Bengal Cats not allowed in Hawaii...

Be advised...

Before buying a Bengal, Savannah, or other hybrid or hybrid-cross kitten, no matter how many generations domestic, be advised that they are not allowed to be imported in the state of Hawaii. If you move to the islands, your pet will have to stay on the mainland!

Information provided May 11, 2011 by:

Keevin K. Minami
Land Vertebrates Specialist
Plant Quarantine Branch
State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture
keevin.k.minami@hawaii.gov
(808) 832-0566

Aloha Ms. Winters,

Although the Bengal cat is legal to possess on the mainland United States, I regret to inform you that the rules of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) will not allow you to import these cats into the State of Hawaii. As you have stated, the Bengal cat is a breed of cat that is a result of a hybrid cross between, an Asian Leopard cat and a domestic cat. Due to this hybridization, the Bengal cat is not allowed into Hawaii. The Board of Agriculture has reviewed individual requests to import non-domestic animals into Hawaii, and have found it necessary to prohibit the Bengal cat from entering Hawaii. The prohibition of this type of animal has been in effect prior to 1992; when the animal was incorporated into our current rules, "Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 4-71 (HAR 4-71)".

Pursuant to HAR section 4-71-6, no person shall introduce into Hawaii any animal from the list of prohibited animals. The HAR 4-71 prohibited list states, "cat hybrid (all hybrid-crosses where one or both parents are prohibited or restricted)," is not allowed into Hawaii. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

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