thinking of getting a Bengal

Hello all,
I am new here. I met my first Bengal cat at our local farmers market this last week. The owner had the cat on his shoulder and was walking all over with her. Many people came up to him to see this cat and pet her, she was very clam and sweet. This man and his wife breed these cats, for this type of temperment. I have read all I can find on the web about this breed, but would love to hear from Bengal owners and breeders about your cats.
Before I saw this cat I had fallen in love with the American Bobtail,I loved the temperment of this breed also.

There was a similar thread about a week ago to this, to which I detailed my bengal's personality:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=18561

I most *definitly* couldn't carry my bengal around on my shoulder through a crowd. He barely likes to be held. I can sling my other cat over a shoulder like it's nothing. Also "calm" isn't a word to describe him either. "Sweet" definitly is though. Maybe one from this specific breeder would be though. Each cat is different though, and I'm sure they selected this one to display for her easygoing nature. However, that said my kitty has inspired to begin long term planning for breeding bengals.

If it's calm and sweet you're looking for, Ragdolls definitely fit the bill there. Mine is the most laid back cat I've ever met! But I would definitely NOT try to carry all 25 lbs of Sasha on my shoulder, I would likely end up with a sprained neck!

I have heard that Abyssinians like to ride on shoulders.

But all things being equal, it's just as likely you could find a cat with these personality traits right at your local shelter. (Actually, that is how we got Sasha, we couldn't believe there was a Ragdoll at the SPCA, but there he was in all his fluffiness! ) You'd not only be adopting a friend, you'd be saving a life as well!

Well, there's few bengal cats in Russia and I saö them only on pics. But I likeâ them much also!

I am going to see this breeders cats and kittens this week.
I have heard he is well known here as he takes his cats to schools and the like.

Good luch! Tell us about!

I am so amazed by the exotic and wild "look" of the Bengal breed! I have emailed a few local catteries about pricing. I want to finally introduce my current kitten, Pixel (8 months old) to a new companion, which she so desperately needs. (we work late hours at work and feel awful about leaving Pixel all by her lonesome)

What is general pricing like for this type of breed? Are there any in Quebec, Canada? I have found one in Ontario.

here is Pixel at play:


and here is a gorgeous Bengal example:

That bengal looks like a foundation cat, not an SBT. But beautiful non the less! Anyways, in Canada expect to pay $1000 for a neutered/spayed pet. More for breeding/showing.

Oh, and you could probably buy a nice male foundation cat if you want to pay a bit more. I think they can be a bit more shy than sbt's.

I agree looks like a foundation. Do you really pay $1000 for a pet in Canada? This just seems really high to me. Here in the states pets start at $500 and go up.

my goodness, no. I've inquired at a local bengal cattery and prices start from $400 for the "pet" category. Included in the price is a list of things, including neutering/spaying.

$1000 cdn is the "breeder" or "show" category I believe.

Nope, I paid $1000 for my neutered male. This price is pretty standard as I've done a LOT of research on this. Also consider the exchange rate. Canadians pay more for everything. Although our dollar is recovering nicely lately. Do you have a website for the cattery that sells pet quality at $400??

This is the only site I could find offhand that has listed prices:

http://www.natureworkscats.com/available.html

I'm sure you could find some willing to sell for less, but I don't mind paying this price to support caring, quality breeders.

Oh and people pay around $4000-5000 for purebred dogs, so why not.

I'm not sure that I would trust a Canadian breeder that would sell Bengals for $400, especially including the spay/neuter, which generally costs around $100-200. I agree with Lynx, all the breeders I spoke to before getting my baby were around $1000 for a pet kitten. It just seems odd that someone would be selling them so much lower than 'market value'.

I paid $500 for Tigger, our female bengal and she came from a good breeder. She sold me to her as a pet, but I also have show right since she has the quality of a show cat.
I paid $350 for Gizmo, our spotted snow bengal. And $250, for his younger brother, a snow marble. Maybe to you, those prices are cheap for Gizmo and Scooter, but I can tell you this; I got them both when they were young, at about 6 weeks of age. They came from a small family run cattery the mom, dad and their son. Tigger came from a bigger cattery, where I believe she was caged because of her temperment. Would I go back and buy another kitten from Tiggers breeder? No. I would go back to where I got Gizmo and Scooter from. They are very nice people who I talked to a few weeks ago about getting a kitten.
Also, just because they are cheap does not mean anything. There is another well known reputable breeder, who has sold kittens for $350 and up, so I think it depends on the breeder. Lke Gizmo & Scooter's breeder, she told me they dont do it for the money, but for the hobby and breed

Those prices are cheaper than what you could find in Canada, but that's to be expected. I considered buying a cat from the states but when exchange and shipping came in it ended up being $1000 anyways. Plus I'm not comfortable with the whole shipping process.
However, I don't know of *any* breeders that let their kittens find a new home before 12 weeks of age. They have a pretty long list of reasons why too.

Well, I am glad she released them at that age. It gives you a chance to hand-raise them yourself and that I think makes them have abetter temperment & personality. Tigger, our female... we got her @ 14 weeks, and she is an extremely timid cat, but is coming around. It was enough for Cinnamon to sense when she was that age, which is why Cinnamon probably bit her tail.
Both of the boys were already litter-trained and were eating solid food at 6 weeks as well.

Check out the breeder. We learned our mistake from Isis. She's a precious kitten, but the breeder did ship her at nine weeks of age and she wasn't the healthiest when she arrived. That's my only suggestion.

Reputable breeders will not allow their kittens to leave mother and littermates before 12 weeks. Although they are weaned, the kittens have much to learn from mother and playing with their littermates. Of course, during that time, they should be receiving loads of human attention!

I got my kitty on May 24 and he was born on March 31. The breeder gave him his first shot the day I took him, and told me to bring him back in one month and he would give him one more shot.

I have since read that most breeders do not let their kittens go until 12 weeks.