Any Bengal Breeders/rescuers?

[goingpostal]

A couple pics of Scully, most people can tell she is early gen by her head shape. We go outside a lot in the summer, she’s less impressed with the snow.

She’s only really (really) attached to me and it took six months or so. Other people she’s not afraid of, but doesn’t care to interact much. She’s loud, food driven, gets into/onto whatever she likes, very confident in herself. She does occasionally pee in the wrong spot, it seems more like she simply isn’t as trained than anything but experimenting with litter and boxes has helped a lot.

I had followed rescues for awhile before I found her and was having a hard time finding any in need that were ok with other animals, thankfully she doesn’t seem to mind any of mine.

 

[Purr-fect]

No one asked, but heres my 2 cents, as a lay person.

Most people are lazy and selfish. Its our nature.

We want the benefits but not the responsibility. We are attracted to exotics because they are unique, they are beautiful and they make us feel better about ourselves by owning them. We can put them on facebook, be envied by others and elevate our sense of self importance.

I suspect most people who have these more wild exotics dont know their needs, arent able to care for them and arent willing to do so anyway.

The few who can and do properly look after these animals experience a likely wonderful relationship that we wont, but they pay a price (time, commitment, costs, stress, learning) that most people wouldn't even consider.

In fact I think lack of commitment and responsibility is shown by many pet owners, not just those of exotics. ( present company excluded). The internet is full of pets being discarded by their owners for inadequate reasons.

How could exotics possibly be happy in this environment.

 

[Animal Freak]

View attachment 263383 View attachment 263384

A couple pics of Scully, most people can tell she is early gen by her head shape. We go outside a lot in the summer, she’s less impressed with the snow.

She’s only really (really) attached to me and it took six months or so. Other people she’s not afraid of, but doesn’t care to interact much. She’s loud, food driven, gets into/onto whatever she likes, very confident in herself. She does occasionally pee in the wrong spot, it seems more like she simply isn’t as trained than anything but experimenting with litter and boxes has helped a lot.

I had followed rescues for awhile before I found her and was having a hard time finding any in need that were ok with other animals, thankfully she doesn’t seem to mind any of mine.

She's a beautiful cat. I think giving a rescue Bengal a home is a wonderful thing. They definitely don't seem like the easiest cats to care for.

No one asked, but heres my 2 cents, as a lay person.

Most people are lazy and selfish. Its our nature.

We want the benefits but not the responsibility. We are attracted to exotics because they are unique, they are beautiful and they make us feel better about ourselves by owning them. We can put them on facebook, be envied by others and elevate our sense of self importance.

I suspect most people who have these more wild exotics dont know their needs, arent able to care for them and arent willing to do so anyway.

The few who can and do properly look after these animals experience a likely wonderful relationship that we wont, but they pay a price (time, commitment, costs, stress, learning) that most people wouldn't even consider.

In fact I think lack of commitment and responsibility is shown by many pet owners, not just those of exotics. ( present company excluded). The internet is full of pets being discarded by their owners for inadequate reasons.

How could exotics possibly be happy in this environment.

And I agree completely. Many people want a dog to be a loyal companion when they need one or a cat to be a pretty decoration they can pet when they want and otherwise ignore. As it is, many people don't deserve to have a pet at all, let alone an exotic one with specific needs. It's also difficult to put a limit on how many or what kind of animals people can have. Some shouldn't have one animal, not even a goldfish. Others can properly care for and give living homes to ten animals.

However, even if we got rid of exotics/hybrids entirely(which would be difficult, if not impossible), there would still be the domestics. In that matter, education and restrictions seem to be the best way to go.

It's certainly hard to say what the right answer is. The way I see it, we shouldn't have started this to begin with. Beginning with cats and dogs. They should never have been domesticated. However, these animals are here now. We can't change that. They can't be released. They're becoming domestic just as cats and dogs once did. So the best thing we can do is stop taking animals out of the wild and start taking better care of the animals already with us, no matter what the species is. There's really rather few options at this point.

 

[Dolly2002]

I think a lot of the problem is that while a lot of people love cats, they think of them as an easy, low maintenance pet you can throw food down once a day and ignore unless you want to interact with it. Most housecats I see are obese sedentary loaves. Most people don't want the work of a dog in a cat. I have a second gen Bengal, that was bought to be a breeder but rehomed. She was owned by a lady who had Bengals, but SBT ones more removed from wild blood.

For me, she's great, but I'm also used to a variety of pets who require a lot of attention and effort, I like feisty troublemakers. She is attached to me like no cat I've interacted with and if I worked a lot or didn't devote time to her, she'd be so unhappy. I don't recommend most of my animals for your average owner. Before I got my Bengal, everyone thought my Highlander was insane and to me she's about your perfect housecat as she is very friendly with strangers and better with my dogs.

My Jesse is part bengal and I got him from the pound at 10 weeks old. No one wanted him but I took a chance on him and 7 years later he's still my buddy. He gets along great with my other cats ( dolly 16 years old, Lilly 8 years old) plus plays with my mini schnauzer who is smaller than Jesse. I love listening to Jesse chirps. He doesn't meow like a normal cat does. That's awesome when you first hear it.

 

[Wile]

Sounds like a neat paper you're working on, and some good discussion is coming out of it. Here are some of my thoughts as another bengal owner.

It's certainly hard to say what the right answer is. The way I see it, we shouldn't have started this to begin with. Beginning with cats and dogs. They should never have been domesticated. However, these animals are here now. We can't change that. They can't be released. They're becoming domestic just as cats and dogs once did. So the best thing we can do is stop taking animals out of the wild and start taking better care of the animals already with us, no matter what the species is. There's really rather few options at this point.

Personally I think it's a bit of an oversimplification to claim that animals should never have been domesticated. It isn't really clear to me on what basis you make this judgement. Often domesticated species get a lot out of their relationship with humans - things like food, shelter, companionship, a stable life. In fact, there are scholars who argue that domestication of wolves and wild cats was likely not a one-way street. It is entirely likely that cats and dogs saw humans as a source of food and safety and over time slowly chose to form relationships with us in the same way that urban wildlife still do today.

It's also difficult to put a limit on how many or what kind of animals people can have.

In fact we do put limits on animal ownership. In my city no household is allowed to keep more than a certain number of adult animals (something like 2 dogs, 3 cats). I am also not allowed to adopt local wildlife like raccoons and squirrels, even though they are constantly trying to break into my house/garbage. Protections do exist, so it might be worth getting more specific and asking how/why are protections different for exotics like the Asian Leopard Cat (an endangered species) or the Serval.

There are a few different ways that you can approach this ethical dilemma. You could ask about the animal's welfare and happiness (Can the owner meet their dietary/behavioural needs? Are domestic cats in danger when bred to wild cats? How are unwanted/undesirable 2nd gens handled?). You could look at the damage that breeders are inflicting on the existing wild population when they buy wild animals for their programs (again, the ALC is an endangered species). You could look at the problem of invasive species (wild cats are often bigger, faster, stronger than other domestic cats. Does that make them a bigger threat to native species?).

I think you are right that owners need to be educated better about the challenges of owning early generation hybrids. I am troubled by the amount of misinformation spread about bengals by craigslist "breeders" claiming that they are dog-like hypoallergenic showpieces (Savannahs I know very little about.) I would also love to see breeders require licensing, and for unlicensed backyard breeders to be banned from selling animals for profit. The reality is that social justice crusaders and breeder associations can only do so much. For change to happen government really needs to step in.

 

[Dolly2002]

Well you can argue your points all night about the the Bengals safety issues ALL I know is that my Jesse James is the sweetest thing I have ever owned. You're untitled to your opinion just like I am. Be blessed. Good luck with your paper dear.

 

[basscat]

Hey all. I'm doing a research essay for school about hybrid animals and if we should be breeding them. I'm covering both wild x wild hybrids such as ligers and wild x domestic hybrids such as Bengals. I've pretty much already made up my mind about the wild x wild hybrids, but there's a lot of mixed information on wild x domestic hybrids. It seems like every informational site/article I read says they shouldn't be pets and they have bad traits from the wild blood and the site will have a bunch of stories about people being unable to care for them, but every person who I've found talking about having a hybrid absolutely loves them and says they're the best cats ever.

Personally, I've been leaning towards they shouldn't be bred because there just hasn't really been enough good to justify the bad or the potential bad. However, finding information isn't the easiest and, while I've read most that at least Bengals are mostly later generations, it seems I can't find anything on those later generations. Everything is F5 or earlier. I don't like forming an opinion without all the information and I do believe compromise might be necessary. Hybrids already exist, so perhaps something can be figured out. Also, I want to be convinced, to be completely honest. Bengals are stunning cats and, the more I've looked into them, the more I've wanted one.

Anyway, to sum this up, I'm wondering if there is anyone who breeds or rescues Bengals on this site or if anyone knows of someone who'd be willing to talk to me(just through a pm would be fine). I want to hear from someone I can trust to tell me the truth and is familiar with the generations. I had wanted to visit someone to see for myself, but even if anyone would be willing to let me visit I only found two breeders near me(though I was surprised there was that many and more a bit further off) and neither site really impressed me. I want to know they're doing it right if I'm going to make a proper judgement.

Wild/Domestic..best cat ever? I disagree. (from a normal perspective). HOWEVER, my experience is from both ends of the spectrum. Not a combination.
If you want to know what an F1 or F2 hybrid is like as a pet? I think I can get you close to a good answer.
An F1/F2 is like an F1/F2. That's not a smart azz answer. It's simply the truth.
The only way to know what one is like is to spend time with one. Preferably a friends cat, or in a shelter, or in a rescue. Preferably prior to going out and getting one for ones self.
If you get a dump truck and expect it to be like a Prius? You will be very disappointed. You test drive cars to be sure they are as expected. It's the same with hybrid cats. You simply need to know what you're getting into beforehand.
If you just go out and get an F2 Savannah and your only experience is with a domestic? You're in for a lesson and a quick learning curve. The good things you hear are probably from people that expected a bit of a challenge. The bad things you hear are from people that expected a cool looking tabby. AND, not to mention all cats are different. Some domestics are balls of purr. Some are far from it. This holds true with hybrids as well. And a difficult hybrid is a HANDFUL!
That doesn't mean they make bad pets or shouldn't be pets. That simply means you got something you had no idea what it was about, and the cat might suffer because of it. And this is where the "bad" rep comes from.
Those that say they make great pets? They have large storage buildings where they keep all their stuff they don't want broken.
I would never tell a person not to get a hybrid cat.
I'd never tell a person to get one either.
It just has as much, if not more to do, with what the person is like, than what the cat is like.
One last thing. Make sure you use the word "wild" in the correct context. A truly WILD cat is NOT a pet in any normal sense of the word "pet". And that includes domestic cats.