Amazon the Bengal cat

Amazon is our 7 year old  Bengal Cat. 

   We adopted Amazon 7 years ago from our local animal shelter. He was 7 months old, malnourished and unsocialized. The shelter mentioned he was part of a breeding program gone bad. The breeder had fallen ill and left the cats in a house unattended for a long period of time.The shelter was only willing to give limited information about his past.

  Being from a cat-loving family, we had done our research on the Bengal cat. During the 90's and early 2000's, Bengals were very pricey and in their early stage of development as a breed. We waited it out in hopes something would come up. Several years later while my sister was volunteering at our local shelter, Amazon arrived and we scooped him up right away. Our long wait had finally come. We had no idea what the future lay ahead. Amazon would be prove to be the most demanding, passionate,  and expensive pet we've ever owned but worth every penny and day.

 We had no idea what bringing home an unsocialized bengal would entail. For the first couple of months during his kittenhood, no one could catch him or cuddle him. Cuddling and touching was on his terms! He bonded with me almost instantly but still was very timid. We had a older Siamese, Akia in our home and she wanted nothing to do with him but he wanted everything to do with her. She is strongly bonded with me, which caused some conflict between the two. He'd chase her out of my room and cuddle up beside me, not wanting to share me. This went on for a very long time. Even now it still goes on. 

 Because we knew nothing about Amazon's past, we were left guessing and coming to conclusions about some of his behavior. He was extremely skiddish, especially with abrupt noises. Moving your feet suddenly would send him flying in the air. He's very dominant at the food bowl and very territorial. He sprays and continuously tries to mount every other cat in our household. We have no idea if perhaps he was in training to become the next stud for the breeder or just learned behavior from other studs he may have been in contact with.  Perhaps he should of been neutered sooner, or we just happened to get a very dominant male cat. 

Amazon's physical health was another issue. All of his canines were chipped. We were boggled by how a 7 month old kitten could have chipped all 4 canine teeth. The only answer we could seem to agree on was that these cats had been neglected for quite some time. They were not little chips from rough housing or simply biting down too hard on kibble. These chips were pretty substantial and only worsened with time. Eventually Amazon's bottom canines were completely removed. We also noticed a lump on his right paw. So far it hasn't developed into anything serious but every so often we have it checked.

 Aside from all the bonuses we received with Amazon, he's just like your regular Bengal cat, with glitter to boot! He loves perching up high and communicating with us: telling us how his day is going, what he's spotted out the window. He communicates so much just with his tail. By watching it, we're able to tell when he's not happy with something and when he's excited, or when he's had enough.

 Amazon has taught us a lot over the past 7 years and will continue to do so. We love him very much and never regret having him. He has become a part of our family.