7 weeks bengal, is it too young

[Branleuse]

Im going to have a look at some bengal cross kittens tommorow. The mum says theyre ready to go as theyre eating properly, but theyre not very good with the litter tray yet. Do you think thats because of their age or maybe because of their breed? Would leaving it a week or two be better? I dont want to risk losing the kitten to someone else.

Ive never had such a young kitten before. Ive always gone for older kittens or adult cats. How much of a difference does a week or two make in reality?

I dont get animals from breeders. I never have and never would.Its exploitative

This woman had an accidental litter and has now got her cat spayed

They certainly make me feel like "well fuck you"

Really? People worrying about unethical and wanton breeding makes you feel like that? I’d say it’s real animal lovers that put their neck on the line and give an honest view of situations like this. It would be far easier to just go ‘aww cute kitten, pics please!’

OP, I don't think you are in a position to have a go at people who are providing advice and facts.
They (and myself) are concerned for the welfare of the cats and the mother who is probably being repeatedly bred. Look at the poster who adopted the tortie who had been continually producing kittens. There was a post recently where someone bought a kitten via Gumtree who died a few days later, this was a similar scenario to yours.
Please think carefully, if your heart is set on a pedigree ask a vet to refer you to a reputable breeder.

Cat with 7 week old kittens has been spayed? Unlikely. Perhaps if it was an emergency c section

I acquired a Bengal from a cat rescue (funnily enough, the ad specified 'experienced' cat owners as well).
From what I've read on here, we've got off lightly with Lily.
We do have a big garden, so perhaps this helps her to run around and burn off lots of energy.
She can be extremely vocal, especially in the middle of the night; and is a demon hunter.
But she is also extremely affectionate and loves sitting and 'talking' to us.
There have been many occasions when I would quite happily have sent her back to the rescue. But I fear my DC would never forgive me, as they and the cat do get on very well. My DCs have learned to spot the signs when Lily has had enough and is best left alone .

I strongly advise against a Bengal or Bengal cross. There are 3 of us in the house who dote in him like he is a newborn and he completely rules the roost. We are VERY lucky we have neighbours who love him as he is REALLY loud when he gets going.and demanding like you wouldn't believe.

I had a bengal cat for 14 years,she died last year due to a tumour in her throat,but she was the lovliest natured cat, although she didnt like being handled much, all four legs used to flare out if anyone tried to pick her up, when i first got her she didnt come near me for about a year,they are not very affectionate in general, and in the end would only let me pick her up
If they are allowed to ram their wild natuire can come out and go after other cats, but mine was a house cat,although i had a large enclosed run built so sjhe could get some fresh air, in her later years she went into the garden,and never went away, my garden is very enclosed too,
If you want a lap cat dont get a bengal,

ROAM ,NOT RAM LOL

Theyre quarter bengal, so basically moggies, The mother was half bengal and the woman seemed young and a bit overwhelmed tbh. Her house smelled pretty bad and the kittens were dirty. The mother cat has just been spayed a few days ago. She doesnt want more kittens. I think i can give a good hometo one or two, and ive listened to what some of you people have said on here, and also done a bit more research and think its something that I can cope with. Ive got a big house a big garden, and tbh, getting a kitten in this way is a completely normal way of getting a cat in my and presumably most peoples circles. Im pretty sure im going to go for it, especially since shes now had her cat spayed, because I feel strongly that domestic animals should be spayed and not allowed to have litters, whilst still being realistic about the fact it happens.

Forgot to say the kitten shouldnt leave until at least 10 weeks, my cat was 13 weeks when i got her, also it should be wormed at least 3 times with proper vet wormer, and make sure no fleas,
Then when shes around 5 months you need to get her neutered, vax whenever you get her and second vax 3 weeks later
Not let out until neutered ,as they can get pregnant even at 5 months old
Hope this helps

My sister lived near a Bengal. It absolutely terrorised all the other cats and children in the neighbourhood. Eventually all the neighbours were so fed up they confronted the owners (as a group) and told them if they didn't rehome it they were going to take legal action (or some such - not sure what the specific action would have been).

Anyway, the neighbours thankfully decided to rehome in the end. I have a Burmese and they have a reputation of being thugs, but I think they pale in comparison to Bengals.

And to answer your question, yes, 7 weeks is far too early. I got mine at 14 weeks from a reputable dealer who only lets her cats have a maximum of 2 litters.

x-post - I see they are 1/4 bengal, so maybe this will reduce the behavioural issues to a degree.

If / when you get them please post photos, but I would really encourage you to see if they could stay for a couple more weeks with their Mum.

We got our kitten aged 9-10 weeks, she was still very little and cute but was healthy and very well litter trained by mum!

I'd be worried about buying 7 week old kittens especially if dirty/unhealthy. Make sure you get good insurance.

Ok, ignoring the bun fight upthread and addressing the OPs specific question about age I have had kittens younger than the one you are thinking of getting. One (many, many years ago) who was about 3 or 4 weeks old when I rescued her from a bin, eyes barely open! She was a wonderful cat. Despite early separation from her mother she was very clean and able to use a litter tray when necessary and extremely sociable. One of the cats I have now has been with me since she was about 5.5 weeks old. She is fantastic, took to litter immediately, is wonderfully loving, cleans herself well.

I think you should be fine taking on a reasonably young kitten. My experience with both the cats I had from very young is that they’ve been very, very trusting and devoted to me - perhaps as I replaced their mother early on.

Fully expecting some sort of flaming for having had extremely young kittens and no direct experience of Bengals.

Wildcherry- there’s a big difference between doing it from necessity, and because a breeder wants rid of kittens asap.

If she were a decent person who actually cared about her cat and it’s kittens then a request to leave the kitten with it’s mother until 10 weeks isn’t unreasonable.

branleuse really I think you should go for it. Enjoy your kitten xxx

OP what you describe, (dirty unkempt kittens and mother) sounds exactly like kitten farm conditions. The most exploitative form of animal breeding.

Owner doesn't sound great but you've clearly decided to crack on regardless.
7 weeks is too young for any animal to leave their mum. Responsible breeders recommend 12 weeks or so.
I hadn't known about that breed, have learnt a lot from this thread and having grown up with animals and owning a dog now I think I'd be very cautious about such a particular breed. Sounds like hard work and an animal that needs a lot of space (physically and mentally).
Good luck with it OP, hope you can post for tips after getting kitten.

Branleuse, I have a half Bengal who came from exactly the set-up you're looking at - owner had a female Bengal who was a wily bugger & escaped when on heat. (Owner also had a couple of dogs. Very animal house!) Litter was 2 Bengalish tabbies & 2 blacks.

Anyway I collected mine at about 8 weeks. He looked very Bengalish at that age (see pic) - less so now, he's just a very large tabby.

Anyway he's a great cat - very attached, very affectionate, can be a bastard to the other cats & does kill mice & birds, but has also brought in bats, a duckling & a young pigeon without hurting them.

I wouldn't worry too much about the age of yours, a few days either way won't make much difference

Read this before you proceed. I'm on a forum where someone got a kitten from these people and she died :( and she's not the only kitten to have died

thebestcatpage.com/2016/01/25/alarming-facebook-posts-advertising-kittens-as-bait-for-liverpool-dog-fighters/

When my cat got out the day before she was due to be spayed and got shagged by the local toms it WAS an accident.

Quite possibly. But in this situation you’d have no idea if she would become pregnant and could easily just proceed with the spay as planned. No need for unwanted kittens.

It is highly unlikely that the breeeding queen you’re buying from has been spayed with 7 week old kittens still with her. Regardless the ‘breeder’ sounds inept and has little concern for the welfare of her Cat or kittens

I know a couple of people with (spayed/castrated) Bengals that spray everywhere. Aside from the welfare issues, I'd avoid kittens from a home/breeder that smells catty - its often a sign the cats in the household are marking by spraying (even the females) and the kittens follow suit. You might feel all gooey about a full-on cat, but how will you feel abouut taking your month old piss-soaked £500 new sofa to the tip?

My castrated Bengal sprays. He sprayed in the hallway when we decorated in there.

He's also intolerant to cereals in cat food.

I would be torn in this situation. As much as I hate kitten farms it is a no win situation as, if the kittens aren’t homed, they’ll most likely be destroyed.

I’d take the kitten home personally in this instance. Take her away from this irresponsible woman who frankly doesn’t sound like she deserves to be a cat owner.

7 weeks old is young. However, my sister got her kittens when they were only 5 weeks old because they were being kept in a downstairs loo already away from the mum in quite a chaotic household and she felt her home would be calmer and better for them. They are very happy now.
My cat is a Bengal and is lovely. Active, but lovely. And is having a much nicer life than the father. The (very reputable) breeder kept the father in a shed outside (because of the smell of the spraying from an unneutered cat is pretty foul) and when let out of the shed, kept on a lead, to stop him from running away. Not much of a life, really?
Someone mentioned a contract - what I think it means is that you only get proof of the cat's pedigree family tree once you provide the breeder with proof of neutering. Therefore, you can't actually make money if you decide to 'back-street' breed because you can't prove the pedigree.

Anyway, if you know you can provide the kitten with care and love, then you weigh up whether they are better off immediately with you because of how they are being kept, or whether they could do with a few more weeks with the mother.

Good luck with your new kitten whenever they come to live with you!