(Scroll down for health-related links at
the bottom of this page.)
All
About the
Bengal Breed
The
premier source for Bengal breed information is:
The
International Bengal Cat Society
At TIBCS
you will
find enough Bengal info to keep you occupied for HOURS.
The
Best Bengal Food We've Found
Because Bengals have a more recent wild heritage than domestic cats,
many do not thrive as well on cat foods containing corn meal, wheat, or
other fillers. Some Bengals are especially averse to the high
corn content found even in most "premium" foods and can not digest it
well. As a result, they can develop diarrhea and irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS). This is especially serious because unchecked, IBS
can turn into a chronic condition called irritable bowel disease
(IBD). This corn sensitivity makes sense when you think about
it: when was the last time you saw a wildcat pick an ear of corn
or a head of wheat to eat?
Life's
Abundance Premium Cat Food has no corn,
wheat, dairy, or other artificial ingredients, and it cleared up my
problems with sensitive Bengal digestive tracts. I became a
distributor of Life's Abundance as a convenience to my kitten buyers
(though I do not actively do any selling). Life's Abundance's
orders are shipped right away via UPS Ground from Jupiter,
Florida. It gets to my home in Tampa 1-2 days after I order it.
If you would
like to
try it, you can order by clicking the Life's Abundance icon
above. You'll see there are 6.6 lb bags and 16.5 lb bags available. Just
click on "Buy Now" by whichever size you want, and then you'll be able
to set up a Login ID (before you actually buy). To get the lower
"Preferred Price" when you order, be sure and sign up for
"Auto-Ship." You are not locked in at all; after receiving your
order, you can quickly and easily cancel the Auto-Ship or change the
delivery frequency by calling 1-877-387-4564.
SHIPPING
COSTS:
You will see
the shipping costs before you finalize your order. Your order is
NOT placed when you first give your credit card number on the
website. You will then see the full cost including shipping
charge. You have to finalize the order before your credit card is
charged.
For
questions, call or
.
Another lesson too often learned the hard way is related to tap
water, which in Florida is especially nasty. Despite all the
denials of the various water utilities and agencies, even humans get
giardia from the water here in many counties. Animals are like
people: some are more resistant to protozoa like giardia or coccidia
and others are especially sensitive. Bengals seem to be a bit
more sensitive to protozoa in the water than many other cats. I
have a hypothesis: Bengals are bred from "old-world"
wildcats--the Asian Leopard Cats--which may be the reason they have
less-developed resistance to "new-world" parasites than most of our
domestics and American purebreeds. The bottom line is this:
please only give your Bengals distilled
or purified water!
Spring water should be purified as well; many springs also have problems with
protozoa. Be safe, rather than sorry, and use
distilled! You do not want to know what it is like to have a cat
with giardia-produced diarrhea, believe me.
I Pee
Where
It
Smells Like Roses
This is perhaps not a common problem, but i have heard of it enough to
take note. Bengals are very smart, and they learn their lessons
well. Unfortunately, they may not learn the lessons you want them
to. If your clay litter is scented, be aware that the aroma may
not be too different from your fabric softener or carpet freshener,
etc. God forbid that your little baby learns that he pees where
it smells like roses! He may catch a whiff of a newly dried stack
of folded towels and gratefully utilize the new potty place you have so
generously provided. Again, my motto is better safe than sorry,
and to that end I use unscented litter only.
Besides clay litter, which may produce more silica dust than you like,
and is heavy as well, there are also pine pellet, wood pellet, and
corn-based litters available. I have
discovered that the pine flakes work just as well as the pellets for
ADULT cats, and are cheaper. I
have never had an adult cat or a fully weaned kitten try to eat the
pine flakes, but I would never let small kittens use that litter!
Kittens too often try to eat their litter when they are first being
weaned. I have found plain clay litter is the safest in this
regard, as the kittens never seem to get it down. Ever tried to
chew on clay? Yuck!
A special note of caution here is in order regarding clumping litter
and crystals: these are NOT appropriate for young kittens and are very
dangerous if ingested. Regular clay litter is much safer.
Bengal/Feline
Health Links
( These
are a few of the better resourses, but there are many others on the
internet as well. )
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine has some great brochures on feline health and diseases.
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/hinformation.htm
The American Veterinary Medical Association has a substantial amount of information on pet health and pet safety.
http://www.avma.org/animal_health/default.asp
VetInfo.com has a long alphabetical index of cat healthcare information.
http://www.vetinfo.com/
The American Animal Hospital Association's Healthypet.com Pet Library has numerous articles and FAQ related to feline healthcare and other issues.
http://www.healthypet.com/library.aspx
ThePetCenter.com is a veterinarian-created website with over 220 pages of animal healthcare information.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/
PetEducation.com is also veterinarian-created and has a multitude of pet care information.
http://www.peteducation.com/
The Bengal Cat Corner at Foothill Felines is dedicated to Bengal issues specifically.
http://www.hdw-inc.com/healthcorner.htm
Winn Feline Foundation Library has a number of excellent articles about feline diseases and conditions.
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Pages/Library.html
The Feline Advisory Bureau's Fabcats.org website has info for cat owners, breeders, catteries, and veterinary providers.
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/index.php
Cats Center Stage website features a page with an alphabetical index of numerous feline issues with links to other good websites:
http://www.catscenterstage.org/feline-health-resources.html
The ASPCA has many resources related to pet care, behavior, health, poison control, and much more.
http://www.aspca.org/
The Merck Veterinary Manual Online is an invaluable resource for all kinds of pet health questions.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/
Dr. Susan Little has some good articles and info on current research on her website.
http://catvet.homestead.com/
Plants Toxic to Cats!!!
http://www.amby.com/cat_site/plants.html
Traveling Pets: Safety and Procedure
http://www.petsafe.net/traveling-pets-safety-and-procedure
Contact
HiFidelity Bengals
Steven
Meigs