Rescue Bengal from an Unknown Breeder - health concerns
Hi Everyone - I've been considering getting a play buddy for my Bengal for a while, spotted one on a rescue site with an unusually look & fell in love. He’s only a year old, I don't know his full story but the situation seemed urgent and I was closet to him so things moved quick and I picked him up from the vet yesterday as a foster to adopt. He was given a clean bill of health, but I wasn’t given any records
As soon as I lifted him I was shocked, this poor baby weighs only 6 lbs and I can feel every bone in his body when I pet him. The only two fully grown body parts are his huge eyes and his unusually thick tail. He also hardly ever meows. I started to wonder if he's possibly an ALC but googling ruled that out. My questions:
- is this a typical look for a Bengal that’s F4 and above
- What is the safest way to put some meat on those bones? He’s fragile & shaky, can’t jump 2 feet off the ground so I’m concerned about intro to my 18 lbs resident bengal. I was told he's on a raw-diet, but he's been inhaling the Tiki Cat I put in front of him just fine. My Bengal eats Blue Buffalo kibble, should I mix a little in the wet food, or too big of a shift from raw?
- Owner surrendered him cuz she couldn’t afford vet visits, but could tell “something is wrong with his legs”, it makes me question how long he’s been underfed & what long term health issues I could be signing up for. Am I wrong to be thinking that way? I’m angry ppl buy cats they can’t properly care for.
Any input/advice would be much appreciated!