ZIGGI'S AWARDS***  ***    *** ***ZSAMI'S AWARDS

        <<<<<<<<<<<<<<SHORT STORIES>>>>>>>>>>>>>          

A WEBSITE ABOUT MY BENGAL CATS

MISTI,  ZIGGI, KEETO & ZSAMI

NEWS...ZiIGGI wins BEST IN SHOW FOREIGN EXHIBIT at the National CC show November 2009 - see his Awards page!!  ...NEWS

NEWS...ZSAMI wins BEST IN SHOW FOREIGN KITTEN at the Somerset CC show June 2010 - see his Awards page ...NEWS

LATEST NEWS...ZSAMI wins BEST OF BREED at the Bengal CC show July 2010 - see his Awards page ...LATEST NEWS

Welcome to the website about my Bengal cats Misti, Ziggi, Keeto and their new little friend Typhast Zsami who joined the household in March of 2010 from the long established and most distinguished Typhast cattery. A beautifully rosetted Brown Spotted boy, he has settled in superbly and what a happy little kitty he is, full of beans and full of beams! Here he is at the age of five and a half months old enjoying his very first supervised walk in the field. (Click the link above to read about little Zsami)  

Ziggi, or Imperial Grand Premier Admilsh Zabari to give you his official name and title, is a very large and handsome Brown Spotted Bengal. He is nine years old with a very affectionate and super laid back personality. His success on the show bench has been fantastic and I was the proudest ever when it was announced that he was Best Foreign Exhibit at the annual National Cat Club show in 2009! (Click the link above to read about Ziggi)

Ziggi’s sister Misti, Admilsh Shantarini, a Brown Marble Bengal, is a very affectionate girl and the ultimate lap-cat. Not something that the breed is known for I might add. She adores her walks and will follow me for miles in the fields and woods. I couldn’t wish for a sweeter natured cat. (Click the link above to read about Misti)

Keeto, official name and title, Quadruple Grand Champion Alter Forestgems Keeto, a golden rosetted Brown Spotted boy, joined us in June of 2008. He soon had the whole household rushing around trying to catch up with his impish antics! He is very different from the others having more of a wild look about him, and has grown up to be a large handsome and affectionate boy who loves his walks and loves being carried around. (Click the link above to read about Keeto)

Each cat has their own web pages on which I have documented their life along with their quirky Bengal characters and their respective achievements on the UK show scene. Ziggi, who has done particularly well over the past nine years, has also earned his own Awards Page in which he proudly displays his various accomplishments. Keeto has been added to this although he decided show life wasn’t for him after a year despite doing very well up until then. The Awards page is also hijacked by the dogs from time to time! I really hope that you will enjoy looking at my Photo Gallery as I find these beautifully marked cats fascinating to photograph. The centre photo at the top of this page, which is my very favourite, was taken when Misti and Ziggi were four-month-old kittens and I'm delighted that it was chosen as 'February' in the 2009 Bengal Cat Club calendar. The Cat Protection League also used the same photo in their 2004 Kitten Calendar. They were the December Calendar kittens. Needless to say, all my friends received a calendar that Christmas! 

To give you an insight into the Bengal cat’s unique character, I have added web pages on both the characteristics and the fascinating history of the Bengal breed. The latter incorporating a section about their wild ancestor, the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC), from South Eastern Asia. To add a bit of fun to the site I have added some short stories about my cats and dogs that were published in the Bengal Cat Club's Bengal Times publication and I hope they will amuse you!

Their lifestyle here in the countryside of Devon is as idyllic as any cat could wish for. Plenty of woods, hedges and fields in which to play and explore, with a never ending supply of small rodents on tap on which to satisfy their primal hunting instincts. As this is Pheasant country, they have been brought up with these magnificent looking birds on their doorstep, and as a consequence they live quite happily side by side with them. On one occasion I was looking out of my sitting room window and spotted Misti ambling up the field towards the house with about twenty Pheasants following at a leisurely pace behind her. Misti suddenly disappeared down into the ditch at the side of the field and waited a few moments before suddenly springing out in front of the startled Pheasants who scattered in every direction. She then turned on her heels and made a mad dash away from them up the field before slowing down to her original amble. The pheasants, after gathering their ruffled composure, continued to follow behind her up the field as though nothing had happened. I burst out laughing at this sequence of events, as I knew exactly what was happening. It was Misti's idea of a joke. Bengals have a great sense of humour and she was just playing Boo with them!

I hope you enjoy reading about this wonderful breed, brought to you through the eyes and experience of a very passionate Bengal owner and avid shower of these fascinating cats. 

 BENGIE

This photo is of Bengie, my first Bengal. Bengie was a wonderful character who was into absolutely everything. He loved his life of hunting and climbing trees in the woods and he enjoyed riding up and down in the wheelbarrow when I was mucking out the stable.  It was a joy to watch him playing boisterously with Buckles the Labrador who loved the rough and tumble games he had with his robust feline friend. Bengie was also an adept retriever and would love to run after a thrown object and bring it back to you before waiting patiently for it to be thrown again. When the day was at an end Bengie would come in for the night and curl up under the covers with me as though butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He would sleep as a human, body under the covers and head on the pillow which sounds very sweet but he was a dreadful snorer!

In June 2000, when Bengie was seven months old, I took him to the Bengal Cat Club’s first ever show at Cricklade near Swindon. I was delighted when he was placed first in his Open class and awarded  Best of Breed. Whizkitz Bugsymalone (for that was his registered name) also won a small Trophy, awarded to the Best Spotted Kitten. His experience as a show cat was not a happy one though, so that was his one and only venture onto the show bench.

At the age of fourteen months it was devastating when Bengie had an accident in the stable with my horse, as a result he died at the vets. It broke my heart. After a week I plucked up the courage and phoned his breeder to tell her what had happened. She told me that Bengie’s sister, owned by Anne and Keith Farnell of Lunikitz Bengals, had recently had kittens. Even though it was so soon after Bengie’s death I went along to see the kittens. Straight away a spotted boy, the largest in the litter,  made it quite obvious that he had chosen me to be his new owner.... it was just meant to be.   I also decided to bring home one of his siblings as a companion for him. She was a striking brown marbled girl who was making chirrup noises whilst avidly watching the birds through the window  on the bird table.

So that is the story of how Misti and Ziggi came to be here. I decided not to own horses anymore as Bengals are so bold and confident and hold very little fear, so I decided not to take the chance of something similar happening again. I do however, feel so lucky to have the niece and nephew of Bengie with me, and feel that somewhere up there, Bengie is looking down and taking care of them.

Bengie 15.10.99 - 16.12.00

 In 2001 I donated 'The Bengie Memorial Cup' to the Bengal Cat Club 

to go to the Best Brown Spotted Kitten at their annual show

In 2010 it was awarded to: 

ADECISH CHEVIOT CHARMER

Well Done!!

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Last updated 25th July 2010