I am trying to rescue a Bengal, he needs to be safely placed somewhere
by Cindy
(Knoxville, Tn)
I am trying to rescue a Bengal, he needs to be safely placed somewhere.
I have no idea what F? designation he could be and I am highly concerned all the way around, from what care to give him, what F?, and how he will adapt in my house.
I can send a few photos, taken at night the only time he comes out. The most troubling or distinguishing thing is the unusual size of his face and shape, which does not show up well in photo. I wish to get better shots and is there any way to determine his generation or level?
I hesitate at this time to submit photos, someone could falsely claim the cat.
Can you send me some resources?
Thanks.
Cindy
Hi Cindy… thanks for visiting and sharing.
F1 Bengal cats are first generation cats meaning one of their parents was a wildcat, an Asian leopard cat. They are wildcat hybrids. F2s are a generation down from that and so on.
As the Asian leopard cat is quite small an F1 Bengal for example would or should not be that much different in size to an F5 Bengal (this does not apply in the case of Savannah cats because the wildcat parent of a Savannah is the much larger serval).
Any well socialised Bengal cat of whatever generation should behave the same as any other domestic cat. It will generally be a bit more active and inquisitive etc.
At least initially, I would treat this cat as a normal domestic cat and help from that standpoint.
Obviously you should behave cautiously as any cat might be uncertain with a strange person and might behave defensively, which cat translate into aggression. But don’t let this put you off. As stated Bengal cats are domestic cats – period.
Are you sure this cat is a Bengal cat? You say he is large. Of course this is subjective and relative but if he is genuinely large he may be a higher fillial (F1 etc.) or he may be a cat that looks like a Bengal cat. There are other wildcat hybrids that are similar in appearance at a basic level – i.e. spotted. The Savannah cat is the other well known wildcat hybrid. F1 Savannah cats can be quite large, the size of small/medium sized dog at about 20+ lbs in weight.
You mention his head size. Is the head small in relation to the body? Are the leg long in relation to the body. If yes to both these questions this cat could just possibly be a serval. Some people in the US keep servals as pets and sometimes they escape. Servals are medium sized wildcats and although sometimes quite nicely domesticated they can be a bit intimidating and some experience is required to deal with them. For instance servals spray urine!
Servals can be abandoned by careless owners because they prove to be too much of a handful for them.
Savannah cats of any fillial if well bred should behave in the same way as any other domestic cat.
Bengals and Savannahs are quite expensive sometimes so I would have thought that this cat has “escaped” from being a full-time indoor cat rather than being abandoned but that it is a wild guess.
If I am correct the “owner” will want him back and this person shouldn’t be too far from you. Although cats can travel large distances sometimes.
Hope this helps a bit.
Best
I am trying to rescue a Bengal, he needs to be safely placed somewhere to Bengal cats
