Can I ask a question about breeding practices?

Are there ever kittens born to breeders that aren't a good enough example of their breed, and so get sort of quietly passed off as little mutt cats?

I ask because a friend of my husband's owns a pet store, and a few months ago, he had two kittens dropped off. Both were very unique in body structure, long and lean, sinewy, tiny heads, small round ears...We ended up taking one, and someone told me he looks Bengal-ish. I looked it up, and his personality is spot on. He's, uh...kind of a trouble maker. He's a marbled tabby, but has a white chest. Do bengals ever end up with too much white? Maybe he's half, of course...Or maybe it's coincidental, but my husband is convinced he's a pedigreed prince that was abandoned for being imperfect.

Incidentally, I've never heard him meow. He sort of trills. All. The. Time. Well, unless he's trying to swim in the dogs' water dish.

There are kittens that are show quality or pet quality. They are not quietly passed off as mutts, they are not mutts. They still have a pedigree, they just don't quite fit the standard for showing.

Do you have a picture you can show us? He sounds like a cutie.

I was being a little tongue-in-cheek about the little mutt cats remark. Sorry that didn't seem to come through.

This little guy is unlike any cat I've had, and I'd be surprised if he weren't...something different. I guess we just wondered if that were true, how he and his sister would end up with the "oops" drop offs at the store. He's a mystery.

I'll have to get a picture up later. He's getting big fast. I don't think I've taken any lately, but I have a few from homecoming.

We talk more about the characteristics of bengals (and ocicats) in this thread here, it could be interesting for you to read through that

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=125421

As far as breeders go kittens that don't quite meet the breed standard don't get dumped. They get sold sometimes a bit cheaper than higher quality (according to the breed standard) cats, but like was mentioned before they still have papers and are pedigreed and get sold not given away since they're still definately of their breed even if they have some cosmetic fault.

As for white in bengals, bengals never have any solid white areas (they can have white bellies but then it's always a white belly with black spots or marbles on and there is never a clear line between white and colour, i.e it sort of fades from white to the normal coat colour on the cat.

Colours that can't be shown like dilute or grey spotted bengals show up sometimes and so do melanistic or black bengals or long haired ones but I've never heard of a bengal show up with white markings like you mention

As a retired breeder, I never "quietly" passed off any of my rexes - if they were not show quality, they were sold as pets....and pedigree pets - nothing more then that. The owners got pedigree papers, but I kept the blue registration slip on pets. They also were neutered/spayed too.

I only had ONE rex that was everything wrong - short ears, too round face, short body, and very little curl - almost a straight coat. But the owner loved her and later told me she did develop a slight wave down the back after she was a year old. I told her that I was not sure it would come, but it did.

Besides that NO reputable breeder would pass off any kittens to a pet shop!


There have been cases of good breeders who accidently had a mating of 2 different breeds and those cats were spayed/neutered and shown (if wanted) in the HHP classes.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Besides that NO reputable breeder would pass off any kittens to a pet shop!


There have been cases of good breeders who accidently had a mating of 2 different breeds and those cats were spayed/neutered and shown (if wanted) in the HHP classes.

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Totally agree.

I have bred 2 pet quality kittens thus far... 1 has been sold as a pet, complete with papers and the other, still with me.

Unfortunately, Backyard breeding does exist in all countries and some BYBs greed solely for the petshops.

I am the very very proud owner of a registered pedigreed pet quality oriental shorthair. He doesn't quite meet UK showring standard as his face is a little short and his ears a little too upright. He was adopted to me in my full knowledge of his very slight 'faults', and there is no way his breeder would have tried to rehome him any other way.

Nate and I went through an interview process to adopt him just the same as we would have done had he been top show quality, because his breeder loves all her cats unreservedly and although she was very honest with us about his lack of show potential, she still wanted him to have a good home where he would be loved, and the best life possible, and we were vetted just the same as if we were taking home a show quality cat.

I would be very very suspicious of any breeder who didn't care enough about their pet quality kittens to ensure they got good loving homes. Dropping them off at a pet shop is inexcuseable!

Sorry I know I haven't really addressed your point, but as the proud owner of our much beloved little cat, as people who regularly send his breeder photos and reports of how he's doing and know that she wants to hear from us throughout our/her cat's life, I feel sorry for any kittens that are not loved and valued as much by their breeder just because they are not destined for the showring.

we would never dream of quitely passing off one of our babies as anything but what they are. thats why there are the diffrent levels pet, breeder, show..

I suppose everyone's definition of pet quality is going to be different. But in my program, virtually all the kittens I sell as pets meet the breed standards. In order for me to keep a kitten back for breeding or show, they have to meet all my standards.

Producing a show quality bengal is realitively easy now, producing one that will win is not. The competition at shows among bengals is very fierce now and you have to have a magnificent cat to beat all the other bengals, then you have to try to beat all the other breeds.

It's common place now for me to sell bengal kittens as pets that could be shown and do ok in the showhall. I don't consider keeping these kittens back, because coming in 3rd or 4th is ok, but that's not what I'm striving for. I want to title my cats, and you can't do that without coming in first or second.

As individual breeding programs mature, you find yourself placing more and more kittens as pets that are show quality or close to show quality. That is afterall the goal here, to perfect the breed.

The backyard breeders and inexperienced well meaning newbies are usually the ones that keep producing mediocre cats. These people might also sell litters to pet shops. The code of ethics for most registries and cat clubs expressly prohibits the selling of pedigreed cats to pet shops.

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

I suppose everyone's definition of pet quality is going to be different. But in my program, virtually all the kittens I sell as pets meet the breed standards. In order for me to keep a kitten back for breeding or show, they have to meet all my standards.

Producing a show quality bengal is realitively easy now, producing one that will win is not. The competition at shows among bengals is very fierce now and you have to have a magnificent cat to beat all the other bengals, then you have to try to beat all the other breeds.

It's common place now for me to sell bengal kittens as pets that could be shown and do ok in the showhall. I don't consider keeping these kittens back, because coming in 3rd or 4th is ok, but that's not what I'm striving for. I want to title my cats, and you can't do that without coming in first or second.

As individual breeding programs mature, you find yourself placing more and more kittens as pets that are show quality or close to show quality. That is afterall the goal here, to perfect the breed.

The backyard breeders and inexperienced well meaning newbies are usually the ones that keep producing mediocre cats. These people might also sell litters to pet shops. The code of ethics for most registries and cat clubs expressly prohibits the selling of pedigreed cats to pet shops.

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Your whole post rings true for most established breeds and breeders. It certainly does for me

Most newbies without great mentors do produce mediocre cat because for the most part, they don't really get the breed standard of their chosen breed.

Well because I did my research on the lines and quality of the 2 cats - 90% of my kittens could have been in the show ring. Only one really would be considered a pet.

Most were sold as pets tho as the owners were not interested in showing.

I agree that most cats will be sold as Pets. because a good home is the most important and whats wrong with having a beautiful good enough to show pet at home.

not a darn thing IMO