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Do Bengal Kittens Make Good Pets?
When it comes to Bengal kittens there are a few things that you should know about them before considering bringing one home and making it part of your family. The more you know about Bengals and Bengal kittens in general, the better off the both of you will be and your kitten will be a lot better pet than some people believe they can be. In this article we will cover the following:
- What’s the Difference Between a Pet and Show or Breeder Quality Kitten?
- What is the Temperament and Personality of a Bengal Kitten Like?
- How Easy are Bengal Kittens to Train?
What’s the Difference Between a Pet and Show or Breeder Quality Kitten?
When it comes to Bengal kittens there are two different categories they generally fall into. When looking for a Bengal kitten, it’s up to you what you want to bring them into your homes for. The two categories are pet quality and show/breeder quality. Generally a Bengal kitten that is considered a pet quality kitten is one that breeders often believe wouldn’t do very good in a cat show ring. They also believe that they may not have all the right traits that the breeder is trying to emphasize in their breeding programs. There actually could be a variety of reasons why they would be considered a pet quality kitten and not a show/breeder quality kitten. However, none of these reasons take away from the beauty of any of these pet quality Bengal kittens. Here are a few reasons why a Bengal kitten would be put in the pet quality category and not in the show class:
- The kitten might be one of the most beautiful in the litter but it could end up having a tail kink, even the smallest of one would disqualify them from being put in the show quality. This kink in their tails can only be detected by feeling for it.
- All for of the kittens paw pads, or the bottom of their feet may not be all black. For a Bengal to be of show or breeder quality they must have all black paw pads.
- The kitten’s spots may end up being far too regular in their patterns for them to be able to compete well against other Bengals who may have far more randomly placed spots. This is something very important to most cat breeders who want their cats to be show cats.
- Some breeders have learned from experience and studying the genetics of their cats that even though the kitten might have a show/breeder quality in their overall appearance that they more than likely are not going to produce kittens that end up being show cats.
If the kitten you are looking at is of pet quality and not show quality, the price is going to be a lot lower than that of one who is going to be labeled a show cat. But just because they’re labeled a pet quality kitten doesn’t mean they’re not going to be beautiful. They are still going to be a beautiful cat with an endearing personality, which is what makes them so extremely popular.
Even with a Bengal kitten being of pet quality, they still can be quite expensive, so that’s the first thing you need to take into consideration when bringing one home as a family pet. On average, breeders of pet quality Bengals often charge anywhere from $500 to $1,000. The prices are determined by a number of different things, especially how beautiful the kitten is and how well it meets the normal Bengal Standards. This means that most often, Bengal kittens will be priced individually.
Most of the time when you go to buy one that is of pet quality and not show quality the breeders will require that you will not breed these cats. They are usually sold with a contract that requires their owners to have them spayed or neutered by the time they are seven months old. Some breeders require they are spayed or neutered before you take them home with you.
What is the Temperament and Personality of a Bengal Kitten Like?
There are a lot of people who tend to be leery of any kitten that comes from the wild ancestry that Bengal kittens come from. Unfortunately, this belief has given this beautiful domestic cat a bad rap. Although, they aren’t wild in any sense of the word, once they are 4th generation and beyond, they are not for everyone. Many people choose cats over dogs because of their normally placid personalities. However, when it comes to the Bengal kitten, their personalities are far different than most other domestic cats. If you are looking for a kitten that is going to be calm, independent and kind of stuck up like most cats, they’ll be disappointed. This is not what you get with a Bengal kitten.
For many people, they prefer cats over dogs because generally they require a lot less attention than dogs do. When it comes to Bengal kittens however, that isn’t exactly how they are. Bengals are far more active than most cats and when it comes to intelligence they often are far more intelligent that your typical domestic cat. These two things combined make them totally different personality and temperament wise. For some people they can be a handful because they demand far more attention and interaction with the people that they come to live with and call family. Check out this adorable video of Bengal kittens playing on a slide:
Bengal kittens love to play and are very athletic and tend to have a lot more energy than most other cats. This is important to know because they have a need to be entertained quite often. This is why it’s so important to make sure that you Bengal proof your home. What is meant by that is you need to make sure that your Bengal kitten has at least one cat tree they can climb and play on and make sure that they have plenty of interesting and interactive toys that will keep these balls of energy busy during the day.
Not only do they need plenty of challenging toys to occupy their time with during the day, it’s also important that you take time out to give them affection and personal play time. Even though a cat, no matter what breed it is, never sees their humans as masters, the people in their lives are still very important to them. This is especially true when it comes to Bengal kittens.
Bengal kittens generally get along with children quite well. The main reason for this is that both are super curious and filled with energy. Bengal kittens are going to be overjoyed if they live in a home with children because they will always be entertained by each other and there should never be a boring moment for either of them.
If you want to make sure that you bond well with your kitten, it is not recommended that you buy two of them from the same litter. The reason for this is that they will have already bonded with each other and this can create a problem with human bonding. Once they have bonded together, they may not feel the need for bonding with you or anyone in your family. This is not to say that they don’t get along with other pets except for each other. In fact they generally get along very well with other cats and dogs. You just need to slowly introduce them to each other so neither one feels threatened. Once the pets get use to each other, there should be no issues with them all being part of one big happy family.
You will quickly discover with your Bengal kitten that it won’t take long for them to show just how fiercely loyal and attached they can become with their human family. Before you know it, your kitten will want to be involved with everything that you do. They will follow you everywhere to make sure that they don’t miss out on anything. This is something that you need to get used to if you’re going to have a Bengal as part of the family.
Bengal kittens also are a lot louder and more talkative than most domestic cats and they remain this way all through adulthood. If you are looking for a calm and quiet cat, you’re not going to get it from a Bengal kitten. When they want to try and show you something, get your attention, or want something really bad, they will let you know it and won’t stop until they get what they want. This is something, that some people have issues with, and if that’s the case for you, then a Bengal kitten is not going to be the right cat for you. But, if you don’t mind a chatty cat, then this part of their personality isn’t going to bother you, in fact you might find it one of their most endearing qualities, their ability to communicate and their desire to do so. Here’s a great video of a Bengal communicating about something outside:
How Easy are Bengal Kittens to Train?
Just like any other cat, it all depends upon the personality of your Bengal kitten. But, because they are so extremely intelligent, most of them are a lot easier to train than the average domestic cat. Their desire to continually be challenged is a quality that makes them so easy to train to do just about anything a dog can and will do. Some people even joke that a Bengal cat is just a dog in cat’s clothing.
Like with any cat, dog or even a child, it takes love, kindness and patience when training them. It’s important that you never scold your kitten when they don’t do something right. You want them to know that it’s OK to make mistakes and then help them learn from them. If you can do that, your Bengal kitten will learn just about anything you want them to learn.
Because of their never ending curiosity about the world around them, they are usually more than willing to learn anything you ask of them. They tend to want to try and do everything that you do, because they really want to feel part of the family.
Some of the things that you can easily teach them to do are listed below:
- They are usually already potty trained when you bring one home. Most breeders have already taught them this. However, if not, they quickly and easily learn to go in their litter box within just a week or so after you start training them. They prefer a very clean place to go, so always make sure the litter box is always nice and clean.
- Toilet training is something that can be done once they are a little older and big enough to sit on the toilet. Bengals are absolutely fascinated by water so learning to pee and even poo for some on the toilet can be easily done. Some of them even have been taught to flush the toilet after they’ve finished going.
- They can be taught to swim. Since they don’t have any fear of water and tend to really enjoy it, they can easily be taught to swim in a kiddie pool and some even learn to swim in larger human pools where they can be found enjoying a nice swim with their pet parents.
- Just like dogs, Bengal kittens can be taught to get used to a harness and a leash. Once they become comfortable with those two items, they generally are more than happy to learn how to go for walks with you. There’s nothing more fun than taking your cat for a walk through the neighborhood. Some of them grow to enjoy it so much that they’ll go with you to places like the park, hiking trails, and some even learn to go camping with their pet parents.
- They love to learn how to open up drawers, cabinet doors, windows and even doors to other rooms and even outdoors. This might be something you find amusing, however, because of this, you need to make sure that whatever they learn to open, there isn’t anything dangerous waiting for them to harm them. Sometimes you may need to put child protection locks on things you may not want your Bengal opening.
The Bengal kitten may not be the ideal pet for some people, but for others they could end up being one of the best additions to the family you could ever ask for. In the end, being a good pet, is partly the personality of the kitten, and the effort that you put into it as well. It’s a relationship that can be a happy and active one that could last for years. Years that will be filled with love, friendship and joy.
So, did that help answer your question on whether or not Bengal kittens make good pets? Please let us know what you think about it by posting your own comment below.
