 | - What are your recommendations for declawing kittens?
- Will the cat/kitten be destructive if I don't trim his/her nails?
- What type of unique health issues do the Bengal have, if any?
- What should I feed my Bengal?
- Why should I microchip my Bengal and what are some of the precautions to be aware of with regards to microchipping?
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| 1. What are your recommendations for declawing kittens? |
| | We do not advocate declawing. The process of declawing is painful and in many cases the cat never does completely recover. The site http://www.amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html has compiled a listing of numerous declawing sites.  As an alternatively, we highly recommend trimming the cat's nails. We start trimming our kittens nails when they are still quite young so they are familiar with the procedure. By the time our kittens leave to our place to go to their permanent new homes, we have trimmed their nails frequently enough so that they are familiar and comfortable with the experience. We also help new owners learn how to trim the cat's nails if they are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the task. Once you do it a few times, it becomes a familiar and simple task. |
| 2. Will the cat/kitten be destructive if I don't trim his/her nails? |
| | While there is no guarantee on the specific behavior of a cat, from experience we have found that by keeping the cat's nails trimmed and by offering scratching posts, our cats do not damage our furniture. |
| | 3. What type of unique health issues do the Bengal have, if any? |
| | | From our experience Bengals are similar to most domestic cats. However, we have noted that Bengals (as with many cats and dogs) can sometimes have a touchy digestive system requiring a simple and stable diet. We do not recommend frequently changing their diet. When you adopt a kitten we recommend that you keep him/her on the same diet as the he was on for a few days to minimize the stress while transitioning to a new home. If you choose to change the kitten's diet, it needs to be a gradual transition over a period of a week or two, in order to reduce stress and keep them from getting an upset digestive system. |
| | 4. What should I feed my Bengal? |
| | | We recommend that you use a high quality food, as we have found that cheaper quality foods can frequently cause runny stools or sickly cats, while the cats are healthier and have shinier pelts when we feed a high-quality food. We recommend an organic food such as Eagle Pack or a a premium food such as Eukanuba. We have also found that mixing Eukanuba Kitten formula with Iam Hairball formula helps keep our kittens' stools firm and they seem to thrive on the quality. The food you choose to feed your Bengal is a personal choice and we make no explicit medical claims, and we speak only from our own experience and observation. As always, we recommend you discuss all medical and health concerns with your veterinarian. |
| | 5. Why should I microchip my Bengal and what are some of the precautions to be aware of with regards to microchipping? |
| | | A microchip is a small computer chip that holds an identification number which is associated to information about the cat and it's owner. This tiny chip is implanted on the cat with a needle. In the event the cat is ever lost and turned into the humane society or other organization, they can scan the cat for the identification number and thus help locate the owner. This can be beneficial in locating the cat in the event he/she is lost or escapes. We have a friend who had a microchipped cat that escaped and was later captured and turned into the local humane society. The owners as well as many friends searched everywhere and called the humane society who adamantly insisted that there was no cat on the premise with a microchip. To no avail, they also asked the humane society office if they had a cat the fit the description of a Bengal. In desperation, a friend went down to the facility to see if the cat might be there. Sure enough, he found the cat and when he asked them to scan the cat again, coincidently the microchip came up with the correct number. We found out later that the cat was scheduled to be spayed the next day (even though she was pregnant) and one of the volunteers was planning on adopting her. Lessons Learned: in the event your pet is lost, don't rely exclusively on the microchip as it can fail, the scanner may not be able to read the microchip, or your cat may become the envy of someone who wants the pet for themselves. This is particularly true for a Bengal, as they are so beautiful and not affordable for some. |
| | 6. What additional resources do you provide for the new Bengal owners? |
| | | We send our kittens home with a special care package that includes a Kitten Care Guide to help you get off to a wonderful start with your new family member. We also provide a starter supply of food that the kitten is accustomed to so that you can be sure the kitten remains on the same diet and is able to transition gradually to your choice of food for the kitten. Additionally, when you buy a kitten from us, you are never left alone once you have taken him or her home with you. We are your support group to answer questions and we are always more than ready to help provide advice and answer your questions when ever possible. |
