LOOKING
FOR A BENGAL KITTEN?
WARNING/ADVICE:
BENGAL KITTENS FOR SALE. NOT REGISTERED.
This
will hopefully be a useful piece of information and
advice to those innocent people who are looking to purchase
a pedigree pet or show/breed quality Bengal Kitten (or
any other breed of cat or kitten).
There is an increasing number of UN-REGISTERED Bengal
kittens (and other breeds of kittens/cats) advertised
for sale. These kittens predominantly come from cats
that were originally sold by Reputable Breeders as *PETS
ONLY*( On the Non Active Register--NOT to be bred from),
and have signed Contracts held by the Breeders to support
this.
*PETS
ONLY*.....If a Kitten/cat is sold as a PET ONLY, there
may well be a good reason why this kitten is NOT SUITABLE
for breeding, (but will still make an excellent pet)
i.e. genetic faults in the line that have the potential---if
mated with an unsuitable cat, to produce very inferior,
poor quality kittens that may be born with, or develop
serious defects or abnormalities.) A kitten/cat (or
parent cat) on the GCCF Non-Active register will have
printed in the bottom right-hand corner of their pink
GCCF Registration slip the following:
"CAT
IS ON THE NON ACTIVE REGISTER. NO PROGENY TO BE REGISTERED".
If this is printed on the pink slip of either of the
parents of the kitten you are viewing as a pedigree
Bengal (or Other Pedigree kitten):
DO NOT BUY THIS KITTEN!!
These
irresponsible people who breed from these 'PET' kittens/cats
are maybe prepared to take the risk of producing inferior
quality kittens with potentially serious defects, and
are happy to sell them 'not registered' to unsuspecting
purchasers, who may well live to regret the purchase
of one of these kittens, should the kitten prove to
have potentially serious health problems (and need expensive
Veterinary treatment) in the near or distant future.
These 'backyard breeder' people also leave themselves
open to being sued by the Reputable Breeder for 'Breach
of Contract', when breeding from their 'PET' Kitten/cat(s)
. The outcome of that could mean that the PET Kitten(s)
originally sold, PLUS all their un-registered progeny
may be re-possessed by the Breeder, and all costs/expenses,
fines, vets fees etc., etc. may also be claimed by the
Breeder.
There are a few ways in which you, the Purchaser, may
protect yourself when purchasing a pedigree Bengal Kitten
(or any other pedigree kitten). For instance:
| 1. |
Go
to a well known reputable Breeder. A reputable Breeder
will have invested a great deal of time and money
into researching pedigrees, and purchasing top quality,
healthy breeding cats that will have family history
for being tested for F.I.V (Feline Immunodeficiency
Virus...the cat equivalent to human HIV/AIDS), FeLV,
(Feline Leukaemia Virus), and other nasty diseases
that cats can get. They will also ensure that each
mating is a compatible and well-suited combination
of two healthy cats, that should produce good quality,
healthy and robust kittens, - whether they be destined
for loving Pet homes, Show homes, or for good Breeding
Queen or Stud cats, to continue a good blood line/pedigree. |
| 2. |
Ask
lots of questions like:
| a) |
Are
BOTH the parents of the kittens registered
on the GCCF(or equivalent) Active register?
(This is important) Ask to see the pink GCCF
Registration slips, and check yourself to
see that there is no "CAT IS ON THE NON
ACTIVE REGISTER. NO PROGENY TO BE REGISTERED"
printed on there.(There will be a blank square
at the bottom right hand corner of the slip,
if the cat IS on the Active register.) |
| b) |
Are
the kittens born and reared indoors in the
home, or outside in a cattery?
You can decide whether you would like a kitten
from a cattery, or one that has been born
and raised in the home as part of the family.These
home-reared kittens will already be adapted
to living in the 'Home', and accustomed to
everyday noises such as the T.V., vacuum cleaner,
washing machine etc.,etc. This can be a tremendous
advantage and makes the 'move' to a new home
so much less traumatic for both the new kitten
and the Owner! |
|
| 3. |
Check
that the kitten has had a full course of vaccinations,
by a Veterinary Surgeon, and is at least 13 weeks
of age. These are strong recommendations by the
GCCF, and should be adhered to. |
| 4. |
When
choosing your new kitten, watch them playing. They
should be clean, lively, energetic, playful, happy
and friendly. If the place is dirty, and the kittens
are cowering in the corner, or looking 'listless',
or have runny eyes/nose......DON'T BUY ONE!! |
| 5. |
Go
to see the kittens in their home. Be wary of breeders
who offer to deliver kittens (without you having
seen them at home first), because of reasons like
"travelling can be stressful"! It is the
same distance for the kitten to travel, whether
you pick it up, or it is delivered. |
| 6. |
You
can ask when the queen (the Mum) last had a litter
(previous to this one), and how many litters she
has had in total. There are breeders out there who
constantly breed one litter after the other from
the same cat, without ever giving her a rest. This
can lead to a run-down, worn-out queen who may become
unable to care for and/or feed her kittens, and
may also become seriously ill herself. If a breeder
truly cares for their cats, they will ensure each
cat is rested in between litters (especially when
the litters are large in number). Thought must be
given to the queen who has to carry, give birth
to, and then raise all those kittens every time.
Many Reputable Breeders consider 1 litter per year
is enough for a queen. |
So,
safety (and caring) in mind....do yourself a favour
(and the cats too!), and buy a happy, healthy REGISTERED
Kitten from a well-known Reputable Breeder!
NOTE: It is strongly advised that neutering your kitten
at around 5 1/2 to 6 months of age prevents problems
such as urine/scent spraying in the house (difficult
to stop once started and has become a habit), wandering
(across busy roads), fighting, mating etc.(where diseases
such as F.I.V. and Leukaemia are contracted/passed on).
PLEASE
NEUTER your male and female kittens......for their sakes,
as well as your own! Most Reputable Breeders will insist
on you signing a Contract to say you will do this, and
may withhold Registration documents until proof of neutering
is provided by your Veterinary Surgeon. This proves
that the Breeder cares for the kitten, and wants to
ensure he/she is going to be neutered, and cared for
properly.
Finally...if you do have any questions, suggestions,
or need further advice on buying a Bengal (or other)
Kitten, (as a Pet, or for Breeding/Showing etc.), or
if you just fancy a 'Cat Chat', please do get in touch.
We are always willing to help if we can.
Good Luck with your (safe!) Kitten search.
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