How to Take Care of a Bengal Cat - Taking Care of a Bengal's Health

1. Take your Bengal to the vet on a regular basis. Like all cats, for a long and healthy life the Bengal requires certain routine health measures. As a kitten, this includes vaccinations, deworming, neutering, and having a microchip inserted.
- Having a microchip in place means you can prove ownership is the cat is recovered from thieves or if found when it's lost.
- Make sure your vet takes care of Bengals, because not all vets do.

2. Start vaccination from six weeks of age to give temporary protection. Repeat again at 10 weeks, with the final shot of this initial course at 14 weeks of age. The vet will vaccinate against distemper and rabies, as a basic course, and discuss vaccinating against feline leukemia and chlamydia.[1]
- There is some resistance amongst Bengal breeders to giving the leukaemia vaccine. The reasons for this are not clear but are related to the ancestry of the Asian leopard. There is no proof whatsoever that Bengal cats are especially sensitive to this vaccine and there are no special complications in the breed.[2]
- Neither does the Bengal's ancestry give them natural immunity, as some breeders argue, so not vaccinating leaves your cat open to possible infection. However, if your cat is going to be purely indoors, then you can save yourself the debate, because an indoor cat is at low risk of contracting feline leukemia.[3]

3. Get your cat desexed. Desexing is usually done between 5 - 6 months. However, some breeders insist on the kitten being neutered before they are homed (at 12 weeks), in order to avoid their kittens being used for breeding stock.

4. Get your cat dewormed. Worming should be done at 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of age with an oral product, such as Panacur. Good products, such as Stronghold (UK) or Revolution (US), last for 1 month, so they should be applied monthly from 6 weeks of age.[4]

5. Understand the unique health issues Bengals can have.[5] The breed is at greater risk than others of Feline Infectious Peritonitis. This viral disease is most likely to spread in establishments where more than five cats live and who use shared litter trays. Unfortunately, this means breeding establishments can be potential breeding grounds for the Corona virus which mutates and causes clinical FIP.
- There is no preventative treatment for FIP, and if you buy a kitten that is incubating the infection, although feeding a good diet will generally strengthen his immune system, it will not stop him from becoming sick with FIP at some point in the future. Thus, avoidance is your best option.
- If you already have cats and take on a kitten from a breeder with a history of FIP, then make sure the cats do not share litter trays. The Coronavirus, which is responsible for FIP, is spread via feces, so the closer the other cats contact with poop, the greater the risk of them acquiring infection.
- FIP usually affects cats under the age of 12- 18 months, and causes fever, loss of appetite, and seepage of fluid out of the circulation where it accumulates as fluid on the belly. There is currently no cure for this heart-breaking condition.
- Before getting the kitten, ask the breeder if they have any history of FIP within their breeding stock. If they are honest, and tell you they have had problems with FIP or reports of homed kittens suffering from the condition, then sadly you should walk away and source a Bengal kitten from a different breeder.
- Other common health problems are HCM (a heart disease), PkDef (chronic anemia) and an early onset autosomal recessive disorder which can lead to blindness within the first year of life. However, many breeders screen against these problems and can reduce the likeliness of your cat having such issues.
- Nasal dermatitis was found affecting Bengal cats in Sweden. The scientists' conclusions were that this unique skin condition in the Bengal breed suggests a heritable cause.[6]

6. Consider taking out pet insurance for your Bengal cat. This will cost you a modest sum every year. However, it will help significantly if your cat has a medical emergency. It will pay a portion of your vet bills, depending on the exact policy, and it will assure that you don't have to make treatment decisions based on cost alone.

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