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Early
Generation
Bengal Cats |
about:
bengal cats, bengal
behavior,
bengal pets,
foundation
cats, alc,
asian leopard
cat |
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What exactly are
early generation cats?
Bengals can be registered with
TICA as domestic Bengal cats at the fourth generation from the Asian Leopard Cat
(ALC). That leaves us three generations between the Asian Leopard Cat and the Bengal.
So what are the first three generations called?
They are a Bengal/ALC
cross.
Outcrossing
to the Asian
Leopard Cat
is allowed
within the
Bengal breed,
but the first
three
generations
are called foundation
cats, filials,
or early
generation
cats. |
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Early
Generation
Bengal,
Pandora, F1 |
Because male
early
generation
cats are
infertile,
we
determine
the
generation
from a cat's
mother. You will
often see
their
generation
marked on
websites as:
- F1,
the cat
is just
one
generation
from the ALC
(meaning
one of
the cat's
parents is
an Asian
Leopard
Cat)
- F2
the cat
is two
generations
from an ALC
- F3
the cat
is three
generations
from the ALC
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Inde was my first early generation
cat. |
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Do early generation cats make good pets?
It depends on the individual cat and on the household. Perhaps I can best explain by using two early generation
Bengal cats from my household.
My F2,
Independence,
is
my
cat
and
my
cat
only.
She
isn’t
an
active
member
of
the
entire
family
unit,
she
is
not
likely
be
around
when
we
have
company
over,
and
she doesn’t
sit
in
my
lap
as
the
kids
romp
around
the
house. |
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However, no
other cat loves me
more
passionately
than Inde.
When it's Inde time, the biscuiting is intense; the rubs on the back of my legs are deep; the grooming of my hair is thorough. The connection I have with this cat is like no other.
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On the other hand, Inde’s F3 son, Foot Attacktor, known as Footsie, is my three-year-old daughter’s cat. He rolls his eyes at the kid noise, deals with the pets that are just a little too rough, and has no plans of disappearing when company is around. Footsie is the type of cat that many Bengal
cat websites claim early generation cats are not.
Don’t
let
the
generation
of
a
Bengal
cat
factor
into
your
decision
making
about
which
kitten
to
get.
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My
daughter
brushing her
F3 kitty, Footsie. |
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Let the
personality
be the
deciding
factor.
Work with a
breeder who
will be
honest with
you about
temperament,
and if you
find yourself
being asked
to pick a
kitten before
eight weeks,
know that you
are picking
based on
appearance,
not
temperament.
Related
Articles:
Bengal Breed
Characteristics
Bengal Cat
Type |
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