jdavies27

That's my concern! All of my fur baby's paperwork says Domestic Shorthair however, I don't want to just put that down as he does have some bengal features and I would hate for him to be stopped on the other end. Also, as part of the import permit, you have to declare that your cat is not a hybrid and.... if they have some sort of bengal in them then technically they are. You do not want to lie on a document like that. I've reached out to my "dodgy" breeder to try and get any possible information. She mentioned the sir that my cat came from, could have had bengal genetics. She provided me with the name of the place she adopted him from. This place is TICA registered, so I'm hoping I can try and get ANY information. Although, the place is no longer in business so its really like jumping through hoops. TICA have also never responded to any of my inquiries to date. My hopes is that I can get some paperwork of where his bengal mix heritage could come from. If his father was a bengal mix, then I hope I can provide his history to the exotics department. I believe the mother was a domestic short hair, so that would be my explanation of how he is a bengal mix and why he was not registered himself through TICA or another association. It really sucks that they're soooo incredibly strict over any possible bengal mix. We all know these kitties are domesticated and do not pose any harm but hey, what can ya do. I know its possible since reading the success story above, so I will keep trying. The exotics team did say they are reviewing their bengal policies, so I'm hoping they don't ban the breed all together again because that will really make it impossible. I wish you all the best.

Thanks Bob. I reached out to the import quarantine department and they've included the exotics team again, so it seems I'm going around in circles. Since all his paper work does list him as a domestic short hair, I really could go through with stating that is his breed. I am concerned however that since he does have markings of a bengal, that he will be flagged and could face issues on the other side. I'm really conflicted! I want to ensure I do the right thing but any mention of the word bengal just seems to set you up for failure.

Hi Bob, I agree about being honest, which is what I've done. I've gone back and forth with the exotics department and I'm not getting anywhere. They keep saying "a Bengal is defined as any cat with any Bengal in its pedigree regardless of how long ago, even if it so long ago that on its paperwork it is now considered a domestic short haired cat. To import the animal you will need to provide pedigree papers. If this is not possible then you will not be able to import the animal into Australia." So now I'm lost on what to do. In each of their response, its just the same answer.

Hello, I'm in this exact situation with my beautiful 4 year old neutered male. He was adopted from a dodgy breeder who stated that he didn't need pedigree registration papers as he was a Bengal mix at best. I've reached out to the exotic species email and have been consistently denied as they say if he has any bengal in him at all, they need to see papers proving he is an F5. I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot by trying to apply and pass him off as a tabby. He does have markings of a bengal, so it's quite obvious... the issue is... I can't prove his generation. I read earlier in this threat that their cat was passed off as a bengal cross. I'm wondering how the permit could possibly be approved without any pedigree papers? Since you're admiting he has some bengal in him, it seems like it's impossible without the documents. I'm frustrated that there is no DNA testing to prove the generation, so what the heck are you supposed to do? It's not possible to prove so why hold such a high, specific standard? What if you had a rescue, with no docs or adopted a cat, not realizing it had bengal DNA. Any advice would be appreciated. I'm simply desperate at this point. Thanks, Jessica