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Post by nwheather on Jan 23, 2009 15:48:24 GMT -5
I thought I saw on a forum somewhere that someone with ferrets also has bengal cats...I was wondering how well they get along. I am contemplating fostering for the bengal rescue if needed.
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Post by bigsis7 on Jan 23, 2009 21:19:55 GMT -5
On forum.ferret.com tdawg just got a bengal cat.
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Post by nwheather on Jan 25, 2009 9:56:31 GMT -5
I just saw that. I saw she posted it in July, so I started a new post on Bengals & ferrets. I am going to look at a purebred Bengal that has been in & out of a regular car rescue for almost three years (poor girl) the "behavioral issues" they state she has seem to be fairly common statements from people who have not researched the breed. I have done a lot of reading on them & have joined the bengalcatrescue on yahoo. I feel fairly confident that with the help of experienced bengal owners, I can probably provide a good home for this cat & work through her issues. I was hoping someone on here has experience with Bengals.
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Post by bigsis7 on Jan 25, 2009 10:40:35 GMT -5
I love bengals! My mom used to have a friend who had one and he was so sweet, but wild at the same time. I wish you luck! Let us know how it goes!
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Post by nwheather on Jan 26, 2009 16:34:21 GMT -5
Thanks! I am really optimistic after all the emails from Bengal owners, & talking to a few Bengal people, plus the info I have found in research. They are similar to ferrets in the fact they need high protein. One lady told me they can get "kinda nutty" to the point of needing medication if they don't get enough protein. I told her based on recommendations & my own preference, I was planning on Evo feline & Wellness Core & she said that would be good, & that if the cat had been without high protein for a while, I may need to add in raw meat...yay! I wanted to add raw/whole prey! (I just hope she doesn't break into my feeder room & destroy my colony)....I may have to add a lock to that door...LOL It will be a while before she gets introduced to my other pets
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Post by nwheather on Jan 28, 2009 17:06:54 GMT -5
"Bagera" is home now & already seems less stressed than she was at the cat shelter. She doesn't care for other cats & she was in a room with 13 other cats. *I'm hoping with a gradual introduction, she might warm up to my other cat, Tiller. He's pretty mellow, so maybe she won't feel as threatended by him. If she still decides she doesn't want to be friends with him, there's plenty of room in my house for her to have her own space. She's on medication for her stress, & has patches of fur missing because of stress. Not down to the skin, but several areas where the hair is noticably shorter. She feels dirty, like she was outdoors. She's a few years older than I expected. The info on her was from the first time she was brought into the shelter, almost three years ago. They say she's about 8yrs old now.I think once her fur is filled out, she will be gorgeous! Here's a few pics of her right after I brought her home. I hope that once she's on a good diet, (I want to add raw & maybe whole prey) she will look much better. I cannot wait to see how she looks with her pattern when her fur is back. =-)
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Post by dearambellina on Feb 4, 2009 10:14:55 GMT -5
She's gorgeous! Thank you so much for taking on a cat like her! I'm sure one of the things she needs is just some stability in her life. Cats can be so fragile, it amazes me. Patience is key. I adopted my dog 10 months ago and one of my cats is just now starting to come around. He will only go as far as being in the same room as the dog. Good luck and please keep us updated!
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Post by nwheather on Feb 9, 2009 8:09:57 GMT -5
Thanks =-) She seems to be getting settled & we are taking baby steps. I waited a week before taking her to the vet, to let her get settled a bit. She did NOT like the vet trip. She protested the whole way there & back. I also noticed a couple pee stains on the carpet in her room a day or so after we went to the vet. I am hoping that is all that it was. I put the dogs in their kennel, my other cat in a room, & left the door to Bagera's room open, to let her wander out when she was ready. About 10 minutes after I opened the door, she decided to explore. At one point, she walked past the ferretroom & seemed curious. I got one out & just held him. When she realized I was holding one, she hissed at it, then decided to hiss & sniff at the same time. She decided to move on. I held my other cat & let her approach, to which she hissed at & walked away. I let her wander for a while, then put her back in her room & let the other animals out. I will try it again, until she seems to be more used to other animals in the house, & work up to letting her wander with the others out. My other cat will give her space, but the dogs are going to be curious, so that will take a while. I'm hoping she warms up to my other cat, eventually. More pictures to follow. =-)
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Post by nwheather on Feb 14, 2009 16:37:20 GMT -5
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Post by sherrylynne on Feb 14, 2009 23:43:19 GMT -5
Oh wow- she is a beauty ! How is she doing with all the others now?
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Post by nwheather on Feb 15, 2009 15:35:43 GMT -5
She's tolerating Tiller (my DSH) cat, she still growls a bit & hisses, but not near as much as she did when I fisrt started the introductions. She is still wary of the dogs, I don't think she's been around dogs before. I introduced her to Majik, & she hissed, but then sniffed him in between hisses, so it was like "hiss" *sniff sniff* "hiss" *sniff sniff*hiss.....then she walked away, uninterested. LOL I think she & Tiller can peacefully coexist at the least. I'm hoping she'll warm up to him, but coexisting is fine with me. =-)
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glynus
Going Natural
RAW FEEDER
Posts: 143
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Post by glynus on Feb 16, 2009 14:32:29 GMT -5
She is gorgeous! I am so glad that you are willing to work with her to help her overcome the "behavioral issues". I help out with a cat rescue and it just breaks my heart when people surrender cats because of their own lack of research/patience. And, unfortunately, the older the cat, the harder it is to find them good forever homes. On behalf of all of the adult cats in our foster system, THANK YOU for taking in one of our sisters
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Post by nwheather on Feb 16, 2009 23:57:17 GMT -5
Thanks =-) Bengals are unique & the comment the last owners made that they couldn't handle how loud she was, is a definite give away that they do NOT know about Bengals. LOL She is really turning out to be a wonderful girl! She's very sweet & has come leaps & bounds, in tolerating the other animals. I haven't had her around the ferrets lately, I'm just letting her settle in on her time.
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Post by nwheather on Jul 9, 2009 5:14:51 GMT -5
Sadly, I lost Bagera to heart disease about a month ago. =-( She likely had it for a while, & her body just got to the point where it could no longer complensate, & she ended up with CHF. She threw a blood clot, & by that time, there was really nothing that could be done, other than end her suffering. As word got around through the network of Bengal people, a couple breeders offered to help me find another Bengal. I could not justify investing in a kitten at this time, so when one breeder that had befriended me when I was researching Bengals, told me that one of her breeder males was being retired & offered him to me. He turned 3yrs old in March, was in shows the first year of his life, & has a champion title, his parents are double & quadruple champions. I picked Target (Aaliyah Border Patrol) up this past Monday, from Central Washington. I did not plan on staying long, but I ended up viviting with the breeder for over 4 hours, & playing with Bengals, of course. =-) Target is a stunning marble Bengal, & is a big sweetheart! He will have at least two weeks of isolation (quarantine) in his own room (with several visits from me, of course), before I gradually introduce him to the rest of the house. I miss Bagera, but at the same time, it is great to have another Bengal in the house. I don't think I had mentioned, that through my networking, in researching the Bengal breed, I was asked to become one of the area coordinators for the Bengal Rescue Network, so I now work with two other girls, & together we cover WA, ID, OR, & NV. I help people looking to rescue Bengals, & match them up with people looking to rehome their Bengals. Here are some pics of Target.
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Post by Kerit on Jul 14, 2009 20:35:07 GMT -5
Target is gorgeous! I looked into all sorts of rescues around the state, including bengals, before ending up with my local shelter cats. My Pandemonium sorta has watered-down-orange-mutt-tabby markings like that...
So sorry to hear about Bagera. At least she had the best few months she could with you.
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