Bengal cats

[Ruptga]

You are buying a cat which will turn out to be a cat and train them LOL.

Yes, unless there's an alien inside of it. Wouldn't want that, now would we?

Oh, there's also the possibility that you'll pick up a cute healthy looking kitten that turns out to be severely inbred, to the point that some of its legs are stunted, it goes deaf or blind, develops internal organ deformities, and/or turns out to be seriously retarded. That doesn't happen a lot, but why deal with it at all? A lot of shelters' adoption fees are comparable to a breeder's costs anyway.

And have you tried to train an adult cat to do anything? Once a cat develops bad litterbox habits it's almost impossible to break them of it, and scratching is a similar problem. I don't like to inherit other peoples' screwups.

 

[Gooberlx2]

A lot of shelters' adoption fees are comparable to a breeder's costs anyway.

I generally agree with the spirit of your post as I believe a lot people of get overly bent out of shape on the subject of breeders vs rescues. But the above is simply untrue. Show me one shelter that has adoption fees in the thousands.

 

[mmntech]

I want a toyger

I hear they're tight.

 

[Ruptga]

I generally agree with the spirit of your post as I believe a lot people of get overly bent out of shape on the subject of breeders vs rescues. But the above is simply untrue. Show me one shelter that has adoption fees in the thousands.

I doubt I could find one, but when my sister got her cat (from a shelter) she paid well over a hundred bucks. However I may have overstated my case, since the cheapest cats I'm finding from a cattery are about $500. I do know that dogs can be gotten for quite a bit cheaper than that, though. About two years ago I got an aussie pup for $200, which is still more than most shelters, but it's 30-50% more, not two to five times as much.

 

[alkemyst]

You are buying a cat which will turn out to be a cat and train them LOL.

Cats can be trained well, they are much harder to train than dogs.

Sadly, most don't give cats the same level of attention as dogs plus many torture the fuck out of them and then wonder why cats turn out crazy and skittish.

 

[alkemyst]

I doubt I could find one, but when my sister got her cat she paid well over a hundred bucks. However I may have overstated my case, since the cheapest cats I'm finding from a cattery are about $500. I do know that dogs can be gotten for quite a bit cheaper than that, though. About two years ago I got an aussie pup for $200, which is still more than most shelters, but it's 30-50% more, not two to five times as much.

There are a lot less 'kittie mills'. Very good purebreed dogs can go for thousands.

Most of the big cats are at least a grand from even a crappy breeder.

Spots and Stripes is on Facebook and rescues these animals from owners that found out they couldn't handle the big cats.

https://www.facebook.com/spotsandstripesbengalcatrescue

 

[Gibsons]

Cats can be trained well, they are much harder to train than dogs.

All true. Dogs want to be trained (given the proper environment etc). Cats need a little motivation for it. Or a lot...

 

[Kushina]

All true. Dogs want to be trained (given the proper environment etc). Cats need a little motivation for it. Or a lot...

Can someone whose "trained' bengal kittens attest to this ? I'm going to have two, not sure how that's going to change the situation. And can someone detail what "training" entails.

 

[MongGrel]

I've always been looking at Bengals, but personally I'd suggest going to a shelter and saving one myself.

What we've always done and have Mega-Cats

Actually those weren't from the shelter but would have been if the wife hadn't saved em.

Off topic I guess, but back on topic think a bit about what you're doing when you get a Bengal.

 

[Ruptga]

Can someone whose "trained' bengal kittens attest to this ? I'm going to have two, not sure how that's going to change the situation. And can someone detail what "training" entails.

I just meant teaching them that urine only ever goes on litter, and claws are only for toys. Realistically, any clawed cat will scratch something you don't want it to, but if you shut that down when they're young it won't happen very often. The urine issue is probably even more important, though it may not be as obvious at first. Once a cat pees on something, short of a thorough professional cleaning, it's practically impossible to make it stop because to them that spot smells like a litter box. Over the life of the cat, that means years of urine soaked into carpet backing, the subfloor, dripping along the inside of vents, etc.

Some people have taught their cat tricks, like you would for a dog, but I don't think that's real common. Most cats just aren't that motivated, even as kittens.

 

[alkemyst]

I've always been looking at Bengals, but personally I'd suggest going to a shelter and saving one myself.

What we've always done and have Mega-Cats

Actually those weren't from the shelter but would have been if the wife hadn't saved em.

Off topic I guess, but back on topic think a bit about what you're doing when you get a Bengal.

You can't even save yourself, thanks for the personal attack.

 

[Ruptga]

Alky shut up. You didn't even quote a personal attack, but here's one for you. You're a manchild and an attention whore.

 

[John Connor]

Holy shit bengal cats can get big!

 

[Brian Stirling]

I don't know that I'd want to devote the time for one but by god they are beautiful. I don't think there are many animals as beautiful as the cat family ... long, lean, supremely athletic. They just aren't inclined to do what you want if it conflicts with what they want.

Dogs, OTH, want to please you, but that's what makes cats interesting -- they are NOT all that interested in what you want unless pretending to be interested gets them something like food.


Brian

 

[feralkid]

don't get bengal cats if you want low maintenance ones. trust me on that. they haven't been domesticated as long as some other breeds and are still closely related to their wild cousins from africa.

Asia, actually.

 

[nageov3t]

Can someone whose "trained' bengal kittens attest to this ? I'm going to have two, not sure how that's going to change the situation. And can someone detail what "training" entails.

I've trained my bengal cats not to jump up on the counters and to stay off my desk... works about 90% of the time.

training is usually following up every negative action with a consequence (eg: they jump up on the counter, I clap my hands really loudly and yell "down!" which scares them into jumping down. when they jump up on my desk, they get a time-out and get locked out of the office for half an hour)... sometimes they ignore me just to be assholes, but more often than not it works.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Can someone whose "trained' bengal kittens attest to this ? I'm going to have two, not sure how that's going to change the situation. And can someone detail what "training" entails.

My Bengal would fetch. I could even say "go find your toy" and he'd hunt it out and bring it to me. I swear he was more in love with fetching than most retrievers.

 

[alkemyst]

Regular cats like fetch too. It's all about training, socializing and reward.

When my parents used to smoke when I was a kid, we had an orange cat that would wait for the crumpled up pack/cellophane and play fetch pretty much until my dad got tired

 

[MongGrel]

You can't even save yourself, thanks for the personal attack.

Personal attack?

Save myself from what ?

 

[WilliamM2]

Never have a Bengal but highly experienced cat owner here. My advise is get 2 big DSH boys. Boys are easy going, just as sweet and they will keep themself busy by fighting all day long.

Girls are more emotional and please do not get two girls.

Why not two girls? I agree with the rest of your post, but we have always had either two or three female cats. Never had any issues.

When we have had males long ago, they liked to spray and mark territory, and always seemed more aggressive. And it's a myth that neutering them stops either of these behaviors, in my experience. Of course they don't all do it.

 

[WilliamM2]

I know dick about Bengals, but I'm gonna step in to say that I see people say stuff like this
all the time, and it makes no sense. Breeders do not cause overpopulation, fertile feral animals do. Every breeder in the world could be shot tomorrow and ten years from now we'd still have more cats and dogs than we know what to do with.

I never said it caused overpopulation, you read too much into my post. I don't like to encourage breeders, because many of them just do it for the money, and treat the animals like shit. Piled in cages.

Breeding also seems to cause more genetic defects. Goes for dogs and cats.

 

[WilliamM2]

I generally agree with the spirit of your post as I believe a lot people of get overly bent out of shape on the subject of breeders vs rescues. But the above is simply untrue. Show me one shelter that has adoption fees in the thousands.

I agree, we got a new kitten a month ago from the shelter. Only $60, and you get half back when you show them the cat has been spayed/neutered, which you have to agree to do. We always donate that back to them though.