Bengal Kitten Warning!

We no longer breed Bengals. I say that so you understand that we are not trying to make you purchase one of ours instead of one from another breeder, we have no hidden agenda, but during our 10 years of Bengal kitten breeding as our hobby we came across many a scare story and have seen and heard things first hand that could have easily been prevented with the correct advice and information.

We are always willing to answer emails from people who are looking for a Bengal Kitten and are unsure about the best places to look, vaccinations, feeding, care, the difference between a 'Pedigree' and a 'Registered' kitten. I've put that in bold as we've heard time and time again that someone has spent hundreds of pounds on a 'Pedigree' kitten but does not have the registration pink or blue slip (GCCF or Tica).

The following is a genuine typical email we often recieve (and our reply), and it was this very email that prompted us to write this page.

"Hello, I am hoping you can help.

I am looking for a female kitten, I would love to be able to chose from a
new born litter and take around 6 - 8 weeks so that I can start bonding
with it as soon as possible. I see that you have pedigree Bengals but I
am not really looking for a pedigree (or the price tag they come with), a
tabby * Bengal would be ideal. I am have trouble finding such a kitten
and wondered if you might be able to help?

Kind regards,

Sxxxxx"

Hi Sxxxxx,

Sorry, but we no longer breed kittens at all. A word of advice though, 6-8
weeks is way to young to take a kitten away from it's mum and litter mates,
not only for the mum, but also for you. Many kitten illnesses and birth
defects show up between 6-12 weeks, and normally certain problems (heart
murmurs' etc) become apparent at their first trip to the vet at 9 weeks of
age for their first set of vaccinations.

We bred Bengals for a period of 10 years, and we've seen and heard stories
from owners such as yourself that took kittens home early, and then either
lost their kitten, or have had to spend a small fortune making them well
again.

Please understand that I don't wish to sound like I'm preaching to you, but
you must be very careful when purchasing a kitten, especially as it's not
going to be a pedigree (incidentally a 'pedigree certificate' means
absolutely nothing, it is no guarantee that the kitten is actually a
pedigree! The thing to look for is 'Registered' by either GCCF or TICA. A
kitten can not be registered without a genuine pedigree. There are plenty of
false pedigree cats around.)

To sum up:

Buy a kitten that is at least 13 weeks old (GCCF guidelines)

Always buy a fully vaccinated kitten (vaccinated at 9 and 12 weeks)

Always see the mum with the kittens, as well as the whole litter (to check
the other kittens aren't ill)

NEVER buy a kitten that is quiet, or that you feels sorry for. Kittens
either sleep, or run around at 100 mph, there is no in between stage!

Check kittens eyes and noses, no discharge/weeping from either is
acceptable.

Please be very careful who you buy a kitten from, there are many, many, back
yard breeders who put income before the welfare of the kittens.

As I say, I'm not trying to preach, just give the best advice from someone
with 10 years kitten experience, who's seen first hand and heard many horror
stories. To be honest, when I read your email, my first thought was "Oh god,
here's another one who's just asking for trouble"

I hope this all helps a little, good luck with your search.

Warm regards,
Mark