f.a.q.
You have questions. wE have answers.
We’ve had many questions from adopters, fosters, , and clients. We hope this FAQ page will help answer some common questions about us and the Bengal cats we love.
No. Bengal cats are fantastic companions, there is nothing wrong with them. Unfortunately, they often land in rescue due to a number of factors, the most common is lack of human oversight with regards to proper litter box maintenance, diet, regular Veterinary care, mental and physical stimulation, as well as improper environment. See our pages Litter Box Issues and Adopting Your First Bengal?, in addition to our FAQ’s page.
Bengals are surrendered for a multitude of reasons. Just because someone pays a lot for a cat initially, does not mean that they don’t later change their mind about keeping the cat, due to a number of factors. Here are some of the reasons:
Not all Bengals are the same. Usually when we hear this it comes from a person who was never a cat person, but they enjoy Bengals, so now the cat is “dog-like.” While most Bengals tend to be more outgoing than other breeds, no two cats are alike. Most cats take some time to warm up to new people and situations.
No. We have Bengals who love walking on a harness, we have Bengals who are absolutely reluctant to do that. We have Bengals who love water, and others who are afraid of it. The only “universal” here is that with patience, you can train your cat on a harness but it takes time – not all Bengals respond to it. As for water – it’s a good bet that your Bengal will only want to drink out of a water fountain.
Bengal cats are lower dander, and therefore much less likely to trigger an allergic reaction. However, there are some people who are still allergic to Bengal Cats. If you are concerned about allergic reactions, it would be good for you to bring your family members for a meet / greet with the Bengal you’re interested in. Spend a few hours with the cat and see how your family does. If everyone is comfortable, then you can proceed with adoption. Note though – every cat is different. There are some Bengals who seem virtually “hypo-allergenic” and others who have a bigger impact on allergies.
In rescue, it’s our mission to keep our cats safe. For this reason, we do not re-home Bengals into Indoor / Outdoor homes. We do support leash training. We’re happy to have you leash train your Bengal, however your Bengal should never be left unattended or given free access to outdoors. They simply don’t have the defense mechanisms to protect themselves from cars, dogs, wildlife, and humans who would wish to steal them or cause them harm. With proper indoor catification, your cat can live a long, safe, and healthy life – indoors.
All cats have litter box issues if their humans do not practice proper litter box management. Sadly, it is usually the human who is at fault and not the cat. We had one client who wanted to surrender his two cats for inappropriate urination. We asked him “How often do you scoop the litter box?” He had to think for a bit (never a good sign…). Then he finally said “Once a week.” We asked “Do you also flush your toilet only once a week?” The look on his face was priceless. He suddenly understood. In the end, cats don’t WANT to urinate outside of the litter box. They usually only do it when they are forced to do so, due to their human’s lack of litter box maintenance, or if there are medical issues. Please see our page on Litter Box Issues for more information.
Rarely do our Rescue Bengals come with papers (see TICA or CFA websites for more information). It is often the case that the cat is being surrendered during a trying time for the family, and paperwork is often the last thing on their minds. Sometimes they eventually locate paperwork and when they do, we make sure to get that information to the new owners. We are seasoned Bengal Rescuers, and we definitely can tell the difference between a Bengal and a Bengal-mix. In general, we do not list any cats who are not obviously purebred cats.
The Bengals in our program come from many places. Foremost, we assist owners in re-homing their family pet, due to unforeseen circumstances. In these cases, we are often able to provide medical history from their family Veterinarian. We also rescue Bengals from City and County Shelters, and also private rescues who are less experienced with placing Bengals in forever homes.
We feature available Bengals on a number of Facebook pages and other Pet Portals. Hop on over to our Where to Adopt page to start your search.
Typically we do not.
Our adoption fees often are based on medical cost / expenses (exam, vaccinations, etc.); our fees vary with each cat.
No we do not ship cats, however we are open to out-of-State placement. We are partners with Southwest Airlines (SWATT) and Delta Airlines (DART). Adopters are responsible for any / all transportation costs.
Unfortunately, no. Because our fees are so low, they do not ever cover the basic medical care and assessment that we provide to the cats in our program.
It should be, yes (some individuals are unable to deduct this; check with your tax professional). We are a registered 501(C)(3) corporation. Our Tax-ID is (PENDING)
See our page Rehome and fill out the submission form.
See our page Foster and fill out the Foster Application form.
