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The following are links you might find useful in your research into Bengal cats and their care. Please note that, by clicking on a link, you will leave the Tedith website. If you would like to revisit this site later, and we do update this site on a regular basis, please bookmark us or add us to your favourites. In the short term, clicking on the back arrow on the top of your screen should bring you back to this site.
Bengal Cat Clubs The two main clubs have useful information specifically about the breed are
The Bengal Cat Club of Great Britain
Registering and Governing bodies There are several bodies with which Bengal cats may be registered. The main UK body is the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) and its website contains useful information about the standards to be met by the different breeds of cats, what to look for in breeders and other essential tips for potential purchasers of Bengals.
However the GCCF grants championship status to only a limited range of Bengal coat colours/patterns and has not recognised the newer variants. For this reason many UK breeders prefer to register their cats with the USA-based The International Cat Association (TICA). As Bengals originated in the USA TICA appear to be more forward in recognising the various markings that Bengals may display. The disadvantage of course is that documents have to be sent to and from the USA and payments made in US$, however a UK branch has been established and most transactions with TICA in Texas can now be done on-line and by means of credit cards.
Another body gaining prominence in the UK is Felis Britannica and several shows are held every year under their auspices. Felis Britannica’s impressive website is worth a visit. Felis Britannica are the British representatives of the European FIFe governing body and are more progressive regarding the recognition of the newer Bengal markings.
Other Breeders The acknowledged authority on Bengals (and the originator of the breed) is Jean Mill of Millwood in the USA. Most UK breeders aspire to have Millwood in their pedigrees and we are no exception. One of our studs, Jim Dandy, has considerable Millwood behind him.
A Canadian breeder who is producing kittens of outstanding quality and whom we have found to be most helpful is Pamela Langevin of Majestic Pride Bengals in Vernon, British Colombia. Pamela is very knowledgeable about exporting cats to the UK. For an example of Pamela’s high quality please see our boy, Majestic Pride Spot On, on our “ New for 2007” page. Pamela is so proud of Spot On that he features in the heading to her website.
A UK-based breeder, who holds the TIBCS (The International Bengal Cat Society) Breeder of Distinction and TICA Cattery of Excellence, is Jill Fyfe of Glitterglam in Peterborough. Jill has given us very useful advice on caring for Bengals and we have three of her cats as breeding stock.
Wildside Bengals in the East Riding of Yorkshire regularly import cats in order to improve quality and this shows in the kittens they are breeding. We are proud to have one of their queens in our cattery.
Cindy Lockett of Wellspotted Bengals in Orpington has two of our kittens as breeding stock - Tedith Mac of Wellspotted and Tedith Wellspotted Jemima. Cindy has a similar philosophy to ours in that her purpose is to improve the quality of the Bengal breed while treating her cats and kittens as loved pets .
A useful source of kittens or adult Bengals currently available for rehoming can be found on the Bengal Kitten List .
Nutrition It is important when raising kittens to give them the best possible start in life as their early development influences their later life and health. In our experience one of the best ranges of food is to be found with Royal Canin. In common with many other Bengal Cat breeders we make full use of the extensive Royal Canin range. We use Royal Canin Baby Milk if hand rearing is required, we start the kittens on solid food with the Royal Canin Baby Food, progressing onto Royal Canin Kitten Food, and finally maintaining the adult cats on the Royal Canin Fit 34 food or the pregnant/lactating queens on the Royal Canin Queen food. At the first sign of runny tummies we reach for the Royal Canin Waltham Sensitivity Control which usually sorts out the problem very quickly. Some of these foods are obtainable from Pets at Home or other stores, whereas the Sensitivity Control and other specialist foods can be obtained only from a veterinary surgeon (or on-line vet suppliers), but we rate the range so highly we think it well worthwhile finding a supplier. One advantage of the Royal Canin range is that, being a dried food, it can be left during the day, even in warm weather, for the cat to eat ad lib, whereas moist food has to be removed after 15 minutes to prevent the food going off or fly infestation. Dairy products: Most cats, particularly Bengals, are allergic to lactose and should not have any form of dairy produce. Even the milks specially prepared for cats can have devastating effects on the digestive system of a Bengal. The safest diet in our opinion is Royal Canin dried food with clean water, both available ad lib.
Other websites of interest |
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