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| The State of Georgia has made Bengal cats ILLEGAL |
They aren't wild, or feral or unhandleable. They're just cats! Officially, the Bengal cat is an exotic breed of domestic cat created by the breeding of the small, wild Asian Leopard Cat to a domestic cat such as the Abyssinan, American Shorthair, Burmese, or Egyptian Mau. The Bengal breed allows those of us who love and admire wild cats to live with and enjoy their beauty and uniqueness in our own homes, while also benefiting from their loving, friendly, playful dispositions.
Bengals must be four or more generations removed from their wild Asian Leopard Cat ancestor, and have three consecutive generations of Bengal to Bengal breeding in order to be eligible to be shown in T.I.C.A. (registration paperwork will reflect "SBT" in the registration number, which means the cat has "studbook status".) Currently, SBT Bengals can be shown in T.I.C.A., U.F.O., A.C.F.A. and a few other Cat Associations, some for Championship Titles. Early generation Bengals, which we refer to as "Foundation Cats", such as F-1, F-2 or F-3 (one, two or three generations, respectively, removed from the Asian Leopard Cat) are best left to specialized breeders who are equipped to take proper care of them. F-4's and beyond, or SBT's, usually make the best pets, and can officially be called "Bengals"!!
The Georgia legislature has passed a law (HB 1541, amending Title 27 of the Official Code of Georgia annotated), that makes it illegal to keep or breed wild animals. Unfortunately, the language of the law is broad enough that Bengal cats fall under the guidelines for prohibited animals. That means it is illegal to own a Bengal cat in Georgia! The only possible exception is to get a waiver from the state Wildlif commission -- but to get the waiver, you must spay/neuter your cats.
How does this affect you? Well, you cannot be a Bengal cat breeder and live in Georgia. Since the law exempts animals "passing through" but defines that as less than 24 hours, if you go to a cat show in Georgia, you can't stay in the state overnight.
We don't want to repeal the law. We just want the language
in one paragraph changed to allow Bengal cats.
That's not a lot to ask. If you agree with us that household pets
should not be treated as wildlife, please sign
our petition.
And if you live in Georgia, please go HERE
to find out the name of your Representative to the General Assembly,
and then write or call.
The problem is paragraph 75 of Title 27-1-2:
'Wild animal' means any animal which is not wildlife and is not normally a domestic species in this state. This term specifically includes any hybrid or cross between any combination of a wild animal, wildlife, and a domestic animal. Offspring from all subsequent generations of such crosses or hybrids are wild animals.
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