Show us your kitty cats

naknakkus said:
Mowgli's not exactly fat, but he has a lot of muscle and his fur is quite short, so he weighs a lot more than you'd expect. I thought that he'd get pudgier after being neutered. It seems as though his energy is going in to growing, though.
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My suspicion is that your Bengal has A LOT of Egyptian Mau in him. Egyptian Mau's suffer from getting a little fat, if neutered as they they love food. Egyptian Maus are very lean cats, with low body fat and are deceptively heavy. My own Egyptian Mau adheres to this quality.

Looking at your Bengal, he looks a spitting image of one of the Bronze Egyptian Maus which was offered to me, when I was looking to buy one.
 
Here's a pic of my Egyptian Mau watching over my sister's (younger) moggies.

DSCF1241cropped3cats1.jpg


The marble cat you see in the pic is now fat as a ... very fat cat.
The Egyptian Mau (top right) is now the smallest of those 3 cats, but is easily the most dominant. Its quite amusing to see the smallest of 4 cats be the most dominant. This shows that size is not what determines dominance. From what I've seen, the will to win/fight is what determines who the boss is. The Egyptian Mau loves to wrestle, while the other cats tend to have their limits and eventually run away. The grey/white cat hates any physical confrontation, though has the sweetest voice of all 4 cats.

And here's my moody Bengal, taken when he was 18 months old:

DSCF1225Bengal18monthslayingonworkt.jpg
 
sunama said:
My suspicion is that your Bengal has A LOT of Egyptian Mau in him. Egyptian Mau's suffer from getting a little fat, if neutered as they they love food. Egyptian Maus are very lean cats, with low body fat and are deceptively heavy. My own Egyptian Mau adheres to this quality.

Looking at your Bengal, he looks a spitting image of one of the Bronze Egyptian Maus which was offered to me, when I was looking to buy one.
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Ooh. Maybe you're right. He does look an awful lot like the Mau. Your bengal has more Bengal-style face than Mowgli - bigger cheekbones, smaller eyes. He was given to us as a Bengal, but I wasn't too fussed about his lineage or whatever, so I haven't asked for the info from the breeder yet. She wouldn't give it to us at the time because she wanted us to neuter him first. Might give her an email soon to find out, though.

Your Bengal's markings look like Mowgli's, but with the contrast turned up. I remember reading that the markings can fade a bit in adolescence, then return stronger as the cat ages a bit.

He's an amazingly well tempered little guy, although he isn't much of a cuddler. Puts up with a lot from us.
 
naknakkus said:
She wouldn't give it to us at the time because she wanted us to neuter him first.
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You should've asked the breeder to get the cat neutered (you would need to pay for this), after which, you could've collected it. This is what I did with both my cats.

The advantage is that the cats can get neutered, chipped and have their innoculations, all in one hit, before they arrive in your home. Any complications during/after the neutering and your breeder would be best equipped to deal with the problems.

Your's is most certainly a Bengal, but don't forget that every Bengal has Egyptian Mau in it. Usually, the very first F1 hybrid has an Asian Leopard Cat as the father and an Egyptian Mau as the mother. Egypatian Maus are chosen as these are the most athletic domestic cat in existence, so in order to create an athletic/strong/physical hybrid, the first generation mating is usually involves either an Egyptian Mau or another Bengal (which contains Egyptian Mau genes).
 
Knubje said:
Interesting, thanks for the Tip. I want to give them dry food mixed with the wet but budget constraints don't really allow me to spend a fortune on the science plan stuff.

Is there a brand that is reasonable price that is ok for them? It's mainly to mix in with their wet food really...
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James Wellbeloved is good food :) Expensive apparently, but you can get it pretty cheap I think.
 
I'm surprised at the raw chicken leg pics - I've always been afraid to give my kitties meat on the bone, especially as fowl bones are so prone to splintering. don't you worry about things getting lodged?
 
Deadbeat said:
I'm surprised at the raw chicken leg pics - I've always been afraid to give my kitties meat on the bone, especially as fowl bones are so prone to splintering. don't you worry about things getting lodged?
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Only cooked meat/bones splinter :)...Which is why it's better to serve them raw so it doesn't do this.

Just so you know :)
 
sunama said:
You should've asked the breeder to get the cat neutered (you would need to pay for this), after which, you could've collected it. This is what I did with both my cats.

The advantage is that the cats can get neutered, chipped and have their innoculations, all in one hit, before they arrive in your home. Any complications during/after the neutering and your breeder would be best equipped to deal with the problems.

Your's is most certainly a Bengal, but don't forget that every Bengal has Egyptian Mau in it. Usually, the very first F1 hybrid has an Asian Leopard Cat as the father and an Egyptian Mau as the mother. Egypatian Maus are chosen as these are the most athletic domestic cat in existence, so in order to create an athletic/strong/physical hybrid, the first generation mating is usually involves either an Egyptian Mau or another Bengal (which contains Egyptian Mau genes).
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He was the last of a litter and she seemed keen to get rid of him. He was about 5 months old when we got him. The breeder lives on a farm, so he was allegedly fed on day-old chicks for much of his youth.

I'll bear your advice in mind about getting the breeder to do those things next time we adopt/buy a cat.

I had no idea what kind of cat the Asian Leopard Cats were crossed with to make Bengals. Just read the Mau wiki article and it's fascinating. He's definitely more energetic and quick than most cats I've encountered: leaping on top of doors, doing 360s in the air when playing, somersaulting, etc.

Does your Bengal chirrup when he's interested in something - ie: another cat outside the window?
 
I disagree, I have a budget for my two cats and I try and keep within that. It might not get them "The best money can buy" but it's the best I can realistically do without spending stupid amounts.

A topic of conversation for another time/thread/place maybe. More kitteh's anyone?
 
stoofa said:
A bad picture of our new arrival.
We took him from a animal shelter.
He's 6 months old, called Mog and a real handful.

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/559/imag000b.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]

That looks suspiciously like our cat Charlie who is a Pixiebob and far from being cheap. They're an awesome breed, bloomin huge!

Pics of Charlie
[url]http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=15070472&postcount=437[/url]
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stoofa said:
Once more not the cheapest - but then cost shouldn't come into it for pets.
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I strongly disagree.
At the end of the day, we must give them whatever we can afford. If we have very little spare money, then we must feed them accordingly.

There is no way that I am going to feed my 2 cats steak, while I am surviving on bread and water.

Saying that, I do always try and give my 2 the best that money can buy. The top foods are listed below and I have tried both the super premium foods out:

Super Premium
(these have the highest protein content of any dry food which is commercially avaiable. The problem I have is that when fed these foods, my Bengal, who has a senstive stomach, gets loose stools, hence, I have taken my 2 off of these 2 dry foods...shame as these 2 are the best).
Applaws
Orijen

Premium
(These are brands which are usually not available in supermarkets. Though not in the same league as the Super Premium brands, they are of decent quality and of similar price to Applaws and Orijen)
James Wellbeloved
Royal Canin
Purina
Hills Science
HiLife
Almo

I now feed my 2 Hills Science Sensitive Stomach, and it actually works out more expensive than when they were fed on Applaws.

Budget Brands
(These are freely available in super markets and due to their high sales volume, low quality, low protein content, their price is lower. Below are just a few which fall into this category.)
Whiskas
Felix
Iams
Supermarket own brands

What I can say regarding foods is this, if your cat can take Applaws dry, feed it that. It is unbelievably potent and cats need to be fed only a small amount, due to the high protein content. Do not think that the budget brands will automatically work out cheaper.

The listed brands above represent only a small proportion of brands actually available.
 
I don't think at any point I suggested you feed your cat outside of your means.
However at the same time if you can only afford to give a cat "Go Cat" all the time then question if you can really afford to have a cat.
Buy the best you can afford - but buy them something that is actually worth it.
The lower end stuff just can be terrible.
 
sunama said:
Foods and stuff
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Interesting and informative post, thanks!

Out of interest do you buy online or know anywhere that does a good deal?

Earlier in the thread someone told me that the Go-Cat (kitten) dry food I give my two (with wet felix kitten mixed in) isn't great because its full of additives and such.

I'm happy to get something better if it is affordable or can be bought in bulk online, for example?
 
I always buy online and in bulk...much cheaper.

It really depends on what brand you want to buy. Zooplus are reasonable in their prices and over £29 (ish), offer free postage. Petplanet also have some good deals.

I know that Pets At Home sometimes have some very good deals, so you just need to keep an eye out.
 
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