Adoption Process
Coordinating with Bengal catteries and exhausting internet searches can seem overwhelming to those not familiar with the process when searching for their Bengal kitten. We went through the same frustrations when our cattery was searching for our Bengal breeders so to help others in their search we have itemized our typical process below.
Note that we update our available Bengal kitten pictures about every 2 weeks, so picking the pattern that you desire is easier the longer you wait; however, the higher the risk of the Bengal kitten being reserved by someone else. See Pattern Progression below for a sample of how Bengal patterns and colors progress as the Bengal kittens age. In general, Bengal kitten pattern rosettes will open up and brown colors will develop. The best indicator of how Bengal kitten patterns and colors will develop is to look at pictures of both parents.
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Note that if you don't purchase breeding/showing rights, then the Breeder Slip will be provided with "Not For Breeding" and "Not For Showing" boxes checked. This means that any future Bengal kittens produced by your kitten can never be registered with TICA, which is no problem if you plan to spay/neuter your Bengal kitten anyway. This also means that your Bengal kitten can't compete in Bengal cat shows other than in the pet category. You can still register your Bengal kitten with TICA without breeding/showing rights as "Pet Only", guarantying your Bengal kitten is purebred.
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1. Pick your available Bengal kitten in our Available Kittens page.
2. Email, text, or call our cattery to verify that the kitten is still available as the website isn't updated daily.
3. Request a ZOOM call by email, text, or phone if you want to discuss live as this helps weed out scammers.
4. Pay $300 non-refundable deposit by Cashapp, Venmo, or Zelle to reserve your Bengal kitten.
5. Our cattery will update our website to show your Bengal kitten reserved along with your city.
6. Wait until Bengal kitten is 10 weeks old, see our Available Kittens page for available date to pick up your kitten.
7. Decide if you want to purchase the additional breeding/showing rights for your Bengal kitten.
8. Come to our cattery to pick up your Bengal kitten and pay remaining balance with cash only.
9. Pick up Breeder Slip if you are getting breeding rights, else TICA requires us to obtain proof of spade/neutor before sending the breeding slip needed to register your Bengal kitten with TICA.
10. Help your Bengal kitten adjust to its new home, see Rehoming Tips below.
11. Schedule second round of vaccinations 2 weeks after pick up, our cattery provides the first round.
12. Register your Bengal kitten with TICA using the information on the Breeder Slip, if desired, cost is $12.
13. Order 3 generation ($25) or 5 generation ($50) pedigree (upstream family tree) from TICA, if desired.
Cattery Evaluation
1. Most Bengal catteries will have both a dedicated website page and a Facebook page and not just a free Facebook page. Search the internet for the name of the Bengal cattery. Beware of websites and Facebook pages that don't list their location as a common Bengal scammer technique is to find out your location first, then they will give their location a sufficient distance away so that picking up the Bengal kitten isn't practical and shipping comes into play. Bad grammar is almost always present with Bengal scammers.
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2. Most Bengal catteries will be registered with TICA (The International Cat Association) and have a TICA Cattery ID number listed in their website. If their website doesn't mention membership, then you can search the TICA website for registered Bengal catteries at tica.org/bengal-breeders. You can't register your Bengal kitten if the Bengal cattery isn't registered with TICA. Also make sure both parents are registered Bengals with TICA as you can't register your Bengal kitten unless both parents are registered Bengals with TICA.
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3. Most Bengal catteries will be a member of The Bengal Cat Club, a major international Bengal cat club. If their website doesn't mention membership, then you can search the Bengal Cat Club website for registered Bengal catteries at bengalcatclub.com/bengal-cat-breeders/. You can still register your Bengal kitten if the Bengal cattery isn't a member as long as they are a registered cattery with TICA.
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4. Some Bengal catteries will be a member of The International Bengal Cat Society (TIBCS). It is not as popular as The Bengal Cat Club. If their website doesn't mention membership, then you can search the International Bengal Cat Society website for registered Bengal catteries at tibcs.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=1270&club_id=902066. You can still register your Bengal kitten if the Bengal cattery isn't a member as long as they are a registered cattery with TICA.
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5. Most Bengal catteries will offer or accommodate a ZOOM or Facetime call to help validate the Bengal cattery and the Bengal kitten adopter.
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6. Most Bengal catteries will offer premium Bengal kittens with breeding/showing rights for an additional fee. Some Bengal catteries will limit the sale of breeding/showing rights to only out of state Bengal catteries to reduce local competition. You can register your Bengal kitten with TICA as a pet without breeding/showing rights; however, you can't register any litters produced by your Bengal kitten with TICA without the TICA-established breeding/showing rights issued at the time of adoption of your Bengal kitten.
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7. Most Bengal catteries will provide the first round of vaccinations for your Bengal kitten at 8 weeks.
Bengal History
The Bengal breed was developed by crossing the Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic house cat. The Asian Leopard Cat is a medium to large cat renowned for their richly colored, highly contrasted coat of vivid rosettes, clouds, and marbling resembling the jungle cats like leopards, jaguars, and ocelots. The Bengal breed's name is a reference to the scientific name of the Asian Leopard Cat, Prionailurus Bengalensis, not from the Bengal Tiger as one would think. The Bengal breed was established in the 1980's, officially adopted by TICA as a new breed in 1986, and are now one of the most frequently exhibited breeds in TICA.
Asian Leopard Cat
Leopard
Jaguar
Ocelot
Clouded Leopard
Original crossings with Asian Leopard Cats produce F1 (Foundation 1st Generation) hybrid Bengals. The F1 Bengal males are sterile and can't reproduce; however, F1 Bengal females can be bred with domestic male cats to produce F2 hybrid Bengals. The F2 Bengal males are also sterile but the F2 Bengal females can be bred with domestic male cats to produce F3 hybrid Bengals. F1, F2, and F3 hybrid Bengals are not considered the Bengal breed so they aren't eligible for TICA shows. F3 female hybrid Bengals can be bred to produce F4 Bengals and are the first generation to be considered the Bengal breed. All TICA registered Bengals sold by Bengal catteries will be F4 or later generations.
Bengals are best known for their exquisite coat patterns and colors. The most common Bengal patterns are rosetted, clouded, spotted, and marbled, see below for samples of each. The most common Bengal colors are brown, silver, and snow, see below for samples of each. Some Bengal coats feature an iridescent glitter sheen unique to the Bengal breed, see picture below. Snow colors come from breeding brown Bengals with Siamese breeds to produce tan or cream colors with the same Bengal patterns and blue eyes. Silver colors consist of grays, blacks, and whites. Bengal undersides are typically white in all colors and patterns. Bengal tails typically have alternating black and white rings.
Rosetted Pattern
Clouded Pattern
Marbled Pattern
Spotted Pattern
Brown Color
Silver Color
Snow Color
Glitter Coat
Bengals are intelligent, inquisitive, affectionate, and love climbing and elevation. Bengals are very active and playful and prefer environments with lots of climbing options and places to explore. Bengals are also one of the more hypoallergenic cat breeds so they are commonly the choice for people with mild cat allergies. Bengal glitter is typically visible with a magnifying glass or even to the naked eye; however, if you'd like to confirm that your Bengal cat or kitten has glitter, then you can purchase the Optimal Selection Feline test from Wisdom Panel.
Pattern Progression
To help you visualize how the Bengal patterns and colors of your new Bengal kitten will develop as they become an adult, our cattery has provided photos for some of our Bengal kittens as they aged. Bengal kittens are typically born with coats that are spotted, more similar to a cheetah than a leopard; however, as the Bengal kittens age the spots expand into the classic Bengal rosetted leopard pattern. These fuzzy coats also affect the Bengal kitten's color. As the Bengal kittens age, they will become darker and develop a more leopard-like color and contrast.
Athena 1 Month
Athena 4 Months
Poseidon 4 Months
Athena 2 Months
Athena 5 Months
Poseidon 5 Months
Athena 3 Months
Athena 6 Months
Poseidon 6 Months
Poseidon 7 Months
Iris 3 Months
Iris 6 Months
Poseidon 8 Months
Iris 4 Months
Iris 7 Months
Poseidon 9 Months
Iris 5 Months
Iris 8 Months
Rehoming Tips
Below are some tips and suggestions to help your new Bengal kitten adjust to their new home.
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1. When you pick up your Bengal kitten, our cattery will include a package of toys, training aids, and food to help with your Bengal kitten's transition. Some of our cattery's favorite Bengal kitten toys are fishing-pole styled toys with fish or feathers at the tip, stuffed animals, and collapsible tunnels. Two Bengal training tips that our cattery has discovered are laser lights and spray bottles. Laser lights are a great way to get your Bengal kitten to do what you want them to do, while water spray bottles are a good way to get your Bengal kitten to stop doing what you don't want them to do. A few days supply of Diamond Naturals Active Cat Food will help with your Bengal kitten's transition to your cat food of choice.
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2. If you choose a different cat food for your new Bengal kitten, then it is best to make the transition slowly. Try 25% new 75% old for a few days, then 50% new 50% old for a few days, then 75% new 25% old for a few days, and finally 100% new. You may experience a short period of loose stools while your Bengal kitten's digestive tract adjusts to the new food. Level off the top of your Bengal kitten's food bowl each day initially so that you can monitor if they are eating or not.
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3. Your Bengal kitten will be accustomed to being handled in our cattery; however, in their new environment they will initially be cautious and nervous. Our cattery recommends selecting a small room for the first few days dedicated to your new Bengal kitten, maybe a bathroom, laundry room, or closet. Place your new Bengal kitten's food, water, litter box, and toys in this room. Once your new Bengal kitten becomes adjusted to their new space, their natural curiosity will eventually lead them to explore your new home and expand their comfort territory. It typically takes 3-5 days for your new Bengal kitten to adjust to their new home.
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4. Your new Bengal kitten will be litter box trained when you pick them up. Our cattery uses open top sifting type litter boxes for training. As soon as you get your new Bengal kitten home, place them in their new litter box. Keeping your new Bengal kitten's litter box clean is important, at least initially until they get accustomed to using it. If you find your new Bengal kitten not using your litter box, then move the litter box to the spot that they are using and relocate their stool to the box and then try to make your new Bengal kitten bury their litter. If your new Bengal kitten starts using their new litter box, then gradually move it a foot a day to your desired location.
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5. Our cattery uses a water fountain with an electric pump for our Bengal cats and kittens. Our cattery uses a large 2 gallon for our Bengal cats and a smaller 1 gallon for our Bengal kittens. The water fountain filters the water to keep it pure. The recirculating water also helps prevent bacteria growth. Finally the water trickling through the air cools the water a few degrees making it more refreshing for the Bengal cats and kittens to drink. Some Bengals are skittish and get startled by the trickling fountain, so make sure your new Bengal kitten is drinking from the fountain. If your new Bengal kitten is skittish of the fountain, then turn it off until they get accustomed. Our cattery sometimes uses the laser light in the water to get the Bengal kittens to approach and drink. Our cattery uses a wall outlet manual timer to only run the fountain a few times a day as required. Pay attention to the design of the water fountain as some fountains are designed to run constantly as they have a top divider tray that will quickly run out of water during a power failure. Our cattery uses the PetSafe Drinkwell fountain as even without power the Bengal cats and kittens still have access to all of the water.
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6. Use the laser light to entertain and exercise your new Bengal kitten. The laser light can also be used to help your new Bengal kitten climb towers, use scratching posts, climb stairs, enter new rooms, enter new litter boxes, try new water fountains, come out of inaccessible spaces, etc. Use the water spray bottle to train your new Bengal kitten to stay off certain tables, stop scratching furniture, stay off certain furniture, etc as the Bengal kittens don't like the water in their face but it doesn't harm them. The smart Bengal kittens will learn to retreat even if you just reach for the spray bottle. Our cattery has found that scratching posts need to be at least 30" tall to allow for proper stretching.
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7. When your Bengal kitten is initially getting accustomed to you and your family it is best to lie on the floor so that you don't seem so tall and intimidating to them. Don't forget to go around your home initially and remove any small objects that your new Bengal kitten could choke on and check for any holes or cracks that they could squeeze into and get stuck like dishwashers, washers, dryers, cabinet baseboards, plumbing access panels, etc.