equently Asked Questions and Anrs
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What is the Typical Bengal Personality? Typical Bengal Personality?
Bengals are very active, intelligent and unique cats. They do not parallel any other breed or mix of cat.
They are extremely playful, active, social, interactive and intelligent. This can make them a rather demanding pet for attention and your time. A Bengal will not care if you have had a long tiring day at work as they are all rested for your arrival home.
This is one of the reasons why they really do require a suitable playmate and do not do as well as an only pet. The most suitable is another Bengal. Most of our kittens leave in pairs or within a few months of each other. It also wards off unwanted behaviours of people being played with like another Bengal.
Their intelligence makes them easy to train as well as more emotionally sensitive. They will stress easier to an emotional household than many other pets which could lead to unwanted stress behaviours. This will also make good litter box habits essential to reinforce. Including the human side of making sure they are happy with the number, placement type of box and type of litter. Cleanliness of their litter boxes are a must for a Bengal. It is important to note that we have had a few kittens returned for inappropriate elimination issues, each one self corrected with being placed in a new home. All related to stressful environments created by their new owners. One other had a litterbox placement issue which the owner resolved with the help of a behaviorist.
They have very strong reasoning abilities in which they can figure out how to get in or out of about anything they want.
A Bengal is not for a home where the decor and furniture mean more than them. They love high places and are very athletic but not always very accurate. At least the first year of owning a Bengal would be putting away your valuables. A Bengal will be interested in every square inch of your household including bookshelves, lamps and many other things you have never seen a cat show interest in.
Many Bengals love water and will get involved in any way they can, it may not always be safe for them so making sure you have knobs rather than handles on your plumbing fixtures is highly suggested.
Bengals also can have an insatiable appetite for their food and yours.
Many Bengals will sleep with you in your bed at night and sit with you to watch a bit of TV but they should definitley not be purchased as a lap cat or a couch potato Some of our Bengals do sit on our laps but not all. They are very active and and will keep busy for many hours of the day.
Bengals generally do well with children and other pets but again are very demanding for your time and attention. Yes, most Bengals will follow you around the house which many consider to be doglike. They are much smarter than a dog however.
Almost everyday I get a story or a video clip of the latest antics from one of our Bengal owners. As Spencer and Lilly's mom, Alice says, "I may be smarter than a fifth grader but not a Bengal."
There are times I think of running a story or picture contest for our Bengal owners. Many say they can never imagine their life without their Bengals.
To love and live with a Bengal means to accept them for who they are not what you want them to be. You really have to have a good sense of humor to have a Bengal or they are not the breed you are looking for.
Are Bengals fine to be an only pet?
Bengal kittens are not best suited as an only pet. Like most kittens they do better with another kitten our energetic cat. They will also do well with a very cat friendly and cat safe dog.This is because no human can imitate nor have the energy to substitute Bengal play. They do get lonely even when people are home as they are very social creatures. The need to kitty wrestle, run and chase are quite essential to the mental well being of the Bengal cat. They also have the need to groom one another, only as cats can do. I have learned how important a compatible feline companion is, especially to kittens that I really do not like to place our kittens as only pets.
Even responsible shelters/rescues do not place kittens as only pets as they are often more destructive and more likely have less inhibition when it comes to scratching and biting. Having a BFF, Best Feline Friend, is an outlet to curb that behavior. It is a big reason that kittens are returned.
Very occasionally they can do well as an only pet but generally they thrive best with another Bengal. Other energetic pets can also make sutiable playmates for them as well. A laid back cat will find the Bengal a nuissance and that is when we get a call looking for another Bengal.
Retired breeding cats may do better as an only pet, but not always.
If you are planning on owning a Bengal you should keep an open mind for acquiring another Bengal or a suitable companion for them.
This is so important to us we do offer discounts for pairs and previous clients.
Please read the following link from top feline behaviorist and Bengal Rescue co-ordinator, Marilyn Krieger
http://www.catchannel.com/experts/marilyn-krieger/make-it-two.aspx
Why are Jazzle Bengal's kitten prices different than many other breeders?
To provide the quality and care of the Bengals we breed is very expensive.To purchase most show quailty breeding cats, prices can range from $2000 to $3500. Before we even breed a litter, we need to do health screenings on our breeding cats. HCM screens generally cost is $400 per cat each year, Eye exams are $45-$65 per cat each year, then there are fecal tests, FeLK/FIV testing, vaccines, veterinary care,proper housing, food, litter, toys,cat trees, disinfecting and cleaning supplies, office supplies, etc, . ALL before we even breed a litter.
Each kitten is Spayed or Neutered before they leave ($150-$250 each), Microchipped ($50), FeLK/FIV tested ($50), Fecal tested ($50), Eye Certification ($45-$65 each), Heart Auscultation ($50), vaccines, parasite/worming protocol ($75), and then there is food, litter, toys, bedding, etc. Socialization and love for each kitten born here...priceless.
As you see it is very expensive to responsibly breed Bengals. We also, occasionally, have unforseen situations like Ceasarian Sections that may arise. To maintain a well run cattery, even in your home also requires costly maintenance and care.
Most important is that you will have lifetime support from us. We guarantee that. These kittens are raised in our home and each and every one of them is very special to us.
When choosing a Bengal or any pet, I cannot stress enough to pick your breeder first, then pick your kitten. Purchasing a kitten from someone just based on price, pictures and/or availability at that time can easliy turn into an unhappy event.
As a breeder who does all this, I can tell you that for a 24/7 commitment, it is not for the money. It is for the passion of creating better Bengals.
What if I cannot afford that much for a Bengal kitten?
Other options to explore are retired breeding cats, which we have from time to time
Bengal Rescue is another resource for acquiring a Bengal for an adoption fee www.bengalrescuenetwork.org is where you can rescue a Bengal in need.
We cannot recommend purchasing a Bengal or any pet from someone who is not doing proper health screenings, or a pet store, just to save money. It is not in the best interest for the Bengal and in the end you often get what you pay for.
Do Bengals have any health concerns?
We have provided important information lower down on this page. We take every precaution with our breeding practices to greatly reduce the risk of future health issues.
Why does Jazzle Bengals spay and neuter all pet kittens before they leave?
There are several reasons for this. First of all, Early Spay/Neuter (ESN) has been proven to be a safe practice for many years. Young kittens recover far quicker than older kittens and adutls. They are generally up and playing within hours and eating too. They go with their littermates which makes this far less stressful than going alone. Our veterinarian is also is quite competant in this procedure and we never have to worry about something going wrong elsewhere. It also gives the new owners peace of mind that it is taken care of and all that is needed to do is a booster and a rabies vaccine. New owners can focus on bonding with their new kittens and do not have to worry about this medical procedure. We do not allow any of our pet kittens to leave unaltered.
Why do I have to fill in a questionaire and have a phone interview to be considered as a potential home?
We love our kittens and feel fully responsible to make sure they go to a home as good as or better than what they have here. We want to make sure it is an appropriate fit for both the kitten and owner. That is my pledge to each and every one of them. If I fail then I have failed them. When you purchase a kitten from us, you become family in some way. We are going to know each other for a very long time.We are always there for our kittens and their families.
What is you visitor policy?
We love to have visitors that we have met over the phone and answered our 'questionnaire'. This is our home and we do like to know the people who are visiting for our safety and that of our pets.
We also will only accept visitors that have not been to any other cattery the same day. The risk of one bringing in viruses, bacteria or parasites on clothes and shoes from another cattery is high and would not be fair to our cats & kittens.
We reserve visitations for serious purchasers only due to limited time schedules.
May we contact any of your veterinarians or kitten owners?
Most certainly! In fact, we encourage it. I do have to let our veterinarians know you will be calling so they can have permission to discuss our cats with you. We have many of our kitten owners who would be glad to share what their experience with us was like and talk about their Bengals.
Do you attend many cat shows?
We have significantly reduced the amount of cat shows we attend. This is for many reasons that we have made this decision.
Cat shows are expensive, we feel that health has to come before anything, therefore our money is far better spent on health screenings, high quality food, and environmental enrichment for our Bengals. Going to shows means we are not here with our Bengals.
In the best interest of keeping our Bengals healthy, taking them into an environment of 125-250 cats is posing possible risks. Many cats at shows are stressed and some exhibitors do bring unhealthy cats to show. Suppressing their symptoms with antibiotics but it does not make them any less contagious. There are people showing Bengals with contagious diseases in our region. We do not want to bring home any of these diseases with us.
There are a handful of respected judges who understand the Bengal standard and we value their opinion greatly. There are many judges that their interpretation of the Bengal breed standard seems quite far off of what is written. It is not necessarily in the best interest of the improvement of the Bengal breed. Titles can be earned by spending alot of money and going to many shows, not necessarily that it is a superior cat.
The political aspiriations at cat shows sometimes hamper the quality of judging. We are not interested in playing politics to earn titles or ribbons.
Cat shows are for the people not for the cat. It can be more of a game then a true evaluation of each cat that is shown. Titles do not mean anything in regards to health, temperament and even physical attributes. It does not make one a better breeder or have better quality Bengals.
We will probably attend one to two shows a year to see friends and see the current show cats in person. We try to show when we do not have kittens here.
Genetic Health Concerns in Bengal Cats
Any purebred animal is likely to have genetic health concerns. The popularity of the Bengal has significantly increased the visibility, and maybe the prevalence of, health concerns. Domestic cats whether pedigreed or not can have many health issues.
Here are some of the major health problems we deal with in Bengals. This information should help you know what questions to ask breeders; you may even want to ask for copies of health screens breeders have conducted on their cats. It may help you decide if you would want to only want to purchase a kitten from breeders who can physically prove genetic screenings on the parents of each litter.
HCM or Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
This heart disease is known to exist in ALL cats. Bengals are at high risk for HCM because a high incidence of HCM has been identified in the breed. Thus, it is imperative that breeding cats be screened, at least, annually, by a Board Certified Cardiologist in person.
What is HCM?
HCM is a disease of the left ventricle of the heart. HCM can range from undetectable and very mild, so that a cat will live for years with no detectable health problems, , to severe, in which cases the first symptom can be sudden death as young as less than one year of age. HCM can have early and aggressive onset which means some cats will die very young. Some others can go for years without any issues as they are mildly affected. This is what is called 'variable expression or penetrance'. A cat with mild HCM can also produce a severe case of HCM.
HCM is an autosomal dominant genetic disease, which means one parent of an HCM-positive cat has the affected gene. There are times when a cat is asymptomatic and an affected cat may not have echocardiographic evidence of the disease but it is there, this is not the norm but does happen occasionally. Often it is because the cat was misdiagnosed, poor quality equipment, inexperience on the part of the ultrasonagrapher, or status was based on one or two ultrasounds early in life.
Very rarely do spontaneous mutations occur that would cause HCM and this would be more probable in randomly bred cats. Therefore we must always consider HCM a genetic disease and treat all results as such. Some cats may be asymptomatic, and an affected cat may not have echocardiographic evidence of the disease but can pass it on to offspring and may develop disease later in life..
This means breeders are also watching for HCM screening results of offspring because they can be as informative as the parents’ screenings.
Echocardiograms are the best tool we have to screen for this disease. They are not perfect, but it will be many years, if ever, before we have a DNA test that will replace the need to screen with the current protocol.
To not screen would be most irresponsible to the future of the Bengal breed and the kittens they produce. It is possible to detect most of the HCM-positive cats and remove them from breeding programs. We have even chosen not to use cats in our program that are negative on an echocardiogram but that we feel uncomfortable with the whole picture of their heart health based upon clinical evidence and pedigree analysis.
HCM can have early and aggressive onset which means some cats will die very young. Many others can go for years without any issues as they are mildly affected. This is what is called 'variable expression'. A cat with mild HCM can also produce a severe case of HCM.
One thing we do know is that HCM is genetic and cannot be attributed to any other cause.
Here at Jazzle Bengals we screen our males every 6 months and our females at least every 12 months, based upon the recommendation of our cardiologist.
We will never breed a cat that has a heart problem or defect of any kind. No cat is that beautiful to risk the lives of their kittens and future generations.
In the event the status of one of our breeding cats changes, we will notify families that have any of their offspring. Some offspring may be affected and owners may select to check for early signs of HCM through screening.
We do encourage our buyers to screen their cats by 2 years of age and every 2-3 years after as routine care for their Bengal. This is just being proactive and in hopes that all will be fine, but early detection can be an advantage for a better prognosis with appropriate treatment.
Here are some very valuable links on HCM:
www.cfa.org/articles/health/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy.html
www.catvet.homestead.com/Hypertrophic_Cardiomyopathy_for_Breeders.pdf
www.cavalierhealth.org/Cardiologists.htm for a list of Board Ceritified Cardiologists
www.acvim.org The organization that certifies Cardiologists
www.uvsonline.com Our cardiologist, Dr. Aaron Wey, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)
Other Genetic Issues in Bengals
There are other genetic issues in Bengals just not as prevalent as HCM. Which include FIP , PK Defiency, PKD (different from PK Defiency), Cataracts, PRA, Allergies, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Lymphoma, Hip Dysplasia, Luxating Patellas and some neurologic disorders.
It is imperative that breeders do not disregard any of these issues or use cats in their breeding programs that may have such diseases or problems.
What other health testing and protocols does Jazzle Bengals use?
PKD
All of our breeding cats are normal by ultrasound or parentage for Polycystic Kidney Disease. It is now being found that Bengal cats are appearing with PKD. Unfortunately the genetic test does not work for our breed at this time.
http://www.felinepkd.com/
FIP
Feline Infectious Peritonitus in Bengal cats has a strong genetic base. It is a mutation of the Feline Enteric Coronavirus in which 80-90% of cats have but only a small percentage will not be able to amount an appropriate immune response to the FECV and will mutate into FIP. There are no tests that can be done for this disease in live cats. Breeders who are trying to work away from FIP issues should spay and neuter cats that have produced more than 1 FIP kitten and should be very careful if using siblings to kittens that have died of FIP.
Dr. Neils Pedersen at UC Davis has the most up to date information on the disease.
www.sockfip.info
Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency
This is a new genetic issue we are seeing in Bengal cats. We do have a DNA test for this disease and are now able to prevent kittens from being affected by it Deficiency. It causes anemia in cats and can present mild to severe and at different ages.
All of our breeding cats are either normal or carriers, however, we will not breed a carrier to a carrier. We also will not use an affected cat in our program.
http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/pkdeficiency.php
http://www.abyssinianclub.com/breed-information/breeders-and-breeding/pk-deficiency-qa.html
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/pk_deficiency/info.html
Other health issues
We are very careful in our selection of who we breed to make sure that the Bengals we are breeding do not produce or display issues that we are unable to test for. If a concern arises we are very serious about addressing an issue to prevent any further problems.
