I baddly want a Bengal! Please read.

I just registered here and ive looked around and im still not sure if this is where to post things like this, but here it goes!

In the future im looking to purchase a Bengal kitten, ive grown to love them and now regular cats seem boring to me. I'm looking for a regular brown one with the regular spots n stripes, with wild ears and tail......as in the ears arnt big and pointed like a domestic cat and the tail isnt skinny or long, its big and bushy, and the ears are small and round.

Ive looked all over but they are sooooo expensive and I cant afford one. Im just wondering if anyone knows a place where they have sold them for cheap. Im in no rush and wont get one until months to a year. But im starting my search early!

One Bengals are " ordinary cats

You may want to try Bengal rescue as the adoption fees are lower or maybe a breeder cat that is needing a forever home

Welcome to TCS

Hmmmm what is Bengal Rescue?

Google it

Bengal rescue is a group of people who take in Bengals that were turned into shelters or from the former owners... I dont have the link but a quick google should get you some help... I know it is divided by region of the USA ..

Originally Posted by Roimata

the tail isnt skinny or long, its big and bushy, and the ears are small and round.

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Bengals don't have bushy tails

Ok not bushy, but not skinny, when they are bred right they have thicker tails.

I searched alot of those bengal rescue websites but none in my area, and even the ones outside my area, most of the cats are mixed with something and I want a purebred...hmmm

It will be very hard to find a purebred bengal for cheap! They are extrodinary cats, and why dont u do a search on petfinder, just under breed put bengals, some may come up bengal mix but sometimes there are purebred bengals, I have searched a few times myself I am a tease to my self, because I too want a bengal, but with 6 cats it will be somewhat hard

The only time I have seen them cheap was from byb and/or like sharky said, see if you can get a retired bengal!

Forgot to add though as well I agree with Sharky, all kitties are extrodinary purebreed or moggie

I was on petfinder, I didnt see much. Im not exactly looking for one for cheap, but so far ive only seen ones costing 500-800 dollars x_x im hesitant about going over 200, im not rich! lol. And I definatley would not want an old bengal, i'd like a kitten or a really young one.

IMO you are not going to get a quality cat from a proper breeder for $200, anyone selling them at that price is going to be a BYB.

Perhaps you could save up over a year or two and then find the right kitten for you. Or get a retired breeder, they are not 'old' usually 3-4yrs old I think.

Thats why I was searching that bengal rescue place, they charge less for purebreds, its just hard to come across. I wouldnt want a cat thats even a year old, that seems too old for me, i'd want to raise it while its a kitten, its a personal decision.

Originally Posted by missymotus

IMO you are not going to get a quality cat from a proper breeder for $200, anyone selling them at that price is going to be a BYB.

Perhaps you could save up over a year or two and then find the right kitten for you. Or get a retired breeder, they are not 'old' usually 3-4yrs old I think.

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I was thinking the same thing, dont some breeders sale retired queens and such for 200 or more, I know some do, but u still have to pay for the shipping if they arent close by or for u to travel to get it, things like that!

I was also going to suggest as well to save up, since u said u didnt want one right now, but a few months to a year and such! Just each month put some money away! Kittens are always the highest in prices !

I know I know, I was just hoping somebody already knew of how to get a Bengal for 200 or less, I know its probably out of the question but theres no harm in asking.

Yep there's absolutely no harm in asking but it's basically impossible to get a high quality well bred wild looking bengal kitten for under 200$

You only get the good quality kittens from really good breeders, and really good breeders sell their pet kittens usually for $500-$1000 the better looking the cat the more expensive it'll be. Show quality cats are then usually even more expensive.

Any cheaper bengal kitten you can get will be from a backyard breeder breeding without permission (i.e you're supposed to spay and neuter your pet cat) and since backyard breeders can't usually get hold of as good cats (they wouldn't want to spend the money for one thing, secondly good breeders wouldn't sell to them) the kittens they produce don't have the vivid markings, small ears, thick tail etc.

Your only way at getting a cheaper bengal is to get an adult from a rescue or an adult retired breeder. If you really want a bengal kitten just start saving up. It's not that much money. You said you weren't in a hurry so yeah, start savin!

Well personally I dont know which markings are good, and I dont care to have a "show quality" cat because I wouldnt be taking my cat to shows, it would just be my cat.

I like kittens that look like this: http://www.bengal-cats-for-sale.co.u...s/image648.jpg
They look a little domesticated but those kittens are perfect to me and i'd be glad to settle for that.

I have no clue how much one of those would cost because im not sure of the markings....hmm..

Thing is that show quality isn't all about the coat. It's about having small ears and a wild face and a thick tail and a long body with a wild cat like walk.

One of the most common "faults" that makes a cat not be show quality is things like too big ears or the wrong body type.

Coat with a whited belly and no rib stripe is really sought after in the show cats but since you don't want to show you'd probably be fine with having a rib bar on your kitten and loosing out on the whited belly. Of course that everyone wants clear contrast between the spots and undercoat goes without saying.

As for the kittens you linked to, it's hard to tell what they'll look like when grown. Bengals change a lot while they're growing up and it can take well over a year for the coat to stop changing. Someone with more experience than I have might be able to guess though.
The prices I listed in my earlier post were what's often found for the pet quality cats. I know of a breeder who's show quality kittens start at 2000$

Anyway to get an impressive cat you don't need to shell out for a show quality one but you need to get one from a good breeder.

The bengals I've seen from backyard breeders for cheap are usually very ticked, you can barely make out the spots and look basically like normal tabbies that are a bit more spotty than your average tabby.

Often as well a pet quality bengal (from a good breeder) can turn out better than expected. I was lucky with my girl, Nikita. I don't know if she'd cut it in the show ring here but she's a fine example of a bengal now.

Yeah id need to research a really good breeder or something.
How much did you pay for yours? shes beautiful.

I paid just over 700$ for her. I'm in the UK though so it was in pounds. Some of her littermates went for 800-900$ This as as pet registered cats. I.e not with breeding rights.

And thanks! I think she's gorgeous but I'm not exactly neutral on the issue. If you want to see more photos of her (I'm a hobby photograper so I take a lot of photos) I have a thread over in the fur pictures sub forum here

Personally if you don't want to spend the going rate for a decent quality Bengal, I would definitely suggest getting a retired breeder. No, they're not under 1 yr old, but they are usually still young. I have 2 Bengal's: One I paid $1000 for and 1 a female retired breeder. I bought my "expensive" Bengal as a baby, and I got the retired Breeder from Nial (Kai Bengals) of Meridian Bengal's who is a member (here) of TCS. My retired breeder just happens to be the same age as the Bengal I bought as a kitten. Well...she's about 2 months older, but basically they're the same age. My retired Bengal girl is just as loving towards me, if not a little more loving towards me as the boy I spent the BIG money for. You'd never know I hadn't raised her from a kitten.

Angel, the retired breeder is very well adjusted, and just the sweetest little girl, which says a lot about how wonderful Nial's cats are. My advise is to keep an eye on Nial's posts and see if he has any upcoming retired breeders. Not only will you get a quality Bengal, but you'll get a very sweet very well adjusted, very loving, and fun cat. When I got Angel, she wasn't even 3 yrs old yet.

I agree with the retired breeder option as they cost less than a kitten. Please dont be tempted to buy a "cheap" bengal as such a cat will very likely be from a backyard breeder. Apart from the potential problems you might have wit such a cat, these kind of "breeders" should not be encouraged and by buying from them you are helping to keep them in business.

I don't know about prices overseas but over here bengals are one of the more expensive breeds. Unfortunately backyard breeders are flourishing as there are always people wanting to get one cheaper. Quite a few bengals are turning up in rescues too (no doubt a result of people getting cats from bybs with poor temperament or from breeders who haven't made sure the new owners understand the bengal purrsonality). Here, most pet quality pedigree cats sell for about £300 - £350 which is about $650, but bengals would probably be a bit more.