Foundation Bengals - Filial Generations 1, 2, and 3... Is this the right choice for you?
This is a MUST READ, if you think that you are interested in purchasing a Foundation Bengal!!
We have always maintained that Foundation Cats are not the ideal pet for everyone. F4 or later Bengals are the ideal pet everyone. First, F1's are much more intense in their personalities, than F2 or F3's, so 2 and 3's make better pets than F1’s. However, the F-Cats, in general, do take more specialized care and you must invest more time in them or they will be too wild (shy and aloof, not aggressive), not just in their looks, but in their temperament, to be a pet... this is why they end up in Bengal Rescue sometimes. Having a Cat that looks very wild is alluring, but if the time it takes to care for the Cat properly is not invested – you will not be happy, nor will your Cat. You don't just go to work all day and come home to a "Lap Leopard". If a Foundation Cat is alone all day, it will become more like an ALC and be aloof in its temperament and uninterested in associating with humans. On the other hand, if you work out of your home, a Foundation Cat could be the perfect pet for you! Foundation Cats are extremely loyal and bond to their humans.
To begin the process of creating a friendly, loving Foundation Cat, the Breeder spends the extra time necessary to bond with the Cat, rather than letting them bond with other Cats. Asian Leopard Cats and Foundation Bengals are much more social with each other, like a pride of lions, and will even have their Kittens together. SBT (F-4 or later) Bengals, and other domestic breeds of felines, consider “Kittening” a very solitary event, except, of course, for having their human “midwife” in attendance.
One of the most important things to do, when you get a Foundation Cat, is to bond with your Kitten and then you will be the light of their life forever. If you don't, they will not like humans and be too "wild" (meaning aloof) to handle or enjoy. First, keep the Kitten separate from other Cats for the first several weeks or it will bond with them and never with a human. Second, spend a lot of time with the Kitten or it will not like humans. Literally, taking vacation time, and spending it with your new Foundation Kitten, will help to ensure that you have a loyal feline friend for life. Remember, a F1 is literally half wild; F2 and F3’s are getting closer to a fully domestic Bengal in their looks and temperament. If the Breeder started the bonding process and the new owner finishes it, then a Foundation Kitten will be a wonderful and friendly, just turbo charged, pet!
When Santa Fe Bengal Cattery places F2 and F3 Kittens (and especially F1's), we heavily screen the applicant and try to insist that, when the Kitten is taken home the new Owner can take some time off to spend time with their new addition for the first two weeks. Actually, the process works the best, when done for a month. Then, you will have a wonderful (wild-looking, not acting) Cat forever! We can’t stress enough that if you don't spend the time bonding with your new Kitten, you will be unhappy in the future. So, if you think that we are trying to dissuade you in one of our meetings... we are just making sure that it is the right choice for you.
The next important difference is concerning the feeding of your Foundation Cat. All Cats need to be fed properly for optimum health, but Foundation Bengals have different requirements, than other types of felines. F-Cats need to eat only raw food with vitamins, taurine, and calcium added to their diet. This "tartare" consists of (preferably natural or organic) ground raw whole chickens, and/or whole turkeys, chicken hearts, beef hearts, and beef stew meat in equal quantities, then each portion needs “Apperon for Exotics” vitamins with taurine and calcium mixed in with the meats. They need the protein and vitamins and no grain. The meat has to be frozen in portions, if it is kept more than two days in the refrigerator; using an air suction bag appliance keeps it fresh. Doing this does take time every couple of months, but then it is simple to take out a portion bag twice a day, in advance, for thawing prior to feeding time. SBT (F4 or later) Bengals can also benefit from this same diet, but they are happy and healthy with a high quality dry and wet food, like Innova Evo.
Another difference is that Foundation Cats may prefer to eliminate in water like Asian Leopard Cats. They will go in a dog's water bowl, the toilet, or they may try their own water bowl. They can't help it! It is their instinct held over from the ALC. This is not going to please most humans. This characteristic is usually only in F1's. However, our F1 Bengal reliably uses the litter box, because we are very careful to use all of the correct methods for creating perfect Foundation Cats. She does prefer to eat her raw tartare, but will snack on Innova/Evo dry food as well. A bonus to the owner is that with feeding such high quality food, the Cat's elimination is less and low odor, compared to a feline fed inappropriate, low quality food.
So, if you understand the differences and what it takes to have an almost wild feline as your best friend, a Foundation Cat may be right for you! Contact us, and we would be happy to discuss your options.