History of the Bengal cat

As a recent owner of two Bengal cross kittens, I have taken an interest in learning more about the breed. The ancestry of today's Bengal cat is apparently the most diverse of any breed in the world. It derives from a spotted domestic cat found in India, tabbies from various parts of California and other species of feline called the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC).

ALC, otherwise known as Felis Bengalensis are found from Southern India, eastward through Thailand, Malaysia and in to China. It is this cat which has made possible the unique appearance of its "manufactured" descendants... The Bengal cat we know today.

It was their beautiful fur that inspired experimenters to attempt to cross breed them with ordinary tabby cats. The intent was to produce a friendly and dependable house pet with as many of the ALC's appearance and characteristics as possible.

The first documented cross breed experiment between Felis Bengalensis  and Felis Catus was by Jean Sugden in 1963. She used a black domestic tom cat and a hybrid female called Kiki. Several other ALC owners produced hybrids, including Pat Warren, William Engle and Dr. Willard Centerwall working with Loyola University.

It's thought that most Bengals today can be traced back to those original Centerwall cross breeds. i have to admit I never thought to ask the breeder about their bloodline. This research has definitely inspired me to ask her.

Pedro and Lola's arrival

The day had finally arrived to collect the little ones from the breeder. I was so excited... After all our first introduction to them was at 4 days old. It was the longest 8 weeks of our lives.

We arrived home late evening, put their basket down on the kitchen floor, where they would spend their first couple of days. We sat silently on the floor whilst they got used to their surroundings. Lola was very shy and reserved whilst Pedro on the other hand was all over us. Pedro had previously had a lot more human contact than Lola due to his near death experience, hence why he was a lot more forthcoming.

Pedro and Lola play

The breeder had warned us that she had been unsuccessful trying to get them to use a litter tray. They had just been doing their business on some newspaper. I can't say we were particularly delighted with this news and took the necessary precautions.


The following morning we got up and no mess. We placed them both in the litter tray and they both happily went to toilet (happy days). In fact 8 weeks on, they have never done their business outside of the litter tray. Trick is to keep it as clean as possible as cats are both clean and fussy.

Pedro happily sleeps in my arms

I really enjoyed watching them explore, hide and play together and watch their personalities grow. I would quite often sit on the kitchen floor and let them come to me if they wanted attention. Bengals are well know for their affectionate nature but it was really only Pedro that demonstrated this. Lola would prefer to sit and watch from afar... Taking it all in!

We slowly introduced them to new areas of our home and now they pretty much run riot when given the opportunity. They are climbing to new heights every day and generally getting up to mischief but we adore their naughty antics. 

Pedro and Lola snuggle up together

We are really pleased with our decision to get 2 kittens as neither one of them would be the same without the other. I believe Lola would still be a shy little thing without her brother and Pedro probably wouldn't be quite so mad without his sister to bomb around with.

They are growing at quite a speed and their personalities are shining. There is nothing I enjoy more than a cuddle with my microbubins after a long days work... On their terms of course!

Lola sleeps

When 5 became 3...

At about 4 weeks old the breeder unfortunately discovered that 2 out of the 5 kittens had died. She found them early one morning and was absolutely horrified. Unfortunately mum Chia didn't have enough milk to feed all 5 babies adequately.

When we got the call to say that 2 had died my heart quite literally sank. The breeder told us that Lola was fine. She was always the biggest - Apparently a bit of a milk hogger! The breeder then went on to say that she had almost lost Pedro as well. Turns out on the morning the 2 dead kittens were found, Pedro was found with very little sign of life. She thought he was a goner as well until she heard him cry. The breeder whipped him up to her local vets where he received treatment. He had not been getting enough milk from his mother and also suffered the effects of what turned out to be a really cold March.

Pedro Lopez himself

After hearing this news we decided that we would go and visit them. Luckily, they were only about half an hour away. We couldn't quite believe that we were lucky enough to have both survive and had our doubts as to whether Pedro would actually come home with us. It should never come down to money with animals. However, even Bengal crosses don't come cheap so we wanted to be sure he was okay.

The beautiful Lola May

Upon arrival the breeder said, I will completely understand if you don't want to take Pedro. They were now 6 weeks old and so had become a lot more independent from their mother. I picked up Pedro and he laid in my lap. At that moment I realised that it didn't matter if Pedro had any health problems... He was coming home with us along with Lola and we would love and care for them no matter what.

So that was that really... In 2 weeks they would be home with us!

Before Pedro and Lola came home

Originally, we were only going to have one kitten and had decided that we would like a male. There were 5 kittens born (2 males and 3 females) and my other half went to choose our boy just four days after they were born. Unfortunately, I could not go as I had other commitments but received this photo by text which melted my heart.

I finally got to meet our boy (and siblings) when they were 2 weeks old. During which time we had been debating whether we should stick with one kitten or have a pair. Reason being, we both work full time and we were worried that Pedro would be a little lonely. Bengals are very affectionate and demand a lot of attention, so we went with an open mind. During our visit, we decided that we would definitely have a pair and so decided on a sister... Lola.

 

Unfortunately we were not able to get a photo of Lola because mum was being rather protective of her babies and we didn't want to cause mum or babies any stress. I have to be honest I walked out of the breeders house and thought to myself what have I committed myself to! However, I can hand on heart say, I have not looked back once.