Bengal Cats (comprehensive article)

Leopards Realm Bengal Cats
Leopards Realm Bengal Cats. Photo: the breeder.
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Notice and introduction – please read this short section first. This page is too long by modern standards as it was written many years ago. It is now in a number of shorter sections with links at the bottom of each page which take you to the next section (pagination). All the original information (comprehensive) is untouched. The contents section no longer works because of the pagination but I have left it in place to tell you what is on the pages. Enjoy and thanks for visiting.

Contents:

Introduction

Ravi - a Bengal cat
Ravi – a Bengal cat. Photo: copyright Helmi Flick.

Bengal cats for sale had taken on a new meaning in the UK in early 2007, when they were being targeted by criminal gangs, stolen and sold back to their owners for £1,000 to £100,000. At any one time, apparently,  there were 120 missing. [note: this page was written in 2007 and things do change].

In the USA they are kept in far more frequently than in the UK and I would think that the UK is gradually moving towards the USA method. Thefts are one good reason.

Things though have changed over the years. In 1998, a Foundation Bengal was sold in England for over $40,000.00 (USD), then a world record for a cat’s value apparently. In January 2005, four F1 kittens went on sale at £80,000 (GPD) each – astonishing. Lord Gay was the seller/breeder. As I said times have changed. The Bengal is now no less rare than most purebred cats. In fact much more common based on my research into rare cat breeds.

The prices at mid 2007 for a nice show quality cat would have been about $2,500 – $5,000+. Bengal cats for sale as pets run to about $650 -$1,250. You get what you pay for. For healthy, well bred and socialized Bengal cat, the price should be around $1,000. slide show

Please search using the search box at the top of the site. You are bound to find what you are looking for.

15 thoughts on “Bengal Cats (comprehensive article)”

  1. Hello again Michael, I wanted to Thank You for your quick reply, and all of the pertinent info on the Bengal Breed. It will be very helpful in my decision making. Best Wishes for you and your family this Holiday Season. Happy Holidays. Bruce

    Reply
  2. I have a T-3 female gold glitter tip. And her father was a double international champion T-1 he was large around 30 pounds. On my girl Kochka she is very curious and likes to get into everything. And she loves her buddy my Flame point Siamese. The do sneak attack on each other.Plus my Siamese Snooks was in the 2001 cat calendar in Louisville, KY.

    Reply
  3. When showing my cats at shows all over, I still hear such talks, for people don’t know Bengal cats. On the contrary, they may have heard of homegrown mini-leopards, but have never seen them. And those who have, have also heard about the myths concerning their ‘bad temper’ or even ‘aggressive behavior.’ Add to it all the relatively high cost for kittens (among the top 10 according to the Forbes magazine) and you get a lot of misinformed people.

    Reply
    • I agree Olga. There is misinformation about the Bengal cat on the Internet. If you’d like to write an extended comment about the character of the Bengal cat that will be most welcome and in lieu of that, I might do it myself. Thank you for visiting and commenting.

      Reply
  4. My husband gave me a kitten for this Christmas so we went to the ADL in Texas and there in a cage were 3 kittens. Adopted the little female. For the price of twenty dollare.They had her as a brn tabby-turns out she is a silver spotted tabby Bengal—–something told me she was different-loves water,plays with the dogs what a cat-she is now about 4 1/2 mo and weighs 4-5lbs.

    Reply
  5. One of my bengal boys likes to pee in empty boxes caaordbrd, plastic, buckets, even empty litter boxes. I wouldn’t mind the empty litter box except his paws get wet. I have tried boxes with grates for this but he won’t go on the grates. Otherwise he uses the litter boxes just fine (minimum of 4 for two bengal boys with different types of litter-yes, they are spoiled). I even accompany him to the box when he voices his I’m gonna pee meows and starts looking around for a place to go. He will settle for a box if I stay right with him. So puzzling . . .

    Reply
    • He probably feels very safe with around when he pees. In the wild, the Asian leopard cat, from which the Bengal cat is partially made up, pees into streams in order to deflect larger predators stalking it. My Bengal female, Sweetie, will generally wait for my return home before she defecates into the litter box in my presence and calls out to have it cleaned. Quite similar in behaviour to yours.

      Reply

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