CAT PALM

[gsn]

Anyone ever come across this or a similar species?

[tjwalters]

Anyone ever come across this or a similar species?

Very cool! Bengal?

[gsn]

Tom,

Yes it is a Bengal.

She is a great little hunter,and excellent palm tree climber, unfortunately.

I don't mind when she goes up the Sabals,as she doesn't damage the trunks,however that is not the case on crown shafted palms!

She chases lizards up the trees, I have one sabal that is about twice as tall as this one and she has been all the way to the top, about 40 -45 feet!

[tjwalters]

Tom,

Yes it is a Bengal.

She is a great little hunter,and excellent palm tree climber, unfortunately.

I don't mind when she goes up the Sabals,as she doesn't damage the trunks,however that is not the case on crown shafted palms!

She chases lizards up the trees, I have one sabal that is about twice as tall as this one and she has been all the way to the top, about 40 -45 feet!

We were looking into getting a Bengal, but then decided to pick up another rescue kitty (2 years old, actually). Meet "Georgie," an indoor kitty: (hmmm...can this go in the Discussing Palm Trees section??? Did I just hi-jack the thread??? )

[DoomsDave]

Wow, Scott, so that's a domestic cat? (At least nominally . . .. .)

Looks like a wild cat.

How about a close up, and if the Mod wants to move it, well, he can . . . . .

[tjwalters]

Wow, Scott, so that's a domestic cat? (At least nominally . . .. .)

Looks like a wild cat.

How about a close up, and if the Mod wants to move it, well, he can . . . . .

Bengals are a cross-breed, domestic with Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Very cool, and supposedly make great pets.

[joe_OC]

Scott,

Kudos for you! Most Bengal owners de-claw and only keep their cats indoors. What a shame. Is your's registered? I was looking to get one, but am waiting for my son to get a little older first.

They are more like dogs (fetches, follow you around, loves water...) They require real meat as well.

[pg6922]

Wow, Scott, so that's a domestic cat? (At least nominally . . .. .)

Looks like a wild cat.

How about a close up, and if the Mod wants to move it, well, he can . . . . .

Bengals are a cross-breed, domestic with Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Very cool, and supposedly make great pets.

You could not be more incorrect. Maybe for outside cats, but not for in the house. I had 2 f5 Bengals that destroyed my house and the are so "Gamey" you would not believe the drive they have. Talk about shred a palm! My large potted panangas looked like shredded cardboard. They would chew the frond down.

Please do not support the breeding of this cat. There maybe a few "good " ones out there, but they have very wild tendencies. They look awesome and I loved looking at them, but they are not lap cats and WILL destroy your house. And they LOVE water...keep the toilet lid down.

[gsn]

Dave ,

Here is close-up! She in fact is a hybrid, kinda like a MULE palm!

Joe,

I can't imagine de-clawing a cat, any cat! And yes she follows me all around the yard when I am outside.

We kept her in the house for about the first 6 months,then once she got out there was no keeping her in!

They do love water as she will jump directly in a the tub when it is full of water,if she can!

pg6922,

I'm sure they are all different and have different personalities,but this cat is definately a lap cat,and curling up to sleep with you cat, she has to be touching you.

It is a female and we only have the one bengal,maybe it is different with two of them together?

But we also have an adopted male cat that just came in the door one morning and has been here ever since,so she does have a step brother! She is actually calmer than he is in every way,temperment, actions! She does have a mouth however and will let you know when she wants out,or to be fed!

I just wish I could teach her to kill MOLES as well as she does on lizards and mice!

This can be moved to OFF-TOPIC,which is probably where it belongs!

[John Case]

I was wondering what the inflorescence of the cat palm looked like..extremely variable it looks....

[Kris]

Very beautiful cat,i miss took it for a leapord in the first still ! very nice..

thanks for the visuals,

Love,

Kris

[mnorell]

Bengals are like any other hybrid or non-hybrid creature...they all have individual personalities, and react to their environments and their human owners/companions as will any animal. I think it's really not fair to make a blanket statement that they're wild, misbehaved animals. First of all, their hybrid backgrounds vary greatly, and anything from an F1 on down can be found, though I believe the F4s and beyond are only considered to be the 'true Bengal' breed. They all have their own very different temperaments. In fact, the Wild Asian Leopard Cat is known to be somewhat reclusive and wary of--not dangerous to--mankind. They are hunted for their pelts and I believe also their meat in southeast Asia and I think have developed a quiet and suspicious nature as regards humans. As far as I know they are certainly not known for attacking anything other than their prey or in self-defense. They like to stay high up and quiet..but they are known for their water-loving nature and also their incredible acrobatic skills.

As a Bengal owner of eight years I can say that our cat (a neutered male) is a wonderful and extraordinarily affectionate pet. He has his wild tendencies but so does our female pound-rescue cat, who is infinitely more unpredictable and dangerous when in a bad mood. I can only speak for our cat, but though he is very sensitive to unknown cats or other animals entering his territory, which makes him very nervous and upset, he is a generally calm and very intelligent cat who is more like a dog in that he's very demonstrative and demanding of affection...and many have noted that Bengals often make a perfect cat for dog-lovers. He does love water and gets in a 'jungle mood' from time to time, uttering some really fascinating sounds, and that's all so much more to love about him!

One soap-box item and to reinforce what Scott says above...please don't de-claw cats. It is flat-out cruelty, and fortunately is being outlawed in more and more localities around the country. If you're worried about your drapes and furniture, then don't get a cat...though happy cats rarely harm anything, as long as a good substitute scratch-pad is available. And if you do have one, get two. Any problems will likely disappear. Most cat-misbehavior is caused by loneliness and aggravation. Pet-owners who don't want to spend time with their pets and provide them with mental and physical stimulation are bound to have disappointment. Only step up to the plate if you are willing to make a life-long commitment and love them for what they are, not for what you want them to be. Once you can do that, you will have a joyful experience, hopefully for many years.

[Kris]

Dear Michael Norell

that's a nice cat in your still,and i want to add just onething here is what works for one person with one perticular breed of domestic animal species,will never work for a another person or family living in a different state or country..

just an example of the miseries that i and my neighbour had with our dogs..

few years back we had doberman and my neighbour had a rottiweiler.both these were raised from pupies..after they attained about 2 years old we felt that we had choosen a wrong dogs for our houses.

Since the vet who sold us these pets,did warn us that this is an out & out a watch/guard dog.more suited for single woner or handler..But we liked the looks so we bought it.Result our workers were assulted or bitten by them,our postman,plumber,few relatives.the incidence were the same even in our neighbours yard.And it loved and listned only to the person who feed it.very very arragont dogs these were.finally mine after 8 years of terror it finally concked off during our festival of lights(deepawali).with severe crackers busting in our neighbour hood i assume it had severe seisure and collapsed on the way to the vetenary hospital.

While my neighbours rottwalier died out of heart attack while barking at some relative who visited their house.

And both the dogs were male ! And we all had a sigh of relief from those terror creatures and made up a resolution never ever to grow dog in future.but now we have boxers in our house,but that is another story.

Now comming to your point,when i discussed about this with david,he said that his female doberman is very friendly with all the family members & perticularly his kids.

Now when i discussed about rash behaviour of rottweiler with clayton york he said he has many of these lovely pets growing in his farm,and it has not attacked any person till this day..

So what iam summing up is what works for one.need not work for another.and i will not recommand any one to buy these dogs for their house with little kids.

Love,

Kris

[mnorell]

Kris--

You are so right that every animal is unique...though of course in dogs there is the special situation that many breeds have been created over many generations based upon culling for traits such as aggressiveness, herding, as guide-dogs, etc.

Just a month or two ago a 29-year-old woman living nextdoor died due in part to her aggressive dogs. She was apparently asthmatic and had a severe attack, called her boyfriend (who owns the house) and he dispatched an ambulance to the house. When they arrived they were confronted with her two huge black "protector" dogs (I'm not sure of their breed). These dogs were rather terrifying and when in the yard with her, they would lunge, barking wildly, toward passers-by on the street, separated only by a low picket fence. She would wrangle the dogs and keep them in check after the passer-by had their initial shock from the intensity of these dogs' "greeting." But in this case, the paramedics encountered the dogs just inside the house and couldn't enter for fear of their safety. By the time the boyfriend got there to secure the dogs, the girlfriend had died. The irony of course being that these fierce animals, meant to protect her, protected her out of her life. A lesson that one should think carefully when purposely selecting aggressive animals for purposes of safety. It is perhaps a double-edged sword!

[Kris]

Dear Michael

iam very sorry for that lady,and that information is bit painful to hear..

But iam glad that such things did not happen to us or our neighbour.But our boxers are on par with labrador in their temperment_ we just love them.

Love,

Kris

[Howeadypsis]

You know I actually thought there was a palm called Cat Palm. Jeezus you had me there!!

[Kris]

You know I actually thought there was a palm called Cat Palm. Jeezus you had me there!!

[gsn]

You know I actually thought there was a palm called Cat Palm. Jeezus you had me there!!

Actually there is, Chamaedorea cataractarum, commonly called the CAT palm!

[Howeadypsis]

Actually there is, Chamaedorea cataractarum, commonly called the CAT palm!

Hmmm must google!

[Scott]

What a great thread! I feel I've learned alot about a creature I've always wondered about. They sure are beautiful!

[FRITO]

thats a cool photo Scott, love your native sabals and the little phoenix!. I also learned about this cat I never knew about before.

At first glance I though it was a Florida bobcat!

[edric]

Feral cat on a vine, under palms, Ed