Pocket Leopards Bengals™

1.) What is a Bengal?

A) A bengal comes from the breeding of an Asian leopard cats and a domestic cat. For more info on this subject please see our "About Bengals" page.

2.)What is the temperament of a bengal? Is it wild?

A.)Bengals are pretty much like your average house cat. They also have distinct personalities according to the individual just like other domestics. Generally they are friendly and outgoing. Most are very good climbers and jumpers because the Asian leopard cat catches and eats birds. It is not uncommon for bengals to like water and this is because Asian leopard cat catches and eats fish. Bengals tend to be very intelligent and are easy to leash train. Generally they do not make good lap cats as they remain active throughout their lives.They are very playful. Of course there are exceptions to this and not all bengals act the same or like the same things.

3.) What do bengals eat? Can they eat regular cat food?

A) Yes bengals can eat regular cat food. There are very many bengals that are being fed premium brands of cat food (dry and wet) that are doing well on this type of diet. However, I personally like to feed my bengals closer to what they would consume in the wild. I feed my bengals raw meat. This diet is easy for cats to digest because cats were designed to eat raw meat (we never see cats building fires and cooking meat in the wild). They tend to eat less because they can digest the food better and they receive the nutrients they need easier. Fat cats lose weight and skinny cats gain weight on this diet. It also eliminates any stomach and bowel problems. Cats with a history of loose stools and vomiting soon get better on a raw meat diet. Another good thing about feeding raw is it costs less and there are no stinky stools. That's right, no smell whatsoever!!! Best of all it is healthy. I have a recipe for the raw diet. If your interested in this click here.

I have found personally that this is the best diet there is. I'm not a scientist though so please do your research before switching and if you decide it's best for you, switch over slowly.

The only down side to feeding raw is the time it takes to prepare the meals. You can reduce your time considerably if you make a large batch of raw food and freeze it in individual servings, which should last one or two cats a very long time. I have a cattery so my prep time is a lot longer then if you are just feeding a few cats this diet.

All of my kittens are fed a raw diet while they are with me. I know that not everyone can feed raw but I do encourage it. I feed both dry and raw because some new owners are not in the position to feed raw. So the switch over should be rather easy no matter what you choose. If you choose commercial food, make sure it is high quality and meat is the #1 ingredient. If you feed raw, please be sure to stick closely to our raw diet recipe. You must feed a BALANCED raw diet. Cats cannot live on meat only. They must have the correct amount of bone in the diet as well. If you ever have any questions on the raw diet please do not hesitate to contact me. I would rather you feed a balanced raw diet, but I would rather you feed commecial food than an unbalanced raw diet. The raw diet is easy to feed as long as you stick closely to my raw diet recipe. The biggest thing to remember is feed the whole prey animal. Meat/bones and organ meats. Muscle meat being in the greatest quantity, then bone, then organ meats. If you buy a whole chicken with giblets, grind up the whole chicken, bones and all, and grind the giblets in, you will have a balanced meal. To this you can add a few suppliements if you wish. I like to add taurine and a bit of brewers yeast. You dont need to add much. Don't overdo it with the suppliments. More is not better. Just picture what a cat would eat in the wild if they caught a meal. That is a balanced raw meal.

4.)Do bengals get along with other cats/dog/children?

A) Just like any other cat there may be a period of adjustment for your new bengal. Most bengals will eventually get along with your cat/dog once they become familiar with them and know that they are safe to be around. Bengals tend to like children because they are playful and children like to play with them. As with any cat though you have to be careful about letting very small children play with your bengal unsupervised. Any cat can inflict harm on a small child when frightened or hurt.

5.) How big do bengals get?

A) The Asian leopard cat is a small wild cat getting no larger then a domestic in size. Therefore bengals do not tend to get any larger then most domestics. Males are generally larger then females weighing anywhere from 10-15 lbs. and females from 7-10 lbs.

6.) What makes  better pets, males or females?

This is a very common question. I'd say that as long as the cat is neutered or spayed there isn't much of a difference in personality. Generally speaking it mostly depends on the personality of the individual cat and to some degree how well the cat was socialized as a kitten. Even cats from the same litter and the same sex can be very different from one another. I have had litters where the girls were outgoing and friendly and some of the males were more shy, and vise versa. Now if I had to choose between the sexes, I'd be very slightly in favor of the males. The reason is that females tend to be more independent. Again though, there are many exceptions to this. If your looking for a certain personality, don't limit yourself to one sex or the other. It is best to meet the kittens your interested in to see which personalities you like. It is normal for kittens to be shy towards strangers at first so don't take that as a sign that the kitten is not social or friendly.

7.) I currently have a female cat, what should I get, a female or a male kitten?   OR I currently have a male cat, what should i get, a female or a male kitten?

Most people believe that one sex of cat will get along better with the same sex or get along better with the opposite sex. Again, as long as the kitten you get is spayed or neutered and so is the current cat, it does not matter which sex of kitten you choose to bring home. No matter what the sex, it would depend on the personality mostly of the current cat at home. Generally speaking, the new kitten will try to play with the resident cat. The resident cat will not like the idea of another cat in his or her territory and hiss and maybe even swat at the kitten. Usually the kitten will back down but be persistent in trying to play with the resident cat. Eventually they usually work out a compromise and get along.  If your current cat is the type that never wants to play or be bothered., I highly recommend that you get two kittens to keep each other busy. I really like for my kittens to go to homes together so if your considering getting two, I will usually give you a discount, just ask!