IMPORTANT Care for Bengals!!

Bengals Have a Short Digestive Tract & Ultra Sensitive System!!!  ANY Minor Change in Diet Can Throw Off Their System Indefinitely, Resulting in Extreme Diarrhea, Which Can Lead to Serious Dehydration (& even death) - the #1 Cause of Renal Failure in Cats!!  DO NOT Change Your Bengal's Food AT ALL - Not Even to a Different Formula of the Same Brand!!  Unless Absolutely Necessary & Even Then, Seek Your Breeder's Advice. NEVER Feed Food/Treats That Contain CORN GLUTEN MEAL  as the 1st or 2nd Ingredient - Especially Not to a Bengal!!

Bengals are Incredibly Smart & yes, they Can be Trained on a HARNESS & Leash, HOWEVER, I STRONGLY ADVISE AGAINST IT!!!!!  Being The Admin of a LOST BENGALS Group, I can say - With Extreme Accuracy, Those Bengals That Are Used to the Outdoors Are 98% of The Bengals That Are Now LOST!!!!  Bengals are such Great Escape Artists & Often Able to Open Doors & Once Comfortable Outdoors, They Will Most Often Dart Out a Slightly Open Door At EVERY Given Opportunity - Another Reason to NEVER ALLOW Your BENGAL To Cross The Threshold Of The Door on His/Her Own - Instead, PICK THEM UP & CARRY Them - IF YOU MUST TAKE THEM OUTDOORS, i.e. to Put Them in their CATIO.  Once Bengals Are Outdoors On Their Own, THEY DO NOT STAY AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD as other breeds of Domestic Cats do, but, They Go Off On An Adventure Instead!!!  They are Almost Always Several Miles Away From Home Before They Realize They are Lost - & Even If They Wanted to Come Home, Someone Often Snaps Them Up at First Sight & Unfortunately, These Days, Most Bengals Are NOT Returned to their owners When Found.

Start it out in a VERY SMALL Room (a bathroom without carpet is ideal) for the 1st 2 Weeks to a Month Minimum - some Adults acclimate in a few weeks, whereas others can take up to 2-3 mos. to acclimate!!!  This Will Make Them Feel Much More Secure in Strange, New Surroundings (scents, sounds, people, etc.) & help Kittens Maintain Their Good Litter Box Habits!!   Bengal Cats Can be Quite Headstrong & Territorial Compared to Other Domestic Cat Breeds:   If you quickly add a new adult Bengal Cat [with other pets] without supervision, on top of their current stress, you'll cause them to feel threatened & Traumatized.  AFTER 2 WEEKS:  Acclimate your Bengal to 1 room at a time; once he/she feels like he/she 'Owns The Home' (at 1-2 mos., depending on age & stress level) he/she is ready to be introduced to 1 pet at a time -DO NOT DO THIS UNTIL COMPLETELY ACCLIMATED.  Most Bengals are wonderful, loving, affectionate, loyal pets AFTER  Properly Acclimated -Do NOT Cut Acclimation Time Short & NEVER Leave  a Non-acclimated Adult Bengal  Unsupervised Around Other Pets!!

Do Not attempt to Acclimate More Quickly, at YOUR Timing - That is a BIG Mistake that new Owners all too often make, with the assumption that  Adult Bengals acclimate the same way as other cats - THEY DO NOT!!!  Most Bengals are HEADSTRONG, & Re-homing is a Very, VERY Stressful Time for Them - No Matter How Happy They Seem on the Outside, & Could Cause Them to: Act Out, Attack Other Pets, Hide Under Furniture, or Regress in Their Potty Habits (much like a Young Toddler).   Do Not Leave an ADULT BENGAL That Has NOT Been Fully Acclimated UNSUPERVISED Around Pets or Small Children - They May be Extremely Stressed if they have not known them - especially By SCENT for 2-3 mos.   Bengal Cats Can be Quite Headstrong & Territorial Compared to Other Domestic Cat Breeds:   If you quickly add a new adult Bengal Cat [with other pets] without supervision, on top of their current stress, you'll cause them to feel threatened & Traumatized.  Since they are not yet on Equal Turf they very well may fight to protect their personal space, IF they've already started the acclimation process - IF NOT, OR IT'S BEEN 2 WEEKS OR LESS,

 i.e. Adult Bengals feel like an outsider  when simply "Tossed in the Mix" with other Pets & the result is often quite awful & could be permanent.  Bengals Almost Always win & may continue the fight until the other pet has been completely defeated  or even deceased - especially if the Bengal has deemed it a Very High Stress, Traumatizing situation for them!!!  Do Not Allow Your New Bengal KITTEN to Sleep With You!!   You would be giving it permission to PEE The BED.  KITTENS That Have NOT Been Acclimated, like a toddler, may decide that they do not want to take the time out of playtime to find the location of their litter box!  "Toddlers" will almost always Pee the Bed if not acclimated properly!!

You Have Probably Heard That Bengals Absolutely LOVE Water, BUT...  Keep in mind, most kittens have not had any experience with water yet [especially during the cold Winter months, to keep from being unnecessarily chilled] & may very well be terrified initially, when simply being placed in a bathtub, then, panic & drown - This Has Happened With a Few of Our Kitten Buyers!!  Also, We Practice Early Spay/Neuter & per Our Veterinarian Instructions, New Owners are to not only "Limit Activity," but, KEEP THEM OUT OF WATER, Due to Dissolvable Stitches after ESN Surgery - or any Spay/Neuter, even for Adult Cats!!

We have had more than a few Bengal owners inadvertently "Dry Their Bengal With a Load of Wet Clothes" -  Sadly, one lady dried her cat with a load of jeans for 1 Hour on the "High" setting..!