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Strong spirited animals (E-mail)
A topic I have felt that people really do need to understand before rescuing a Bengal or even purchasing one, if they have not been around them, is they do have delightfully challenging personalities.
The first Bengal I had only shortly was an extremely well behaved adult female. So I had the impression that Bengals were about the best behaved cats in the world. After her, I rushed out and rescued 3 kittens probably only 4-5 weeks old, now they are probably about 7 months old (I get the feeling they are teenagers). What a challenge!
When I brought those 3 tiny kittens home (they were so small) I brought them into our bedroom with us and placed a tall barrier in the door, they hopped over it effortlessly. They were small enough to get stuck anywhere under the stove, behind the fridge, drain pipes, heat vents, etc. and they could leap from the floor to the counters from day 1. Within days they were leaping to the top of the fridge and the highest shelves and counters right below the ceiling.
There is a not a door or cupboard they cannot open. They can turn on the bathtub water (luckily it's cold) unfortunately they don't turn it off. We don't get much sleep at night. I'm going to purchase a large plastic dog house I saw with a gated front to it, for them to go into at night, so we can get some rest. I just hope they don't cry all night (I'm sure we'll have to get a combination lock to keep the gate closed;-)
What they can't figure out on their own, they work on in unison. I am beyond amazed at how smart they are. From the time we got them they could unzip their carrying case by two pushing their heads through different openings while the other stuck it's paw outside and pushed against the zipper lock.
We take them outside supervised only. They have a tendency to climb high up in trees and then not be able to get down. Or they leap from the tree to the roof (we live in the woods with towering pines). Yes, they pitch fits, run and hide from us when it's time to come in.
To top it off, our cats are rarely ever alone (heck we're afraid to leave them). At least one of us is home all the time and most of the time two of us are. So it's not like they've been ignored or allowed to run wild. But they are curious and stubborn. They don't allow our preferences to get in the way of their plans. They protest loud and persistently when they are not happy.
We were not prepared for the level of activity, persistence and cleverness of Bengals. I know many people are intrigued and would love to rescue or own them but I wonder how many are as unprepared as we were.
For us it has meant dispensing with gracious living and decorations to a rather utilitarian, cat proof life. It means staying armed with a mean water gun at all times. It means planning just like you would for children. I am sure they will settle down as they get older.
{Note from the Bengal Rescue Coordinator: "Settle down? A HA HA HA .. HA HA ... OH HA HA HA HAAAAAA ..."}
I don't recommend getting 3 young kittens, as they tend to be wild with each other more than bonding with their owners, though they do have their tender moments. However, they are such sociable animals I do think if they are going to spend time alone there should be an additional companion. It is so much fun watching them play together you are missing out with just one alone. When we had one adult Bengal only, she seemed lonely for other cats to play with.
We have turned our apartment into a cat play house, since that is how they treat it anyway. We have a ladder to run up. Indoor outdoor carpet remnants tacked all the way up the walls, water fountains, several multi story carpeted playhouses but the favorite is a catnip toy on an elastic cord from a hook on the ceiling. The next is the super ball. The minute they hear the super ball they all come running. If they misplace it they tell us about it until we help them find it.
One loves dried anchovies from the pet store.
We just love them so much and they are pretty much the only game going at our place for entertainment. Oh and one of them yips and yaps like a small dog instead of meows. They all growl when they don't want to share (which is often).
How do you prepare folks for the personalities and needs of their new Bengals? Whenever I'm blue I go to the pet shop and buy a bag of toys and treats for the cats. Watching them play with them always puts me in hysterics!
Kari Sable Burns
Bengal vs. Aby "gray matter" (Essay)
Well, I was over at the Aby List for awhile, having some "quiet time." While I enjoy that list it's not nearly so "aerobic" as here on Bengals-L. The Aby people generally don't slap each other around as much. I believe there may be more "passion" here with the Bengals (although I do believe in a certain amount of "list hand-gun control") For example, below a typical posting style for Aby list:
�Red Radio Flyer of Roasted Redville presented us with a huge litter of 3 yesterday. The sire is High Redhair I�m Day-glo For You of Whiptailredrose. All are doing well and, in fact, look very much alike. It was a very pleasant surprise to find that ALL the kittens were red.�
Sort of like kitty muzak. Let's face it, when you're involved with one of the oldest recognized breeds, standards are fairly set, bloodlines are very well known, and most developmental issues have pretty much been discussed around the block numerous times. Bengals are a bit more "cutting edge" and still going through some big decisions on style. I would certainly encourage the Bengallions to keep the standard for small ears though. A recent Abyssinian topic was ongoing over the subject of ear-pointiness. I always thought, when speaking of Abys in the context of ears, it was a given that they have rather voluminous ones tending toward ... well ... pointy. The idea that these cats� ears could or should get any bigger or pointier gave me more than a bit of pause--it gave me concern..
For years before buying my blue Aby I read with encyclopedic endeavor all about this breed. Every source took great pains to extol the Abyssinian's intelligence. More than anything else, these books seemed to say, that when one gets an Aby, they are acquiring a VERY SMART cat indeed.
I don't believe mine has done her homework by reading any of these books. Either that or she has studied only the Cliff notes with one too many pages torn out.
I compare her with my Bengal Callie and consider the differences. My Bengal is smart, I mean REALLY smart. I let her balance my checkbook--she does a better job than me--though she is partial to rounding. Mia, my Aby, is a different story. Here is a cat that spits, every morning, at her own image in the mirror. She appears to jump on the bathroom counter top for the sole purpose of doing just that. It is almost as if every day she is seeing the reflection of herself for the very first time. I did the rough math (with Callie's help) and figured that if my Aby lives to the age of 20, she will have spit at the reflection of herself over 7,300 times! This calculation does not include when she walks past the fireplace while the glass doors are closed and does a full body �spit and puff� when she spies the intruder looking right at her. I am convinced that Mia will go to her grave believing that, every morning, she will have faced a hostile cat whose mission was to check up on her for the purpose of stealing her delicious food.
Bengals have smaller ears. Additionally, most of the Bengals I've met are smart. Thus my concern about any possible increase in ear dimensions with regard to the Abyssinian.
Along with the knowledge that Mia would never do well in a limbo competition. I suspect that my Aby's ears have kept her from reaching her full mental potential. They are so big that I fear the blood destined for her brain ends up rushing into the ears to keep them from falling down, thereby depriving her cerebellum of most other functioning except the endless desire for food and the keen ability to throw enough litterbox sand around to cover everything but her own poop. I love my Mia to bits but she's not exactly running on all her RAM so to speak. I don't even think she's at 386 level. Pong would be more like it. If you remember that early computer game, then you have hit upon my Aby's brain functioning level. When thoughts enter her brain, I think they just sort of bounce around for awhile in suspended animation, in what I have come to refer to as, the �vast expanse,� or �the outback,� before succumbing to "aimless thought vapor lock". My Bengal spends much of her time keeping an eye out for Mia--sort of acting as an at home assistant/crossing guard for my Aby.
At least Mia is an incredibly loving cat--maybe. I thought I could take satisfaction in Mia's highly audible purr, a sure sign of her deep love and devotion to me. That was until I entered the living room one day to find her sitting on the floor staring at the sofa and purring loudly. Maybe she was just fondly recalling all the many enjoyable naps she's had while on that sofa. Maybe it was something much deeper. I�m beginning to suspect it was something not very deep at all. I decided to take a scientific approach to find out. I arranged various objects on a table and uttered certain phrases to gauge her reaction.
- �Look Mia, an unopened can of pork and beans!�
�A piece of styrofoam!�
�Mia, would you like a bath?�
�Let's go the the VET to have your temperature taken with a RECTAL thermometer!�
Everything elicited the same expectant, loving purr. My heart sank. I glanced over to see Mia looking up at the TV while again purring contentedly.
Her eyes were fixed on the back of the television.
The television was not turned on.
My Bengal was holding the remote.
There's probably a support group for this, somewhere . . .