lUXURY LEOPARDS
BRINGING THE BENGAL KITTEN TO THE NEW HOME
You may want to instantly involve your new bengal kitten in every aspect of your household life, but a slow and careful introduction into your household will make him a much better member of your family. He needs time to get used to his new home, its noises, smells and the location of the new litter box. Also, if you have another pets, be careful not to ruin what could become a wonderful relationship.
Prepare a small room with all the bengal kitten´s needs: food, water, litter box and some toys. When you get home with your new bengal kitten, go directly to that room, place your kitten in the litter box and let him begin to discover his new world from there. Don´t allow the bengal kitten to go out of this room for up to a few days. Then, slowly allow the bengal kitten to explore one room at a time under your supervision (remember your bengal kitten needs to know where his litter box is located and that the location is close by).
IF YOU ALREADY HAVE CATS AT HOME
If you already have cats at home, it can be possible that when your new Bengal meets the other cats he gets afraid or angry, do not worry, that is a normal reaction that will go away as time goes by. Therefore, if you already have cats at home and you notice that your Bengal is nervous because of that, its recommended that you confine your new kitten as mentioned above. Feeding a yummy snack to both kitten and cat near the opposite sides of the room's door will help to start the relationship out positively by associating this new experience with a special snack. Don't put the food so close to the door that either one is too upset by the other to eat. Gradually move the dishes closer to the door until the bengal kitten and cat can calmly eat directly on either side. Also use two door stops to prop the door just enough to allow the bengal kitten and cat to see each other.
Once your bengal baby is using his litter box and eating regularly while still confined, let him have free time to begin exploring the house while confining the older cat. This switch provides another way for the bengal kitten and other cat to experience each other's scent without a face to face meeting. It also allows your bengal kitten to become familiar with the new surroundings without being frightened by the other cat.
Avoid any interactions between new and existing felines that result in either fearful or aggressive behaviour . It's better to introduce everyone to each other so gradually that neither the bengal kitten or the other cat become afraid or aggressive. If either becomes fearful or aggressive, separate them, and continue the introduction process in a series of gradual steps, as outlined above.
It is a good idea to maintain two or more litter boxes and scoops (ideally one litter box per cat plus a spare in houses with more than three cats) and clean all of the boxes more frequently. Be certain that no cat is being bothered by another while trying to use any of the boxes as this could cause behavioural issues.
Hissing and/or growling are to be expected for the first little while. If a fight breaks out, though, don't interfere directly by grabbing either the bengal kitten or the other cat. It's best to throw a blanket over each kitten/cat, then wrap the blanket around the kitten/cat before picking him or her up. Separate as before until everyone has calmed down. It may be best to keep the kitten and the other separated when you are not available to supervise until you are certain everyone is over this phase.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: toys are for playing, hands are for loving your new family member. If you use your hands to play roughly with your bengal kitten when he is young, you may have problems with getting scratched and possibly bitten when your bengal kitten is older. Children also need to learn how to play with animals and should be supervised.
ONCE AT HOME
Vaccination
Your new bengal kitten will be given to you with the 1st Zoetis Pentofel vaccine. After one year, you must give your bengal kitten the next dose of the vaccine. It must be the same that we have supplied.
Windows and balconies
Since Bengals likes the highs, sometimes they climb or glance at dangerous places, to protect them, we recommend being very careful. Something that can be Good is to close the balconies and windows with special nets.
Cat´s claws
Cat´s claws should be cut with special scissors (you can buy them at the veterinarian or pet stores. We must make sure to cut in the area where the nail looks translucent, if not it is cut in that area, the cat will be injured. If you're not sure, the vet will have no problem doing it for you.
Ears / Chin
As the Bengal begins to grow, it produces more cerumen in the ears than other cat breeds, and secretions of grease on the chin that may seem dirty, so it is advisable to clean it from time to time. Check your Bengal often, and clean him frequently. There are several brands that you can use, your veterinarian can tell you.
De-worming
Your bengal kitten will be given to you with Milbemax Deworming for kittens. Continue de-worming him internally every 4 months, or even every 6 if you live in a flat. Do not do it more often since you could damage his stomach.
We also recommend Stronghold PLUS once a month, or every 4 months if the cat lives on a floor and does not go outside. You can get it at your veterinarian.
Feeding
Once the bengal kitten leaves our facilities, we recommend that you continue with the feed that he has here, that is, the Royal Canin Kitten feed mixed with the can of Royal Canin Babycat Instintive Mousse, or mixed with boiled chicken (the Bengali needs a lot of protein, as well that he should eat meat frequently, for this the boiled chicken is a very good option). Although mixed feed is given a couple of times a day, you should always have dry feed and fresh mineral water available (water should be changed at least once a day).
Once our bengal cat reaches adulthood, at approximately 3 years old, we can give him a feed appropriate for his age, like the Royal Canin Bengal.
We only recommend these feeds, or failing that, other feeds that are also high-end and that guarantee to provide the bengal kittens with the necessary nutrients for a healthy and happy life.
Note: The Bengal is a cat with a lot of appetite, therefore, it is a warning signal that the cat stops eating or playing. If he also has fever, it is advisable to go to the vet.
Toys and Cat Trees / Scratching Posts
Bengals are extremely intelligent, curious and active, and demand a lot of interaction. If you´re not going to be home during the day, it´s a god idea to have two cats instead of one, so he doesn´t get bored. Also, on the internet you can find many interactive toys that are ideal for the bengal cat.
A scraper will be useful for the bengal cat to sharpen its claws there, so you will not have to cut it, and also it will help so that he doesn’t use your furniture to sharpen its claws. This is a cat who needs a lot of vertical territory. Bengals love to climb, the higher the better, provide them with tall cat trees.
Taking your Cat for a Walk
Due to their intelligence and sociability, in many cases, bengal cats enjoy taking a walk. To do this, your bengal cat must be properly vaccinated and dewormed, because in the street he can get many more diseases than at home. Even so, try to go with your bengal to uncrowded and clean areas, such as the countryside, where you will enjoy much more and run fewer risks. What is ideal is what you can do with your bengal cat ride with harnesses, a collar difference, it will not hurt or be damaged, and it will be less dangerous.
BENGAL HEALTH
All cats have the potential to develop genetic health problems, just as all people have the potential to inherit diseases. Any breeder who claims that her breed has no health or genetic problems is either lying or is not knowledgeable about the breed. Run from any breeder who does not offer a health guarantee on kittens, who tells you that the breed is 100 percent healthy and has no known problems, or who tells you that her kittens are isolated from the main part of the household for health reasons.
Bengals have hereditary health issues that can be a concern, especially if you aren’t cautious about who you buy from. DNA tests are now available to help remove affected bengal cats from the breeding pool. Some of these tests are done in Spain, but others can only be done in the USA, and in case a cat tests positive in some of the tests, this means that we can not keep him in our breeding program, but in this way we can offer the maximum guarantee to our customers. Through the tests carried out on our bengal cats, we can offer healthy and free of genetic diseases bengal cats, that only an official and dedicated breeder can give. In addition, as part of our post-sales service, we are also always fully available to our customers, so they can know how to proceed with any health problem the Bengal may have. Down below, so you can understand the reasons why we tested our bengal cats before starting a breeding program, we list the main genetic diseases that the Bengal can develop and that today can be tested, in these, all our bengal cats have received negative results and "normal" results:
PDK / Cysts on the Kidney: The Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a hereditary disorder that produces cyst formation (bags filled with fluid) in the kidneys. These cysts are present from birth. At first they are very small but they grow over time and can damage the kidney. When this happens, the kidney cannot work anymore and kidney failure occurs. Cysts usually grow slowly, so most affected cats show no signs of kidney disease until they are adults, usually when they are seven or eight years old. However, there are some cats that develops kidney disease at a young age. Unfortunately, there is no treatment that can prevent the development of kidney failure in a cat that is affected by PKD. Cysts are present from birth, cannot be removed, cannot be prevented from growing, and often produce the premature death of the cat. Because we have tested our bengal cats, they are completely free of this disease, which is more common than you may think.
PKDeficiency / Loss of Red Blood Cells: Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency is a hereditary disease that produces a lack of pyruvate enzymes, which results in premature destruction of red blood cells. As a result, depending on the cat, he could suffer a more or less severe anemia. The symptoms are those of a classic anemia: lethargy, diarrhea, pale mucous membranes, loss of appetite, weight loss, jaundice and eating disorders. Our bengal cats have been tested and do not transmit this disease to their offspring.
PRA-b / Progressive Retinal Atrophy: It is a hereditary disease that causes irreversible degeneration of the retina and severe visual deficit, almost always with total blindness. None of our bengal cats will ever suffer from this disease thanks to having been tested.
HCM / Enlarged or Thickened Heart Walls: This hereditary disease, called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, causes enlarged heart walls in the affected individual. The thickening of the heart valves along with the walls of the heart can result in progressive decline in cardiac function and cause a sudden death. It is the most frequent heart disease in cats, so that´s the reason why we only breed with bengals tested by professionals, with a NORMAL result.
Feline Leukaemia Virus / FeLV: Retrovirus that affects cats and can be deadly, contagious through saliva and nasal secretions. Although there is a vaccine against the disease, this does not guarantee survival. The signs and symptoms of feline leukemia virus infection are quite varied and include loss of appetite, coat deficiencies, infections of the skin, bladder and respiratory tract, oral diseases, seizures, lymphadenopathy, (enlargement of the lymph nodes), skin lesions, fatigue, fever, weight loss, stomatitis, gingivitis, stop using the litter box, pancytopenia, poor hygiene, bacterial and viral recurrent diseases, anemia, diarrhea, and jaundice. Recommendations: Have all the specimens vaccinated against the disease and repeat the vaccine once a year. Normally the standard vaccine is the trivalent (of activated virus), however the vaccine that we use protects against 5 diseases, instead of only 3, and is less harmful to the immune system of the cat because it is inactivated virus. All our bengal cats are perfectly vaccinated, beyond what is required by law, so that our cats have the best possible health status.
FIV / Feline Immunodeficiency Virus: The immunodeficiency virus affects the cells of the immune system (white blood cells or leukocytes) by destroying or damaging them. This causes a gradual deterioration of the cat's immune function. Cats affected with this disease have clinical signs very similar to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), known as AIDS, and like this, is a life-threatening disease.
In diseases that are inherited as an autosomal recessive character, bengal cats can be found under three conditions:
-They can be free (genotype N / N or normal homozygote) meaning that they are not carriers of the mutation and that they will not develop it. Considering that they cannot transmit the mutation to their offspring, these cats can be crossed with any other cat.
-A bengal cat that has the copy of the PRCD gene with the mutation and a copy without the mutation is called a carrier or heterozygous (genotype N / PRA); While it will not be affected by the disease PRCD-PRA, it can transmit the mutation to its offspring, and that is why this animal must be crossed only with another test free of the disease (N / N).
-The positive bengal cats, which develop this form of PRA disease have two copies of the PRCD gene with the mutation (genotype PRA / PRA); they will always pass the mutated gene to the offspring, in addition to suffering the disease themselves. A breeder who tests their bengal cats and excludes the carrier bengal cats from the breeding program, or crosses them with negative bengal cats, will never have positive bengal cats, and therefore will never have cats that suffer from these diseases.
It is very important, therefore, that the bengal cats we buy are ALWAYS tested, because even if an untested bengal cat could come out cheaper at the beginning, the risk of it coming out much more expensive in the long run is very high, and that our beloved pet die because of a deadly disease. There is no doubt that ALL Bengal breeders should test their bengal cats for the aforementioned diseases, not doing so would be an irresponsible practice.
In addition to genetic diseases, is there any other Bengal health problem that should be taken into account?
Yes, something to keep in mind is that Bengals have a tendency to develop intestinal problems, especially when they are not yet adults. That the Bengal begin to have softer stools, or even lose the appetite or vomit, can mean an intestinal alteration, in most cases it will not be necessary to make any tests or analysis, but we must try as soon as possible to restore the intestinal flora. Talk to your veterinarian to try to solve the problem. As long as these alterations do not last more than a week, you should not be alarmed.
LUXURY LEOPARDS BENGAL CATS GUARANTEES
All Luxury Leopards Bengal kittens are raised at home, vet checked, dewormed and receive all necessary vaccinations to ensure a happy and healthy Bengal cat. New Bengal cat owners are provided with a written guarantee of vaccination records and all such care along with the contract.
In Luxury Leopards we guarantee our Bengals against genetic defects for one year. If any genetic defects are diagnosed we will replace your Bengal cat at no charge with one of equal or lesser value.
Luxury Leopards Bengal kittens are released for placement in forever homes when our veterinarian and we both agree the kittens are ready. This determination is made based on weaning, eating solid food, being of proper weight, litter training and a number of other factors that ensure a happy Bengal cat as well as happy new Bengal cat owners.
CHOOSING A BENGAL BREEDER
If you want your Bengal to be happy and healthy so you can enjoy your time with him, choose your Bengal breeder carefully.
Always choose a bengal kitten from a breeder who raises litters in the home and handles them from an early age.
A reputable bengal breeder will abide by a code of ethics that prohibits sales to pet stores and wholesalers and outlines the bengal breeder’s responsibilities to their cats and to buyers. Choose a bengal breeder who has performed the health certifications necessary to screen out genetic health problems to the extent that is possible (see section “BENGAL HEALTH”). Also, check if the breeder raises bengal kittens in the home, bengal kittens who are isolated can become fearful and skittish and may be difficult to socialize later in life.
Lots of reputable bengal breeders have websites, so how can you tell who’s good and who’s not? Red flags include bengal kittens always being available, multiple litters on the premises, having your choice of any bengal kitten, and the ability to pay online with a credit card. Those things are convenient, but they are almost never associated with reputable breeders. If you go to a known and respected breeder, when any problem arises, you can contact him to answer questions, or even your veterinarian can speak with him.
Put at least as much effort into researching your bengal kitten as you would into choosing a new car, you will enjoy more your new pet, and it will save you money in the long run.
Be patient. Depending on what you are looking for, you may have to wait six months or more for the right bengal kitten to be available. Most breeders won't release kittens to new homes until they are between 12 and 16 weeks of age.
IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A BENGAL BREEDER
If you are thinking about becoming a Bengal breeder, you must first be clear about the differences between buying a Bengal for company and a Bengal for breeding:
-A good bengal breeder will not give the same Bengal for breeding that for company. If you specify to the breeder that you want a Bengal for breeding, he will reserve a suitable Bengal (in the section "Bengali health" we can see that not all the bengal cats are used for breeding).
-A Bengal for company is castrated, which is ideal for coexistence in the home. To buy a breeding bengal you must be proactive and have an area where your cat can be and where it does not bother you when we start marking at adulthood.
-Report yourself well about what it means to be a bengal breeder: enroll in a feline club, veterinary expenses, high-end food expenses, prepare nutritious meals every day, preparation of an ideal space for Bengals (large, clean, with good temperature, with more than one room to separate females from males), dedication, especially in litter season, continuously learn to improve the breed and not to make mistakes in breeding (in blood mixtures, in feeding, in avoiding genetic diseases, how to attend birth, protect kittens from dying in the first month of life, how to proceed to different problems that a Bengali can have throughout his life, ...). Breed Bengal cats is something that only people who really love these animals should do, it should not be seen as a simple job. As for each profession, one needs a previous preparation, no one should also start breeding any animal without acquiring prior knowledge. Each race is different, and the characteristics are very different between the races, Bengal is one of the most complicated breeds, so learn as much as possible before considering breeding this breed.
-Plan the economic aspect well. A couple of bengal cats with negative results in the genetic tests involves an investment of money, as well as the preparation of the facilities. Not planning this well, and not taking into account the factors mentioned above, can result in discouragement and large losses.
-Being a Bengal breeder is something that demands dedication, and that is not compatible with other jobs. Consider well if you will have the necessary time to dedicate yourself to the breeding of this breed.
Having said all this, we want to clarify that, despite the mentioned aspects that one must take into account before considering breeding, breeding Bengal cats is fascinating and it is something that a person who loves animals will greatly enjoy.
If finally you are not looking for a Bengal for breeding, why should you castrate a Bengal for company?
It is very important to enjoy the bengal kitten to the fullest and make it as social as possible. Today, the castration process has advanced a lot, and improves the health and mood of the bengal cat that is not used for breeding. Castration prevents the behavior of jealousy (which often stresses the bengal cat and causes eating disorders), the marking, the strong meows that occur in jealousy, attempts to escape, cysts in the ovaries, ... and therefore, promotes coexistence with the bengal kitten and makes it optimal.
PRICES, BOOKINGS AND DELIVERIES ON LUXURY LEOPARDS
We recommend that you watch our web to see the bengal kittens we have, the web will always be updated. As soon as you call us to reserve the bengal kitten you like, and formalize the booking contract, it will be saved for you and we will update it on our website.
Luxury Leopards Bengal kittens are priced based on markings, which become more distinct as the Bengal grows. But, if you make the deposit of 300€ (for a bengal cat for companion) or 500€ (for a bengal cat for breeding) on the waiting list, it will lock your price regardless of the quality of the Bengal. For example, marble Bengal kittens´price start at 1.000€. Spotted Bengals start at 1.300€. Show quality Bengal Cats may sell for as high as 3.000 – 4.000€. If you make a 300€ deposit and at 7 weeks it becomes evident that the Bengal kitten you have chosen to adopt is of show quality it does not matter. You have locked your price at X amount and it will not be increased. If there is not a deposit on a particular Bengal kitten the pricing will be increased accordingly.
Two weeks before the delivery, the rest of the amount of the chosen bengal cat will be requested, to proceed to carry out the 1st vaccine and the pertinent veterinary revision. Meanwhile, you will have videos of the bengal kitten so that the wait does not become so long.
Once the bengal kitten has 12-15 weeks, if his weight is adequate, and after verifying with the veterinarian that his condition is ideal to go to the new house, we will proceed to the delivery, which will be done personally, or through a transportation agency .
As we have already explained in section "Bengal health", our bengal kittens will be delivered with their pertinent documentation, and with the sanitary procedures and reviews that we always carry out, beyond what it is required by law: ZOETIS PENTOFEL vaccine (protects against 5 diseases, instead of 3 as the trivalent that is normally administered to cats), deworming with Stronghold PLUS and also with Milbemax, as well as genetic tests for (PRA and PRA-b, PKDef, PKD and HCM). In addition, the bengal kittens will go with their chip, passport, and a basic starter kit that will include their Royal Canin food.
WHY IS THERE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN PRICE BETWEEN BREEDERS?
Basically, by the difference in qualities between their Bengals. Each breeder has a very clear knowledge about the quality of their bengal kittens, and therefore knows the price they should have. Some details that influence the price are:
-The breeder makes all the necessary genetic tests for his bengal cats and his bengal cats are negative. These tests are done, some in Spain, and most in the US, therefore it also means an expense for the breeder.
-The breeder issuing pedigrees is equivalent to quality, because he can prove in an internationally registered document the history of the ancestors of his bengal cats and show that they are purebred, that there have been no crosses between parents and children, and demonstrate which specimens have had to use to get the bengal cat in question.
-The line and characteristics of the breeder's specimens. Well-marked spots, beautiful and bright colors, affectionate character and that the criteria of beauty stipulated by the feline clubs for the breed in question are met, are some of the things that will define a good quality of the bengal cats. However, the Bengal of each breeder have their outstanding characteristics and their exclusivities.
-The breeder's dedication to his bengal kittens. It is not the same a breeder who cares to keep their bengal cats up to date with all the genetic tests, to monitor them at all times and to keep them in an optimum state of health by giving them a high-end diet, than a breeder who does not.
TYPES OF BENGAL CATS
Bengal can be classified by his coat design and his coat color. Although there are some main classes, the variety is infinite, since all the options can be combined with each other.
Types of Bengal cat by his coat design:
-Spotted Bengal.
The spotted Bengal cat is the most popular, as it is the most similar to the Asian leopard cat. In this kind of Bengali we find spots, which are generally called rosettes, spread over a base of cream or light mantle. The rosettes can be of different types, and depending on the colors we can distinguish mainly: Brown spotted bengal (brown), snow spotted bengal (white) and silver spotted bengal (silver).
-Marble Bengal.
Design of horizontally distributed spots simulating swirls or imitating marble veins (hence its name). Since its inception, the Marble Bengal was a color that was very successful among Bengal lovers, and it was quickly included in the records as a recognized type of design for the Bengal cat. We can also make a distinction according to colors, mainly: Brown marble bengal, snow marble bengal and silver marble bengal.
-Sparble Bengal.
The sparble design is a mixture between spotted and marble, finding in the coat both swirls and rosettes. The colors are the same as we found in the Bengal spotted and in the marble.
Types of Bengal cats by his coat colors:
-Brown Bengal. Brown color is the most popular in the bengal cat, as it is the most similar to the Asian leopard. It is characterized by a coat of light brown, beige, gold, or orange, and darker marks, which can combine dark brown, black, light brown, reddish, orange, and cream.
-Snow Bengal. The background color of the coat is soft with spots that can combine gray, dark brown, or chocolate. Snow bengals can be divided into three main classes: Seal Lynx Point Bengal (light cream white and blue eyes), Seal Mink Bengal (ivory or light brown, blue eyes), and Sepia Bengal (ivory or light brown, green eyes).
-Silver Bengal. In this type of Bengal, the background color of the coat is white / silver with darker markings, and the eyes are green or gold.
-Although not recognized in competition, Bengal may present other colors such as: Blue bengal, charcoal bengal, cinnamon bengal, or melanistic (black) bengal.
Evolution of Bengal spots and definition of the most valued type of Bengal.
Since the beginning of Bengal, the spots have been developed thanks to the work of committed breeders, and have gone from the small brown spots that the bengal presented in its infancy, to the contrasting rosettes that we see today. Thanks to this selection carried out by the breeders, the colors of the bengal have been intensified, until reaching the donut and clouded rosettes.
In its origins the Bengal was classified into the following types according to their spots: Footprint or Paw Print (light interior combined with stripes and dark spots not closed), Arrowhead or Arrow (a light interior with a darker line in the shape of a tip). arrow) and the two-tone (with rounded spots that had two different tones on each side).
While the small and low-contrast spots that the Bengal cat had before are now presented by Bengals of lower quality, at present, Bengals of better quality have rosettes that we call Donut type (rosettes contoured by a darker color than the background mantle, similar to the Jaguar), or Clouded or Cloud type rosettes (larger rosettes, which fit together like a puzzle, make the bengal similar to the Clouded leopard cat). These rosettes represent the evolution of the Bengal towards specimens with higher quality of colors and contrast between the background and their marks, and it has been necessary to reach them years of selective breeding by the best breeders of the breed.
We want to emphasize that Luxury Leopards specializes in Brown Spotted Bengal breeding with Clouded and Donut rosettes, and like the most prestigious Bengal breeders, we look for the highest degree of contrast (difference in color between the spots and the background). The Clouded and Donut rosettes are the most exclusive, very difficult to find, and very sought after by lovers and connoisseurs of the Bengal breed.
Please, click above in "OUR CATS" to see the reproductive bengal cats of our cattery, remarkable for its Clouded type rosettes. These are one of the best international bengal cats, and they suppose the perfection in color and contrast.