Bengal Cat Breeding

Hello,

My name is Erin and i recently purchased a female bengal kitten.

I am planning on using her for breeding when she comes of age (i have bred american short haired cats before, but this is my first purebred)

I was wondering if there is anyone that breeds bengals and could recommend to me what the best time to first breed her is. I have heard all my life not to breed a cat before it is atleast a year old, but one person told me that you have to breed bengals on their first heat. what are your thoughts?

also, i have heard that diarrhea is a permanant and ongoing problem with bengals. i dont believe that this is possible and there must be something that i can do to stop her haveing diarrhea. (it isnt a constant problem, maybe once a week or so). i have taken her to the vet and he cant find anything wrong with her. she is on nutro natural choice kitten formula- a dry food. i was wondering if anyone had any sugestions on a different food that they have found to feed that works better?

First of all DO you have breeding rights of the cat you purchased? IMO you should show your cat to have her evaluated as a show/breeder quality. If purchased as a pet, the cat should be spayed - not bred.

I would strongly advise you to go to some cat shows, talk with other Bengal breeders and have them evaluate her too. Most Bengal breeders are picky as to who their males are bred to - and most require the females to be shown to a minimum of championship.

Cats should never be bred on first heats because a lot will come into season very early 4-6 months and that's too soon to be breeding. Most breeders like to breed at 10-12 months old when the cat is more mature to handle a litter.

You should read up on Bengals, breeding and know the Bengal standard inside and out - you want to only breed the best examples; not to breed if they are purebred. The goal is to improve the breed. If this is not your goal then don't even breed her.

And if the Bengal is your first "purebred" - then you were breeding mixed breed cats before???? There are purebred American shorthair cats - not just mixed breeds.

Did you purchase this kitten with full breeding rights from a recognized breeder? If you did not receive breeding rights, or if she is not a registered, papered Bengal, I would strongly suggest that you please spay her rather than breed her, as there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of Bengal breeders already out there as we speak.

As far as the loose stool issues, you may want to slowly switch her to Royal Canin, as this is one brand that some breeders have fed to their Bengals with good result. You may also want to consider a raw diet, as Bengals have different nutritional requirements than do regular mixed breed cats.

First like the others do you HAVE breeding rights???


Second Bengals seem to do better on simplier foods if your looking at dry ... Royal canin is good....Many are feed raw or a mix of raw/ canned or dry / raw which you need to research and I recommend finding a like minded vet if undertaking

Third American shorthair is a BREED but I think you meant Domestic which is a mutt in the cat world....

Fourth the breeder should have either volunteered to mentor you or given you some leads... Cat breeding for the betterment of the breed is NOT EASY ... and is very very costly

i do understand the cost and i do have breeding rights.

i also did mean domestic short hair- i mis-typed that, sorry.

i have talked to a few breeders and did aquire my cat from a known breeder.

my kitten is registerd, with papers, and breeding rights.

i am planning on going to shows- and have been to some prior to this.

thank you for your help and suggestions!

Can we see pictures? Which cattery is your girl out of?

I purchased her from Zarina Bengals in New Hampshire.



This is Luna, she is 12 weeks old this week.

Hi Erin,

Welcome to TCS. I do hope you stick around. This is without a doubt the best cat-forum on the net. You can learn alot here about cats and even stuff that has nothing to do with cats.

I'm a bengal breeder. I have been breeding bengals for 10 years. I'll be honest with you. I don't think we need anymore bengal cat breeders and I personally won't sell a breeder bengal to a newbie, unless they already own an altered show cat (bengal) that they are showing. Even then I'm hesitant, because we have waaaaaaaaay too many bengal cat breeders already.

That being said, you already own breeding rights for your girl and you're intent on breeding her. OK. I'm fine with advising you at this point. Regardless of my thoughts on new people coming on board, the idea is to share knowledge, because it helps the cats. For all I know you may become a reputable outstanding breeder.

Bengal girls usually come into heat early. I have had them in strong heats as early as 5 months. You want to try to avoid breeding them early if you can, but after 3 successive strong heats, it's best to give in to mother nature. Failure to breed after several strong heats can cause problems with bengals.

Common sense must prevail here. You want your girl to be big enough to carry the litter and deliver normally. I.E. You could have a 7 month old girl that is huge for her age and in a raging heat. IMO it would be ok to breed this girl. On the other hand a 9 month old girl who is tiny and is also in raging heat, might take more consideration because you're risking her health and the kittens well being if she is still too small to deliver.

There are tons of variables and you have to be a seasoned breeder to know what to do and what not to do. That is your dilema. Do you have a mentor to help you make these decisions??

Loose stools is NOT a permanent problem with bengals. None of my cats have loose stools. This is due to the diet I feed them.
Yes, some bengals have food sensitivities, but this can easily be overcome by feeding them a proper diet.
The first thing to do, if your bengal has chronic loose stools, is to test for all intestinal parasites and eliminate them if they are present. Next step is to adjust the diet to provide the proper nutrition and solid stools.

I found a few more pictures that show both sides of her:

(i know they aren't that great, i will be sure to take more soon!)

Zarina Bengals is no longer breeding....I'd be suspicious of this.

I am not saying this to scare you away but the most responsible thing for you to do is spay this girl and show her in the alter class. By doing this you will learn the standard and get to know other responsible breeders. You will be showing these breeders how serious you are and how responsible you are. You will also learn if breeding and showing is something you want and can handle. After you have shown for a year or 2 then go out and get your first breeding cat to show in Championship.