Greetings. My wife and I will be picking up our kitten on January 20th. Looking forward to getting the little guy. We've had cats in the past (Persian and Burmese) but we understand Bengals are a unique breed. I've been reading quite a bit and trying to prepare so his transition to our home gets off on the right foot. Thank you for the information and advice on this forum.

Welcome to the forum. The bengal is a breed like no other cat besides other hybrids. Throw out everything you know about cats -- your baby will be totally different. Depending on the socialization by the breeder, your baby may or may not like being held. may or may not be a lap cat. Bengals do not conform to humans, humans conform to bengals. They are loving, sweet kitties and very social. They want to be with their humans. The bond is incredible. Your kitty will want to sleep with you. He will follow you around. The bengal personality is unique and adventurous. Make sure you have lots of wand toys, a tall cat tree -- preferably two or more. They love to climb and be high up. Make sure you bengal-proof your home. They are curious and love to find the tiniest of places to check out. They can squeeze behind cabinets and furniture where they can't get out. Some love to chew on wires, so keep cables out of the way. Bengals are also vocal and can yowl and howl when they want something. In the beginning, make sure to continue him on the food and he's been getting and using at the breeder. Check your contract with the breeder as many require your kitty seen by a vet within a certain amount time. Hopefully, your breeder will handle the neutering as it's much easier mohave them arrive fixed than having to do that yourself. It also holds up the registration paperwork. Your breeder should assure you they are there to answer any questions and help you in the transition. There is a ton of information this forum and online.

Most important is to understand your little guy may be stressed at going to a new environment. Being taken away from mommy and siblings can affect them. You and your home have new smells. The best thing is to confine the little one to a smaller area to decompress a little. Spend time with him end play with him there. Put food, water, litter box and toys. It is common for a kitten to want to hide as he feels safer there. Know the some bengal kittens are ready for adventures the second you bring them in the house, but yours will let you know how he feels, so feed off what he is telling you.

Enjoy your little guy. Bengals are perpetual two-year olds -- they never grow up. Mine turns 12 in March and still carries on like a kitten. Please let us know if you have any other questions and concerns.

Thanks Sherry. All good advice and i appreciate you taking the time.
The breeder seems to be of good quality and experience.
I've been working on Begal-proofing my home with wire covers and removing any other dangers.
I was planning on getting cat trees when he gets a little bigger and adjusted. Does that make sense?
I am getting a bed, scratch post and toys to keep him busy up front.
I'll be getting the food and litter advice from the breeder this week.

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The little monsters 3

I agree with Brian. Get your tree now. The posts are usually scratchers, too, and you can NEVER have enough scratchers. Plus, your kitty will use them to climb up the tree. It's better to get her used to one now. Just make sure it's a quality tree. The cheaper ones will need to be replaced more frequently. I've got three I've had for more than five years and they still look like new, and they are used multiple times during the day. And know the larger ones take up a ton of room. I love the Armakat trees. They require a smaller footprint and, let's face it, a cat can only use part of the tree at a time. Having four platforms, two condos, a hammock may be overkill. Mollie and Friends make very sturdy trees, but are expensive. I've ordered all of mine online. I would stay away from Northern American. I bought the sky sleeper and every time Raiden jumped up and down from it, it tipped over, so we had to attach the base to a larger piece of plywood and it's fine now. Make sure you read reviews as well. This is a purchase you will have for years.

Great info and tips. Thanks everyone. I saw a nice tree at Armarkat and it's on sale. I may go with that one.

You cannot go wrong with Armakat. I also have several of their cat beds.

Well, today marks 10 days since we picked up our new kitty Jagger. He is a 14 week old male Bengal that we got from a breeder. It was a very good experience and everything went smoothly when we picked him up.
The first night in our home he hid behind a cabinet in the laundry room. Next morning he came out and was snooping around, and by the end of that day we were friends.
Since then, my wife and I have really been enjoying him, and he seems to be enjoying living here. Aside from playing with his toys, he already learned to "sit" on command. We intend to teach him a few more tricks as he seems to like pleasing us with his talent. He also likes jumping on his cat wheel and running/leaping at times throughout the day.
He lets me brush him, and we're working on brushing teeth and clipping nails.
His is very smart and almost talks to us. Not in english but we do communicate.
I'll try to post some photos when I figure out how, but in the meantime here is a short clip of him on his wheel. https://youtu.be/qeYMiVYQaDY

Aww, the cat wheel isn't easy to master at first, but before you know it, he will be hopping on it on his own. Jagger is really a handsome boy. Congratulations. Enjoy all the adventures.