cross eyed snow bengals?

Hi there, just a quick question. I am planning on buying a snow bengal in a few months time from what seems to be a reputable breeder (health cert. registered etc) What I want to know is, I have been told by this breeder that crossed eyes is a fairly common occurence in snow bengals and that I should be prepared for the possibility of any snow bengal kitten I acquire developing this condition. Is this in any way a sign of bad breeding? Is it potentially detrimental to the cat's well-being? And is this a very common occurence?

I never heard that about Bengals - I have heard about Siamese, and it is an undesirable trait that is avoided in breeding. Crossed eye cats lack lots of peripheral vision, and also have an skewed sense of depth, making them bump on things and fall from missed jumps often.
I am sure one of our Bengal experts will jump in to discuss this with you...
Something else: Having registered cats with health certificate does not equal a reputable breeder. If this breeder is breeding crossed eye cats that would be a huge red flag for me,as reputable breeders seek the betterment of the bread... I hope you haven't put on a deposit yet?

I am not familiar with the Bengal breed but I do have two mixed breed Siamese that are cross eyed. They are not related at all.

The only thing I have noticed is that they seem to have a difficult time with depth perception. They function without problems and so far at 4 years old and 18 months old neither have had any eye health issues.

Maybe post this question in the Breeders section as well. They may know more from a breeders perspective. Best to you.

thanks for the replies, no have not put down any deposits yet as I am still checking out my options. The depth perception side of it does give pause for thought, because as I understand it, bengals are a very active, even acrobatic breed, so this could cause big problems. Any other input would be welcomed!

I've never heard of this in Bengals. I would question this breeder's practices if this is happening. Sounds like a "story" to me. Even with reputable breeders, its not common any more to have crossed eyes in Siamese. Its undesirable and a fault, so breeders are more careful. Just like the "tail kink" in Siamese that used to be a big problem - its a fault and disqualification in the show ring - so breeders are more careful now.

I moved this to the Breeder's section for you and merged it with your other thread

I've bred snows before and never produced a cross-eyed cat. I haven't even seen a cross-eyed bengal, snow or otherwise.

If this breeder thinks there is a possiblity her breeding cats could produce cross-eyed offspring, she should be spay/neutering any suspected cats and eliminating them from his/her program. They should be petted out to good homes.

The purpose of breeding is to produce healthy kittens without faults that enhance and improve the breed while sticking to the breed standard. The reason for breeding is not just to sell pet kittens to clients.

I'd advise you to look someplace else for a quality bengal kitten. Keep in mind, you get what you pay for!

Well, I have spoken to another breeder and have been confirmed in my suspicion that this wasn't the norm. He says that he has also never bred a cross-eyed snow bengal. As, for price, the first breeder is actually charging more or less the same as all the others I've now looked at, none of whom appear to be byb.

At any rate, I won't be getting a kitten there then! Will keep looking, and honestly evaluate options, as there is still a big part of me that wonders if i can really justify spending that much money on a pedigree kitten when there are homeless cats at my local shelter who could be given everything they deserve for the same amount.....

It's a tough call..

If I'm purchasing a purebred, its for show purposes. Granted not all cats want to be shown (had a Turkish Angora that didn't like shows). If I just want a pet cat, I'll adopt.

I have one retired Ocicat who is Grand Champion but can't be shown any more - that's ok. I have another who will take his place in the ring and do even better. When he's tired of showing, then I'll stop and they will be my fancy pets.