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Is my cat really a Bengal?

I am in the process of buying a cat off of our local KSL classifieds, they said it was a pure bread Bengal for 600 but 300 because of an easter special + no papers. She was so cute I thought I'de give her a try at home (they said we could bring it back if we have allergies, the people were really nice). She has an AWESOME personality but we're concerned if she's actually a bengal? We talked to the breeder and he said he can give us pictures of the mom cat, who they breed with every easter (easter special) with another male bengal a bit further away, for a big litter of bengal kittens. Anyway, we haven't seen the pictures of the parents yet but can anyone give insight? She has a few spots but I have a feeling if we feed her really nice food (Albacore Tuna) she will grow a really pretty pelt! http://img195.imageshack.us/i/20110418004804893.jpg/ http://img862.imageshack.us/i/20110418005227596.jpg/ The reason I don't think it's a 'pure' bread bengal, or even a generation 4-5 bengal is because their is no clear Rosettes, or Marble patterns. There are spots, especially noticeable when she walks, but a few stripes too esp on her arms (which I think most bengals have) She's super sweet and cuddly, I think we'll keep her no matter what, but we just want to know if any bengal experts can help out!

Public Comments

No it looks like a tabby cat but its so cute !!!!!!!!!!
Looks like a tabby cat to me. She is very pretty but I don't think she's a full bengal though. You could have saved your money and rescued a cat like this and saved a life. Just take good care of her and she will make you a good friend.
The kitten is lovely but she is not a Bengal at all but a DSH tabby. The person you are buying this kitten from is a fake and a liar. And feeding a kitten tuna is a very bad idea and is unhealthy. It doesn't do a thing for a cat's coat but a diet of tuna will result in serious nutritional deficiencies followed by death. Fish in a cat's diet should be limited to treats only.
I would not pay any more then the cost of worming and first shots - $50. Its NOT a Bengal in any form. Its a broken mackerel (or maybe spotted) brown tabby domestic shorthair kitten. Red flags: 1. No papers 2. Selling at Easter (big red flag) 3. $300 for a domestic shorthair I would "cancel" your order. Purebred Bengals start at $800 for a pet. And I'm guessing this kitten is only 8 weeks old if that - reputable breeders will not let a kitten go till 3 months old minimum and the kitten will have all shots, worming and be spayed/neutered. If you don't heed advice you will be ripped off big time on a domestic shorthair that you will probably be allergic too. This is NOT a Bengal in any sense of the breed. BTW tuna is the WORSE food to feed a cat.
No papers the answer is no it is not. Lots of people fraduntly selling fake Bengals because they are an expensive and fairly uncommon breed. Other than the lack of papers a huge red flag is the "Easter Special" no responsible breeder is going to have an "Easter Special" nor can they afford the sell a kitten they have put a large amount of money into for half the price. They would loose a huge amount of money that way. Another big red flag they breed her every Easter in order to have an "Easter Special" not a chance these are pedigree Bengals. Unless you want to be scammed into paying $300 for a Domestic Shorthair look elsewhere.
"Easter special" LOL! I have never heard of any reputable breeder having half price holiday specials on kittens. There are so many "red flags" it had me wondering if you are just trolling maybe trying to make some sort of point about people buying from bad breeders. Sorry if that is not the case because if this is for real, it sounds like by trying to get a bargain bin Bengal you just paid $300 for the same sort of domestic kitten you probably could have found at a shelter for $50-100 and with a lot more vet work already done for that price! She is cute and sounds like a sweet kitten but most kittens are cute and sweet and I sure wouldn't pay $300 for a kitten with no papers that does not even look like the breed they're claiming it is. A kitten sold as a half price "Easter Special" at an age too young to be separated from her mother and littermates, and with no papers, is just not likely to be a purebred Bengal. Some plain domestic tabbies have spots or broken vertical stripes. and there are people scamming by calling them "Bengals".& selling them. They can give you pictures of the mom? I thought this was somewhere local. You should have got to SEE the mom in real life and the other kittens when you went to see the kitten. How about you want to see the results of the mother's HCM scan? And the father's.. (Bengals should be scanned for this heart condition by having a sonogram of the heart done by a veterinary cardiologist.) How about you want to see the mother's and father's registrations and pedigrees? It only costs a breeder $10 to register a whole litter with TICA. There is absolutely NO reason for a legit breeder NOT to register a litter IF the parent cats are really pedigreed Bengals.... and if they're not, well then they shouldn't be advertising that they have "Bengal" kittens Re food: Maybe you could give a few bites of tuna as an occasional treat but you should not feed it a lot. It will not provide all the nutrition she needs to grow up strong and healthy. Not to mention, it may be contaminated with mercury etc. A cat needs to be on high protein, grain free canned cat food, and while they are a kitten preferably they need food labeled as specifically for kittens or "feline growth" or " for all life stages" They can also have some dry kitten food to snack on between meals of canned food. (That's for while they are little and still growing and using a lot of energy. But later it's best to stop free feeding the kibble, or cats often tend to put on too much weight.).
No papers equals no Bengal. Bengal cats are expensive. In the U.S. I expect to pay closer to, or even more than, $1000. A reputable breeder who breeds following responsible guidelines will have put so much money into his/her breeding operation, that it would be financially impossible to afford to have an "Easter Special" of half off the original asking price. Charging so much for a pedigreed Bengal kitten isn't going to make the breeder a heck of a lot of money, more like just recouping expenses incurred. And getting the appropriate registration papers for a qualified litter is not so difficult or expensive compared to the rest of the process that simply skipping that step would justify knocking $300 off the price.
Sorry dear, but there's just no way that's an actual Bengal. I think someone tricked you out of your money.
No it doesn't look anything like my spotted brown bengal,she is a moggy.
Wow - not in the LEAST bit a Bengal! It's simply a domestic shorthair with a Brown Mackerel Tabby coat - nothing more. LOL at "Easter Special"! You have been RIPPED OFF by a horrible backyard breeder making money on NO BREED kittens. Why in the hell would you pay $300 for this kitten???? There's no such thing as "Bengal mixes" since breeders tend to sell their kittens ALKTERED and never allow crossbreeding. I do hope this is just a TROLL post because your comments about feeding a cat tuna so it will "grow a really pretty pelt" are absolutely ridiculous. But then again, if you were gullible enough to buy this NO BREED kitten for $300 - who knows what else you might believe!
Are you really this gullible that you'd pay $300 for a "Bengal" kitten without papers that's identical to your average domestic shorthair at your local shelter? And why would you want to support a backyard breeder like this?