stitch-and-his-breathTales and Tails: Monthly cat stories shared by cat lovers

This month - Dreamstone Bengals

A Brief Introduction of Dreamstone Bengals

Bengals are a remarkable breed! The creation of the Bengal cat breed was
founded by Jean Mills in America. Jean had a vision on crossing a wild Asian
leopard cat with a domestic cat, to create this new hybrid. Bengals have a
striking beauty that resembles a wild Asian leopard, their fur is like silk,
covered in glitter and they are a larger cat breed. Our boys range from 7-8.6
kg!



We were fascinated by this new beautiful cat creation and quickly knew that we
wanted to help develop the Bengal breed. Dreamstone Bengals was founded in
2004.



We pride ourselves on importing the finest bloodlines from around the world to
create our exceptional kittens. Our kittens are raised in a family home, where
we have three age-appropriate rooms, each room specially designed and adapted
to meet the growing needs of our kittens. RHR cat trees are an important
element in our kitten rooms and ensure that the kittens have the opportunity to
climb, play and burn off their Bengal energy. Bengals need to be mentally
stimulated and need a lot of interactive stimuli to stay happy. It is very
important that Bengal kittens are properly socialized from an early age, due to
the nocturnal instincts of their wild ancestors.



What does the life of a breeder look like?

The life of a Bengali breeder is extremely hard work because it means working
early in the morning and late at night 365 days a year. Breeding brings fear
and anticipation, waiting for the babies to arrive safely. We also need to
focus on the well-being of the mother and the kittens, to ensure that the
mother is happy, content, and feeds well. There are many difficulties that can
arise after the birth process. For example, kittens are weighed daily to ensure
that they thrive and receive the nutrition they need to grow healthily. If not,
we intervene. Sometimes you have to feed a kitten by hand every 2 hours, day
and night.



Although breeding is a stressful job, it comes with the joy of raising kittens
from birth until they are 13 weeks old, when they are ready to leave us.
Watching the milestones they achieve, such as the onset of weaning, the
slow-motion playfights around 4-5 weeks of age, the development of their little
personalities and building their confidence. We record their growth and
development on a weekly basis in videos and photos, which are shared with
families, so they have the joy of watching their new kitten grow until it's
time to go home.

What kind of cat is a Bengal?

Bengals are known for their striking beauty and breathtaking, wild aesthetics,
exquisite character, and high intelligence. A typical Bengali has a mischievous
personality, who is intrigued by everything! They are not a typical lap cat due
to their high energy levels, but they certainly love a cuddle when they want to
relax. Families sometimes ask us, "How did you make a lap cat?"
because Dreamstone babies have the balance between a fun personality and a
loving nature because of the playtime and love they have received from our
three children.



Bengals are the perfect coat friends with most other animals. Our Bengal cats
and kittens love playtime with our cocker spaniel and two Rhodesian ridgebacks.
This helps kittens build confidence around dogs, and is especially important
for kittens coming into a family with a dog. Bengals are definitely the 'boss'
of the dogs!



Bengals are highly trainable; and have dog-like traits, such as fetch and
walking on a leash. Some of our kittens are even trained to go to the toilet!
They just haven't learned to flush yet! We start with line training from 10
weeks old. This gives families the chance to continue the training and take
their kittens on adventures, to the beach, the forest and much more. Some of
our kittens/cats even go on holiday with their families!

What character traits does a bengal have?

We meet wonderful families and some of our Dreamstone kittens are privileged to be part of prominent families, flying in private planes around the world to their new homes. The latest well-known family is Jos Verstappen. Jos and his family now have three Dreamstone kittens.