Has our rescue acquired a Bengal?

[catpack]

I've worked in rescue for several years, so have seen many cats and coat patterns and know most cats are domestics.

But, we took this boy in about 1.5 yrs ago. No background other than he was starving, underweight, intact and nearly completely blind due to entropion (2 surgeries corrected this.)

He was about 12 to 18 months old when found and has nearly doubled in weight since (now around 15 lbs).

His personality is very strong, he is very vocal, into and on everything and has some aggression (mostly play) that has greatly improved.

I have no reason to believe he did not have an owner, was way to comfortable around people, though I believe, due to his aggression, that he was raised roughly. He really does have a sweet disposition overall, just some rough edges.

So, what do you think?

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• catpack
• Jul 6, 2015

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• catpack
• Jul 6, 2015

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• catpack
• Jul 6, 2015

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• catpack
• Jul 6, 2015

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• catpack
• Jul 6, 2015

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• catpack
• Jul 6, 2015

 

[StefanZ]

I've worked in rescue for several years, so have seen many cats and coat patterns and know most cats are domestics.

But, we took this boy in about 1.5 yrs ago. No background other than he was starving, underweight, intact and nearly completely blind due to entropion (2 surgeries corrected this.)

He was about 12 to 18 months old when found and has nearly doubled in weight since (now around 15 lbs).

His personality is very strong, he is very vocal, into and on everything and has some aggression (mostly play) that has greatly improved.

I have no reason to believe he did not have an owner, was way to comfortable around people, though I believe, due to his aggression, that he was raised roughly. He really does have a sweet disposition overall, just some rough edges.

So, what do you think?










 

He could be a bengal of pet quality.

I was going to write he is probably a domestic spotted tabby, but this with his rough edges is an indicium he may be a bengal, or at least, a natural son of a bengal.  They are known to be energetic and lively.   And if the owner doesnt handle them properly, they can easily turn out to be felt as rough...  And become dumped because of this.

Tabby is dominant, so a natural child to a spotted bengal will of course also be a spotted tabby.

My guess at this moment, he is a natural son of a bengal.  Which would give him the pattern, much of the looks, and much of the behavor and psyche too...

A purebred bengal of decent quality, you seldom hesitate - theirs spots (or marbles) are very clear, visibly not common tabby no there.

 

[catpack]

Yes, it is mostly his personality and behavior that has me wondering about a possible breed link.

Thank you for your input!

We rarely put a "true" breed listing for our cats; but, this one I have debated on. He really needs a more experienced cat owner, simply to ensure he doesn't regress in the aggression department. Not that everyone looking for a Bengal or mix is a good owner; but, it might help us find a good match for him.

 

[kat hamlin]

My feeling is that if he looks decently enough like a Bengal (and he does, albeit not the greatest quality) and, moreover, acts like one, it is worth your while listing him on petfinder and the like as a Bengal mix.  That way hopefully someone who is familiar with the breed will be more likely to look into him.  And I would put in the description that as a stray you can't be sure of his parentage but you believe him to be part Bengal. 

Off topic--recently I have been seeing a ton of Bengals on my local craigslist (ugh) and even worse they're all declawed (double ugh) and I just don't get why you would seek out a Bengal and then declaw it.  It's like saying you want a coonhound because you love loud dogs and then debarking it.  Mind you, I don't get why pretty much anyone declaws pretty much any cat, but in particular a breed known to be energetic and playful to the occasional point of rambunctiousness...if you KNOW the cat is going to be a wild child, and your furniture is that important to you, GET A DIFFERENT CAT.  Ok.  End rant.

 

[catpack]

@Kat Hamlin, yes, I feel the same way about declawing. So much so that our rescue puts a pretty hefty fine on someone, should they ever decided to declaw one of our rescues. We also take ownership of the cat back should this happen. (People know this upfront and sign an agreement of this in the adoption contract.)

But, this is always a concern of mine for cats that really require an experienced cat owner. It often takes us longer to find these cats appropriate homes; but, we're not willing to compromise the well being of our cats (or any other animal in our care.)

 

[nansiludie]

If you'd really like to be certain there is a test that can be done to check the breed of him. I'll see if I can find the link. To me, personally, he looks like a tabby but the face is distinguishing. For that I am not sure. 

 

[nansiludie]

Here it is, http://www.webvet.com/main/2012/08/01/discover-your-cats-origins-dna-testing-felines 

It does only account for 29 breeds but I am not sure if bengal is one of them.