Information
Preparing for Kitten
In most aspects, you will treat your Bengal kitten the same as any other breed. However, hybrid kittens tend to be a little more mischievous. You should go through your home as if you were preparing for a crawling or toddling baby. Put away all plastic bags, rubber bands and chew-able rubber toys, ribbons and strings, as they can be chewed and cause intestinal blockage. Check toys often and throw out any that are very worn or broken. Lock away medications, (even Tylenol and aspirin can be fatal to a cat) poisons, and cleaning products. Move heavy objects, vases and other valuables to an area where your kitten will not be injured and your precious possessions will be secure. Close toilet lids and keep your kitten away from bathtubs or sinks filled with water, as he/she could jump or fall into the water without being able to escape. Be cautious with rocking chairs, recliners and hot stove surfaces. Make sure all small crawl spaces are blocked, floor vents included. A curious Bengal will want to explore and can get trapped where you can't reach them. Watch when opening and closing doors (as they have been known to sit atop them), including refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers. Always try to keep electric cords out of reach, but especially when you aren't home because kittens love to chew on them. Check the plants you have in your home, as they could be poisonous if ingested by your kitty.
What to Expect
In the first couple days, your kitten may not eat or drink a lot or use the litter box much. They may need little extra time to adjust. Just make sure you show them their food and water bowls and litter box often. As long as they seem alright and not weak or lethargic, they are ok.
Litter Boxes
A good rule of thumb for how many litter boxes you need is 1 box per cat + 1. Scoop at least once a day and clean whole litter box weekly. Remind the kitten where the litter box is often the first few weeks to avoid accidents.
Water
Bengals love water. Make sure they have access to water 24/7 as dehydration can cause a lot of health issues. Don't keep the water right next to food as they can sometimes play in it and splash around which could cause their dry food to get wet and moldy. Also, consider a mat under the water dish.
Quarantine Time
When it comes to bringing your new kitty home, bigger is not better. You should start them off in a small room (bathroom or non-carpeted room) where there is no place to hide. Keep food, water and a litter box all in an easily visible location. This also aides you in the bonding process with your new baby, since you will be able to find them easily. I recommend sitting on the floor with them, as you would to interact with a small child. If you need to lure the kitten from the carrier when he/she first arrives, feather teaser toys work wonders! Once you have established your kitten's trust and affection, you are ready to extend their territory into a larger room. Then, gradually extending to the rest of the house if you wish.
Their Immune System
Your new fur baby will likely be scared and confused due to being removed from its mother and siblings. Then, adding the travel to your home, can be an overwhelming day. Since your kitten will be stressed during this transition period, their immune system is generally weakened and they are more apt to catch a simple "bug". It is common for an adult animal with a strong immune system to carry viral strains that do not affect them, but a kitten with a weakened immune system exposed to the same virus, could easily contract the virus. So, keeping your kitten separate from ALL other pets for 2 weeks extremely important!
Bonding
Make sure while your kitten is quarantined, you go in as many times as you can and sit and play with your kitten. Show them lots of attention. One person at a time to start and then other family members. It's important they don't feel abandoned and get lots of love from everyone. Do not introduce to other animals until after the 2 weeks.
Introducing Animals
After the first week, you can let the animals smell each other through under the door to start. This is the first step to integration. After a couple days, you can also swap their toys, blankets or bedding to get them used to each other. After the 2 week quarantine is up, you can introduce the animals face to face but only while supervised. If there are any problems, you may have to take a little longer to introduce. Pay attention to your animals.
Special Behavior
Most Bengals love water. They will walk around the tub or shower and even get in. Some love to swim in lakes, rivers and even hot springs.
Also, they are easy to harness and leash train. After 2 weeks of adjustment, you can put a harness on the kitten a few times a day and let them walk around in the house. After a week of that, you can add a leash onto the harsh and walk around the house a few times a day. After doing that for a week you can try going outside but keep it short and sweet. Go out for longer each time. They will love going on adventures with you!
Bad Behavior
Behavior issues should be dealt with right away to "nip them in the bud". A great way to discourage undesirable actions (jumping onto tables, scratching furniture, biting hands, etc.) is by spraying them with a squirt bottle. It may not sound nice but I've found that a quick squirt (water only) does the trick. It is not harmful and they learn quickly when you are consistent. Always easier to break bad habits before they are formed. Also, for jumping onto tables or counters, you can try foil. Cats do not like foil and will not jump on it.
Vaccinations
We vaccinate the kittens 2x with the FVRCP shot since we have many cats in our cattery. We recommend getting your kitten a 3rd dose of this shot AFTER 16 weeks of age. If you do that, you do not need to give the yearly booster shot but only every 3 years. If you don't give a dose after 16 weeks, then we suggest the year booster and then every 3 years.
Felv: We do not vaccinate for as our cats are indoors or in our catio all the time. If you will be taking your kitten outside a bunch before 1 year, consider giving it to your kitten. If they won't be outside much until after a year old, you don't need to vaccinate either as they develop natural immunity. If you do vaccinate, do so only once with PureVax.
Rabies: Can not/should not be done before 16 weeks so we do not offer it. When you do the rabies vaccine, find a vet who will do the 3 year Merials PureVax.
*ALL THESE SHOTS SHOULD BE NON-ADJUVANTED*
Adjuvants are substances that are added to vaccines to purposely cause inflammation at the vaccine site in order to alert the immune system to its presence.
This is our opinion, you should do your own research to make your own informed decisions.
Risks of Vaccinations
Sarcomas-cancerous tumors
Chronic Kidney Disease
Allergic/Anaphylactic Reactions
All of these risks are extremely low of course.
Teeth
We recommend cleaning your cat's teeth with a cat toothbrush once a day if possible. This will greatly reduce the tartar build up and the bad breath smell. The mouth gets greatly overlooked. Have your vet check your cats teeth at every checkup. If there is a large build up, they can do a dental cleaning under anesthesia.
Dangers of Outdoors
Please make sure you are not letting your kitten/cat outside without a leash & harness or in an enclosure. Anything can happen to cat who has free rein outside.
*Also, making sure the microchip is active and registered in your name is a must.*
Expected Expenses
- Recommended vet visit within 3 days
- Rabies & 3rd vaccination after 16 weeks
- $10 TICA registration
- $26.95 microchip registration
What We Use
Litter
We use pine pellets as litter. Some of our kittens do fine with going straight from pellets to a normal litter but others need to transition slowly from the pellets to a normal litter.
Dry Food
We feed Blue Wilderness Kitten food. We always keep the dry food in with them. Once they are a year old, you can transition. If you want to feed a different dry food, transition slowly. The most important thing about Bengal food is that it is high in protein and grain free.
Wet Food
We feed all different flavors and they love the wet food. The kittens shouldn't be picky about any of the wet. 1/2 can in the morning and 1/2 at night for awhile should be enough.
Toys They Love
Feather Wands
Tall Cat Tree
Feather Wands
Even though the feathers only last a couple days, they absolutely love these toys!
Smarty Cat
Tall Cat Tree
Feather Wands
They all love this automatically moving cat toy. Can keep them entertained for hours!
Tall Cat Tree
Tall Cat Tree
Tall Cat Tree
They love being anywhere up high!