded tips and a wide base. On the outside on each ear there is a light spot - it looks like someone pressed it with a finger.
• Voluminous cheeks, mustache pads are quite large.
• The body is oblong, well-muscled, the skeleton is strong, the neck is slightly elongated. Females are smaller in size and weight than males.
• The head is wedge-shaped, its contour is softened. The line from the chin to the lobe is strictly vertical, the nose is pronounced. The bridge of the nose is flat and wide.
• The eyes are oval, set wide apart, rather large. The color of the iris can be anything except blue (this color is found only in Bengal kittens of the Lynx Point breed).
• The coat is short, thin, glossy, quite close to the body, resembles satin to the touch. Small kittens usually have longer fur than adults. Its color can be dark, red or light, the spots are evenly distributed over the body.
• The tail is medium, its structure is medium, from the very beginning to the tip it is covered with characteristic spots.
• The neck is wide, very strong, usually in proportion.

The breed standard suggests the following possible colors.

• Brown tabby - This is a typical leopard print, with all shades of brown, from reddish to brick brown, allowed. The drawing is necessarily black-brown, while whitish rims are possible on the stomach, neck, chin, as well as in the area of ​​the pillow and around the eye.

• Silver tabby - assumes a light color of the animal, while the base color is white with the presence of shades of gray. The drawings are in the same shades, but slightly darker.

• Snow - this color is presented in three versions: color-point (it looks like a Sim), as well as sepia and mink - these colors are close to golden-beige tones.

• Carbonic - the fur of such animals is of cold gray or brown tones with a darker pronounced pattern.

• Blue - suggests a silvery color scheme with low contrast patterns.

• Silver - with a low-contrast pattern.

The spots on the body of a Bengal cat can be either horizontally located on the body, or placed arbitrarily. Each spot stands out quite clearly against the general background, no less pronounced is the "necklace" in the neck area.

The presence of rosettes and rings in the tail area is encouraged, according to the standards, the presence of spots on the belly is also required. The spots themselves can be of several shapes: similar to a bunch of grapes, an arrowhead, an animal's footprint or a bagel.

The appearance of the Bengal cat is very spectacular and even somewhat formidable - the animal immediately feels the wild nature. It is for this reason that many consider the breed to be quite aggressive. In practice, this is completely untrue - despite its natural roots, the animal is perfectly adapted to living together with people. Most importantly, it treats cats with great respect and accepts all the behavioral features of the pet.

Like many other purebred cats, Bengal cats are very fond of affection and joint games with their owner, but this does not mean that they need to be held in their arms for hours. Weasel should be moderate and only when your pets demand it. Often there are times when the cat is not in the mood and does not allow itself to be stroked - this is the norm and you should not worry about this.

Bengal cats categorically do not accept superiority over themselves, therefore, it is not worthwhile to apply educational measures to this animal - they will still be unsuccessful. The only way to get obedience from a cat is it is to gain confidence in her and negotiate.

Despite their rather wayward nature, Bengalis are very sensitive and understand children. Even if the baby starts to dress his pet in clothes or takes it by the tail, the cat will maintain complete external calmness. Another advantage of the breed is full contact and understanding with dogs and cats of other breeds, therefore, it can be safely taken into a house where there is already some living creature.

Some breeders teach Bengal cats to the hands from the very childhood. But you shouldn't do it since later the cat will require constant contact with the owner and almost round-the-clock coexistence. Agree, in the conditions of modern life, it is almost impossible to provide such conditions for a pet.

Please be aware that before reaching 7-8 months, Bengal cats and cats are too active and, it seems, are ready to play and frolic for days, sweeping away everything that gets in their way. If this behavior does not suit you, it is better to immediately refuse to buy such an animal and get a representative of a more compliant breed.

Over time, cats become more restrained and quiet, but even in adulthood, they still do not suit for the role of couch pets. At any moment in your life Bengalis need a lot of gamesso that they can release their seething energy in a harmless direction.

Do not forget that wild blood flows in the veins of this cat. Constant stay at home is not for them, they need periodic walks in the fresh air. It is advisable to take the cat to the dacha or to a country house in the warm season - walking there is relatively safe, since there is no such traffic flow as in the city, and a well-fenced area with a high fence will limit the pet's boundaries for his mini-travel.

If it happens that the cat runs away, then rest assured that he will not disappear and, if necessary, can feed and protect himself, and in time he will definitely find his way home.

Bengal cats can easily endure a short separation from their owners, but if your absence drags on for a long time and you determine the animal for overexposure, then the pet will experience severe stress and may even wither away from boredom. This fact should be borne in mind before purchasing an animal of this breed.

If your occupation is associated with frequent business trips, then constant separation will make your pet extremely insecure, nervous and unbalanced.in addition, a person can completely lose confidence on the part of the animal, since the cat will think every time that you abandoned her forever.

Bengal cats live 12-13 years, but with proper care, creating comfortable living conditions for them and balanced nutrition, there are often cases when pets were 17-18 years old and even more.

In general, animals are in good health from nature, therefore only the life span of the pet fully depends on the breeders... Cats must be kept clean, eat right, get all the necessary vitamins, micro- and macroelements, be able to play actively and avoid stressful situations. In this case, be sure that your cat will stay with you for many, many years.

It is best to buy a Bengal kitten in a special cattery specializing in breeding this particular breed of cats. Before making a final choice, be sure to talk to the breeders, ask about the health status and character of the parents of the kitten you like. It is important that the animals are free from hereditary and chronic diseases, be non-aggressive and as balanced as possible.

It is better to pick up a little Bengali at the age of 2.5-3 months - at this age, the kitten can already do without breast milk. As a rule, by 2-3 months the animals have been vaccinated, quarantined and vaccinated all the behavioral skills important for keeping at home - food culture, rules for using the tray, especially communicating with their own kind.

When choosing a kitten, you need to pay attention to its physical condition - the animal should be moderately well-fed, with delicate fur. It is usually smoky and fluffy in pups, but not as smooth as in adult cats. By 5-6 months, the color is already guessed, the most contrasting patterns will become only after a year.

If you have a pet for the soul and do not intend to professionally breed, preference should be given to pet-class kittens. They cost a little less, but are completely unsuitable for breeding. Typically, these animals are subsequently spayed or castrated to avoid unwanted pregnancies in females and to achieve calmness in males.

Usually cats are castrated at the age of 8-9 months. For cats, sterilization operations are carried out at about the same time, but preferably before the onset of the first estrus - at the age of 6-8 months, you should consult a veterinarian who will determine the optimal time for surgery.

If you intend to breed kittens for sale, then it is better to opt for show or breed class animals., they are expensive, but their breeding characteristics are usually exceptionally high.

When choosing a pet, many are guided by the peculiarities of caring for the animal. In this regard, Bengal cats are completely unpretentious.

The coat of Bengalis is rather short, therefore it does not require daily brushing - processing with a special brush is allowed twice a week... The nails are clipped once every two months, the ears are cleaned as they become dirty. This procedure is carried out using cotton pads slightly moistened with water at room temperature.

Bathing Bengalis as needed, although these animals love to splash in the water, unlike many of their other counterparts. If the animal is bathed, rest assured that you will not face problems such as scratched hands. The rest of the requirements are similar to the standard ones and comply with all the rules and regulations for the care of any other pets.

Hygiene is important - cat litter should be washed regularly, and bowls of water and food should be washed every day. The animal is not allowed to stay in an overly stuffy and hot room; hypothermia is also best avoided.

The only thing you have to do all the time is to play with your pets. By nature, Bengalis are active and energetic, they have a physiological need to release their energy and it is in the interests of the breeder to make sure that this release occurs in the right direction, otherwise you will not avoid broken vases, scratches on furniture and soft toys torn into shreds.

Please be aware that cats of this breed need a lot of space - this is not surprising, because they need a lot of toys, all kinds of ropes and tunnels with labyrinths, as well as separate shelves and manholes on the walls, where they can frolic all day while their owner is busy. If you are the owner of a small apartment, then it is better to take a closer look at cats of other breeds.

Bengalis love water, so periodically allow them to swim in the pool or at least take a shower. Believe me, the animals will be grateful to you.

It should be noted that cats of this breed are distinguished by exceptional cleanliness. They very carefully bury their tray, some are even so squeamish that they simply will not go to the toilet if it is stale. Bengal breeders should change the litter box as often as possible.

You shouldn't save on fillers either - you need to choose one that absorbs moisture and perfectly masks the smell, the cat must think that the filler is fresh. If you buy a cheap product, you will be forced to change it at least once a day, and the resulting savings will turn out to be very dubious.

Adaptation to a new home and new living conditions is always considered quite difficult for any animal, especially for a kitten, torn from its mother. After buying a little Bengali, it is very important to surround your pet with care and attention - the kitten should feel protected and surrounded by loving people. It's quite simple - you just need to follow a few rules, and then the adaptation and training of a Bengali will take more than a month.

On the very first day of a baby's stay in a new place, you do not need to constantly pick him up and offer active games, you cannot scare him. The kid should get used to the new habitat and sniff. For the first few hours, it's best to leave the animal alone and leave it to him to decide where to sit, where to walk, and how to spend his day.

At this moment, it is advisable to limit the space for adaptation to the confines of one room; the Bengali should discover all new horizons not immediately, but gradually. In the room prepared for him, you should install a bowl of food, a drinker, a sleeping place, a house and a tray. Keep in mind, the kitten should be taught to order from the very first days - after that it will be too late to do this.

Naturally, a kitten at this age is not yet accustomed to the litter box and can misbehave at any time. There is no need to shout at him, swear, poke his nose, and even more so to spank - training the animal to the litter box should be calm, so that the pet is not afraid of the owner, but understands him.

It is extremely important to arrange a separate place for the baby. - it can be a small mattress or a cat's house, always in a quiet corner. Take a closer look at the animal - usually he himself chooses the place that he likes, and you just have to equip the sleeping area there.The choice of a kitten may be the most unexpected - some sleep with the owners, others - under the battery, behind the TV or on the windowsill.

During the first time a Bengali is in the house, you should exclude any loud sounds, music and other factors that may frighten the cat. The more comfortable the environment, the faster he can get used to it. If other pets also live in the apartment, then you need to get to know them gradually and very delicately. Do not forget that any animal is initially jealous of the accession of new pets, so contact with dogs or other cats should be strictly under the control of the owner.

Be sure to remove all sharp and dangerous objects. Out of habit, the baby can get hurt, and this will most likely lead to the manifestation of strong aggression in the pet.

Raising a kitten is impossible without establishing a trusting relationship - play with him more often, take care of, be sure to encourage him for correct behavior and call him by name. The pet should feel your constant care and realize its importance in the house. Bengalis are incredibly sensitive, they can easily read the intonation of the owners and even understand the meaning of individual words.

The Bengal cat should receive a complete, balanced diet. The best option would be specialized dry food, they contain a full range of useful vitamins, micro- and macroelements necessary for the full growth and development of a cat. Such foods usually do not harm the teeth of the animal, while providing the cat with the necessary proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

If your pet's main diet is dry food, be sure to make sure that the cat drinks a lot. If the amount of fluid entering the body is insufficient, it can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Keep in mind that Bengalis tend to gamble in the water whenever possible, which often causes the drinking bowl to be upside down, so be sure to keep an eye on the amount of liquid in the bowl.

If it seems to you that your pet drinks too little, purchase specialized drinkers in the shape of a fountain. The sound of murmuring water makes animals involuntarily want to get drunk.

However, you can feed the Bengal cat with natural food, in this case the basis of the diet must necessarily be meat. Usually they use rabbit meat or beef, it can be fed raw or boiled. Fish is also needed by animals, but it should be included no more than twice a week.... It is better to avoid shallow river fish - there are too many bones in it, in addition, such fish are often affected by helminths, so it must be boiled or offered to the animal exclusively from the sea.

In addition to meat products, animals need fermented milk products and low-fat cream. An essential part of the daily diet is considered vegetables. Usually animals eagerly eat cucumbers, as well as bell peppers and tomatoes. Additionally should be included in the menu porridge, it is advisable to cook them in water without salt, sugar and oil.

If possible, you should mix fresh herbs with food. - it can be beet or carrot tops, lettuce or dill, but it is better to avoid spicy herbs with a pungent smell.

It is forbidden to regale cats with spicy, fried, as well as salty and pickled foods.

It is believed that cats love to feast on milk.In fact, the body of an adult cat does not synthesize enzymes that can digest this product, so its inclusion in the diet is justified only if we are talking about kittens no older than 3-4 months. Once every 7-10 days, you can offer cats chicken or quail eggs.

After the animals have developed taste preferences and you have compiled a permanent menu for them, you should definitely visit your veterinarian. The list of products for your pet may need to be shortened or, on the contrary, expanded.

Bengal cats are naturally healthy creatures, and a couple of years ago, only intestinal disorders and a too weak stomach were named among the problems of these animals. However, these pathologies did not affect the life span of the pet in any way.

However, recently, information has been received from the owners about other diseases of Bengalis, which are often diagnosed in kittens - these are flat chest syndrome and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In the first case, the sternum puts too much pressure on the heart and lungs, causing breathing problems in the kitten, and in the second, one heart wall is thicker than the other. Both ailments most often lead to the sudden death of a pet.

Veterinarians include the formation of cysts on the kidneys and even blood cancer as hereditary diseases. To avoid difficult situations breeders are better off not experimenting with nutrition and not feeding their cats food from a common table - what is well absorbed by the human body can be dangerous for the cat.

Do not mix natural food and feed use - the fact is that dry and wet foods are digested differently by the organs of the digestive system, therefore, mixed feeding will lead to serious gastrointestinal pathologies. If, for one reason or another, you are forced to transfer your Bengali from one feed to another, then this should be done gradually - usually it takes about a month for a complete replacement.

Some lines of Bengal cats cannot boast of good immunity. As a rule, this happens in cats, whose ancestors were often crossed with close relatives.

Reviews of the owners of Bengal cats indicate that such animals are not suitable for people with a balanced temperament who like to sit alone in the evenings in front of the TV. The owner of such a cat must have truly steel nerves, because the pet will be too active and will require constant attention.

Animals of this breed are characterized by increased sexual activity, so cats begin to mark their territory, and females "sing" at night. However, all these phenomena completely stop with the castration / sterilization of the animal.

There is no particular problem for a Bengali to climb a high concrete fence or catch a bird in flight. They are strong, with well-developed muscles and very tenacious claws, and their natural curiosity does not allow them to give up what they have begun halfway through. In the house, cats need free space and a place for a play corner - only in this case they will be able to fully satisfy their need for a sports lifestyle.

Genetically, these cats have a passion for water, so do not resist if the animal wants to take a bath with the owner. At the same time, the kittens will try to throw all toys, tubes of shampoo, jars of creams and all other items that will only be in the access zone into the bathroom.

There is an opinion that Bengalis are aggressive animals, but the reviews of the owners refute this statement.... Most of the cats are extremely intelligent and friendly. Animals become aggressive only if they were raised in open-air cages and do not have frequent contact with people. Cats and cats, who from early childhood were surrounded by care and affection, are always quite meek, docile and understanding, they will never attack one of the family members and guests of the house.

At the same time, spotted Bengal cats are distinguished by an exceptionally jealous disposition - they are complete owners and egoists, so one should not allow the slightest disregard for her person or show sympathy for another animal.

If you keep several pets in the house, then you should bring up a Bengali in friendship with them from the very first days. By the way, Bengalis get along very well with dogs and love to play with him. This is probably due to the fact that both those and other representatives of the animal world love to protect and defend their territory. Bengalis easily distinguish their owners and their family members from strangers and will never be given to outsiders.

Owners of cats of this breed note that their pets adore talking to people, and at the same time they emit cooing sounds that are much more reminiscent of playful chirping and chirping than meowing.

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