Aparently yes, Bengals and Turkish Vans both generally like to play with
water. Especially swatting running water from taps. :)

You must research the breeders and the breed (which I assume is why you're
posting!) before you purchase.

Bengals are a cross with a with a *wild* cat called the Asian Leopard Cat.
When you research your breeders, it is best to buy from a breeder that has
LATE generations of this cat.  So for instance, the mating between the wild
cat and the domestic cat gives us the F1 generation.  An F1 generation bred
with another domestic cat will give us an F2 generation.  So the farther
down you go, there is a little less of the actual wildcat in the breed.

I talked to an expert who recommended no lower than the F5 generation.
These cats have the markings of the leopard cat, but have really great
personalities and are very cuddly cats.  If you purchase an F1 generation
from a breeder who is still breeding the original leopard cats to domestic
cats, these cats are what they are, **practically wild**.  They tend not to
be very cuddly and are quite independant.  They are also more resistant to
training and will want to JUMP JUMP JUMP all over anything, so don't expect
to keep them off your kitchen counters.  Of course this is a generalization,
just like anything, but your taking a gamble.

So all I can stress is that you must research your breeders, ask them what
generation the cats are, or you might be disappointed and get a cat that is
not affectionate and is actually more trouble than it's worth!

Kelly

It is true that Bengals generally like water, but cats are like people,
and every one will have their own personality. There is lots of
information on the internet about Bengals. My neighbours have one and
adore him - they say he doesn't shed. If you buy one, buy at least an
F4 (fourth generation removed from the original wild cat from which it
was bred) otherwise some of the wilder attributes may be present.

Best of all, go to your local shelter and rescue a cat. Purebreds are
prone to all sorts of health problems because of inbreeding (and
Bengals are a relatively new breed) and my experience with breeders has
been very bad.

I have a Bengal and love her. I'm getting a Snow Marble later this year. My
Rhiannon crys outside the shower stall till I'm done and she can go in and
play. the water doesn't last long though. Some will get in the bathtub or
even use the pool. I suggest going to shows and talking to the breeders.
Some breed for looks without much concern for temperment. I use Adventure
Beach Bengals in south Florida ( http://www.bengal-cat.net  ). She breeds
for looks AND temperment.
Joe
www.isleofavaloncathaven.com

Adopt a cat from the shelter. So many need good and loving homes and are
also cool.

Heh.  I have two show alters, and I love them dearly, but there are
some things you should know before you start looking for a breeder.

1. Bengals are active cats. Really active. Like eleven on a 1-10
scale active. There is no shelf they cannot get onto, no mantel
that's safe from kitty romping. Knicknacks that aren't stuck down
with museum wax aren't going to survive. 16 week old Bengal kittens
can jump from the floor to the top of the fridge.

2. Bengals are high-maintanance pets. They need attention, and they
need company. If you work outside the house, do yourself a favour and
get two Bengals or a Bengal and another high-energy cat. Otherwise
you *must* expect to spend 3-4 hours playing with and interacting with
your cat. That drops to 1-2 hours if there are two of them. They
need interactive play -- if they don't get it they will do anything
and everything they can to get your attention. Remember those
stuck-down knicknacks? They're history if you don't give your Bengal
enough attention.

3. Bengals are smart. Spooky smart. They work together and teach
each other things. My boys can open both the fridge and the freezer,
can open baby locks (Temujin pulls the door open, Kefka swats at the
latch), can open cabinets, open drawers, and have almost mastered the
round doorknob. They must have sufficient mental stimulation or they
get bored. Bored Bengals make up Bengal games. Humans generally do
not like Bengal games, as Bengal games often involve swatting things
(like stuck down knicknacks) off high places.

4. Bengals are not decorative. Okay, they're decorative when they
are tired, but most of the time they are spotted and marbled blurs of
activity. They will not lounge around prettily for admiration -- they
want to be doing what you are doing, helping with whatever you're
doing.

5. Bengals are *big* cats. Males are 15-20 pounds of muscle fully
grown, and females are 10-15. Both sexes are very long bodied -- my
boys are ~22 inches from shoulders to tail base. When they stand on
their hind legs, they can touch my waist easily. A well-bred Bengal
is an incredible cat -- friendly, affectionate, confident. A
poorly-bred Bengal is a nightmare because of their size and strength.

6. Bengals are heavy scratchers. You can forget about those wimpy
little 2' carpet-covered scratching posts at Petsmart -- posts for
Bengals need to be tall and heavy. Cat trees are best -- and
expensive. If you don't provide enough places to scratch, your
furniture is history, and declawed Bengals are usually biters.

7. Bengals are greedy. I am a professional trainer, and my cats are
very well trained with ~20 behaviours including dog-style obedience,
stupid tricks, and agility. I cannot train them to stay off counters
and cannot train them to leave food alone. All the usual methods
(aluminum foil, upside-down carpet runners, citrus, cans full of
pennies, etc) simply do not work. Bengals will be good until you
remove the offending object (carpet runner, etc) and will then hop
right up again. They are too smart to think that the counter is doing
anything to them.

8. Bengals like water. Which, granted, is pretty cool -- having a
cat join you in the shower or hop into your hot bath to swim around is
neat. But it also means that squirt guns are useless. And guests are
often not amused. :)

9. Did I mention that they're active? Because they really really
are. I often compare them to Border Collies when trying to get across
how active they are. They need the mental stimulation of a job of
some sort, which is why my boys are clicker-trained.

10. They're expensive. No, you can't cut corners by buying out of
the newspaper. Well-bred, well-socialised Bengals generally start
around $400 for a pet-quality and can go all the way up to over $1000
for a show alter.

If you still are interested in a Bengal, read the Guide in my sig, and
please feel free to email me with any questions.  As well, join
Bengals-L on yahoogroups.

Orchid
See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage
Want a Purebred Cat?  Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid

I don't know where you live, but please consider adopting a rescued or
shelter Bengal, if that's what you truly want. This is a great site,
which includes the US and Canada: http://www.petfinder.com
You can search your ZIP code by type of animal. What's great is
shelters and rescue groups have adoptable animals posted, often with
links to their site.

Rene

I don't know where you live, but please consider adopting a rescued or
shelter Bengal, if that's what you truly want. This is a great site,
which includes the US and Canada: http://www.petfinder.com
You can search your ZIP code by type of animal. What's great is
shelters and rescue groups have adoptable animals posted, often with
links to their site.

Rene

Your right Kelly, I'm not dead set on a pure breed. I really just like
that wild look they have. The brown/gold coats with the black dots. Like
I said in my previous post, I will research this, and have no problem
adopting an adult (female) cat. I will look at those web sites you & the
others posted. Thank you again. Brian

I have 2 cats that love the water.  I got them both from a gal I used to
work with.  Her barn cat had a litter and I took 2 of them.  They have both
been bathed weekly since I got them last year.  Both of them will get into
the shower with me.

I don't believe this has anything to do with their breeding, but credit it
to their early and repeated baths.

One of them even naps in the tub.

Brigitte