Looking for a Bengali

Preferred

The search for Karmen and her partner Tadej was not very difficult, they knew pretty quickly what they were looking for. ‘We saw some videos online and we fell in love with the breed. We were really lucky because shortly after we discovered this breed, one of the Slovenian breeders had a litter. I knew immediately by seeing the photos that Shiva belonged to us,’ says Karmen.

‘I was very sick when we took in our first kitten, Shiva,’ says Karmen. ‘Covid-19 had just started then, we were both very scared to go outside,’ she continues. The only thing that kept her going was Shiva's arrival. ‘My world changed completely when she came here. She crawled out of the box and started purring like crazy!’ Isn't that what we all love to hear, the purr of a cat?

Hindu-Götter

Their first cat's name is Shiva, which may sound familiar to you? It reminds many people of a God from Hinduism, known as “The Destroyer.” Fortunately, that was not the reason they chose that name. Karmen and Tadej found their inspiration elsewhere. “I'm a fan of the series The Walking Dead,” Karmen explains, ”there was a majestic tiger featured there. His name was Shiva. Upon hearing that name, I immediately knew that this is the perfect name for our beautiful cat.”

On paper, Shiva's name is actually Sabini, but they thought Shiva sounded much nicer. Two names, in other words!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

A second God?

After Shiva, they didn't stop there. ‘We always wanted a boyfriend for our girl,’ Karmen says. After contacting a breeder from Croatia, they stumbled upon the perfect boy, who also deserved a majestic name. He was named Odin, who also happens to be a god, namely the God of wisdom, poetry, death, divination and magic. ‘Odin loves cuddles. He likes to be carried around like a baby.’

Katzenmutter

Cat mother

As if two cats weren't enough, Shiva gave birth to four
little kittens at four in the morning in April 2021. Tadej slept next to Shiva,
because it was clear that she could give birth any day. The kittens were named
Alpha, Alia, Amelia and Axa. They decided to keep one. "We fell in love
with Amelia's personality and cuteness," so she stayed with them. The
other kittens found a good, warm home elsewhere.

You can see the litter here !

Majestic tree for majestic cats

Obviously, Shiva, Odin and Amelia needed an imposing cat tree, they are all quite big cats. Bengals are quite different from other domestic cat breeds. The Bengal is much larger than the standard domestic cat. They have a large, sleek and muscular appearance. So it goes without saying that they needed a big scratching post to get all worked up on.

Karmen and Tadej bought our Kilimandjaro de Luxe Light Grey, which they placed next to their balcony doors. ‘We put extra shelves everywhere, so they can climb via those wall shelves as well. But to be perfectly honest, they hardly use those shelves. The cats love the scratching post, they are always playing with the rope and they all have their own sleeping place.’

Shiva has chosen the hiding spot in the middle as her permanent sleeping place, Odin prefers to sleep in the hammock and Amelia usually has the best view as she often sleeps on top of the cat tree.

My personal comedy show

It seems these three cats have found a good home with Karmen and Tadej. After our conversation, I am sure Karmen would never want to live without her three cats again. When I asked Karmen if there are any drawbacks to having a cat, she was very clear: ‘There are none! They put a smile on my face every day. I feel like watching them is like watching a comedy show.’

‘They are all so different, which is what makes it so much fun. You can't compare their personalities. Amelia, for example, loves water. She usually stands under running water and tries to play with it. Shiva also likes to play in the water. She even knows some commands like ‘sit’, ‘high-five’ and ‘paw’. Odin, on the other hand, can even play fetch, bringing back toys.’ That sounds like a perfect mix of a cat and a dog!

With all these different personalities in one household, I wondered if there are any similarities. ‘Oh, no, the cats are much cuter than us! But I do think I am as clumsy as Odin, cheeky like Shiva and lazy like Amelia,’ says Karmen.