05/30/2026
TY PAID THE PRICE!!!!
(WARNING - this it what happens when you try to rehome your Bengal without us!)
We’ve been telling you about Ty in Oakland for the last few months and something pretty incredible happened today.
A breeder who is friends with this rescue happened to see one specific photo of him. She alerted our team that she knew EXACTLY who he was.
Our team spoke with Ty’s original breeder (retired now) and found out what had happened to him (there were a lot of pieces to put together).
Ty’s name is actually Tai Lung (for the Kung Fu Panda character). He isn’t four either - he is EIGHT. Tai was a much beloved cattery cat responsible for making a long line of beautiful, healthy, and happy Bengals. His own journey was followed by a HUGE amount of social media fans.
When it was time for Tai to retire - he was neutered and placed in a loving home.
That is - until the owner got a dog, and he started spraying (clearly, he didn’t want a dog). The owner reached out to the breeder for help - received it - and then the cattery never heard back. They assumed that the issue was resolved.
It wasn’t.
In March we got a call from East Bay SPCA telling us they had a TERRIFIED Bengal who needed out. He was in rough shape and suffered from terrible gastrointestinal issues. Our amazing foster in the area, immediately got in her car to get him.
Since then we’ve spent ~$1,500.00 to get him patched up and to soothe his frayed nerves and to teach him that not ALL humans are awful. He’s starting to believe us.
We found out that the person who got him from the breeder, made the decision to rehome him. WITHOUT contacting his breeder who was actively trying to help him, and WOULD have taken him back.
Heartbreakingly, the person he was re-homed to -- neglected and abused him.
When Tai landed himself at Hope for Porterville Cats - he was in terrible shape. They did everything that they could. They transferred him to East Bay SPCA and eventually he was transferred to us.
We aren’t sure how long he was at his second home, but when the breeder showed us photos of what he USED to look like - we didn’t recognize him at all.
Today Tai is thriving in his foster home. It has taken months of around-the-clock effort from his foster and our team, to repair the damage that was done to him.
Tai’s hellish journey didn’t need to happen!
-The breeder would have taken him back.
-Bengal Rescue would have taken him (obviously we did).
If you are struggling with your cat and thinking of rehoming them - please think about what happened to Tai.
We have so many resources to help owners vet potential adoption candidates! It’s all over our website:
https://bengalrescue.org/adopt/adoption-process/
• VET your candidates.
• Do a background check (like we do).
• Have them fill out a formal application.
• Do a house visit (or Zoom meeting).
• CHECK REFERENCES (Veterinarian, Landlord).
• Charge a fee of at least $200.00
• Have them sign a contract agreeing to return the cat to you if things aren’t working out.
Whatever you do - remember:
YOU made a commitment to your cat. It’s YOUR job to protect them!
By the way - Tai is available for adoption right now. If his story moves you and you think he would be happy forever in your arms, please fill out our adoption application: https://new.shelterluv.com/matchme/adopt/BRUT/Cat
