Our Health Testing

• We provide  the 1st two FCVRP vaccinations' at 8 and 12 weeks old.  Our kittens are vet checked at 8 weeks and the report is sent to the kittens future owner at that time.  We periodically run expensive PCR tests on our adults to ensure our cattery is free of dangerous feline parasites and virus's.  All kittens are dewormed before going home as well.  

• We provide a 30 day Trupanion pet insurance policy at no cost.  This will cover 90% of emergency vet bills with a $250 deductible.  It does not cover routine tests but is there in case of a unforeseen accident, toxin poisoning, bad food issue, etc at the new owners home.   

• We do not let kittens go home before 12 to 14 weeks old.  8 weeks is OK for puppies but kittens need the extra 4 weeks of socialization with mom and their littermates as well as letting their immune system mature.  8 week old kittens being separated that young can have psychological  issues and have much more fragile immune systems.   There is no bonding advantage at that age for the owner, so the only reason for a breeder to let them go home that young is simply extra profit.  

• We recommend buyer to have us use our vet for early spay and neuter before taking the kitten home.  We generally can get similar if not better pricing due to our volume and the buyer doesnt have to deal with it later.    There is no reason at all to have an intact Bengal unless it is for breeding.  Intact Bengals  are prone to significant health issues and both males and females will spray.   If for specific reasons the kitten needs to wait for surgery, we can provide papers after buyer provides vet certification of spay/neuter.  We have significant financial penalties in our contract for pet only (no breeding rights) owners that do not spay or neuter their pet Bengal by 6 months old.     Bengals bred without papers can never be registered and are the most likely to end up in shelters so it is not good for the breed or the cats to allow this to happen

• We provide a 1 yr guarantee against Congenital Issues and a 14 Mth guarantee against HCM

Genetic Issues and Testing

• PRA and PK deficiency are  two common Bengal genetic  issues that breeding Bengals must be genetically screened for.    Kittens who receive two copies of  PRA or PK Def genes  (one from each parent) will go blind (PRA) or suffer from Anemia (PK def).  All our Kings and Queens are double negative for  these genes and we provide copies of each parents test results to our customers as proof.   Thor does carry one copy of PK Def, which by itself is harmless to him. Any kittens from him and our N/N queens will never develop the syndrome.  Any of his kittens sold to breeders are screened  by us thru UC Davis to determine if they are carriers.   

• A significant  Bengal Health  issue is Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy (HCM)   This is a cardiac issue that affects about 13% of Bengals and leads to an early death from heart failure sometime between 4 and 10 yrs old.   

• There is no identified gene in Bengals that cause this, so only thing we as breeders can currently do is to annually screen our breeding adults at a Vet Cardiologist.   This is to catch early signs of HCM in order to remove the cat from our breeding pool.

• Many breeders don't  HCM screen as it's very expensive. Some breeders say they HCM screen but can't show the documentation when asked.   We annually screen all our breeders at a vet cardiologist and provide copies of the parents screens to our kitten owners.

 Our Bengals Diet

• We feed an on site made Bengal Specific Raw diet, and let them graze occasionally on high quality kibble so we can leave food out for them if we are away for a day or two.
• Cats should never be fed a 100% dry food diet as  it can severely shorten their life span due to kidney failure in their early teen years.  
• Cats  get most of their water from their prey in the wild and feeding them a properly designed raw food diet is the best way to keep your Bengal healthy and living a long life.    
• Read this article for details on why this is better for your cat.   Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats. (catinfo.org) 
• See the attached file with the recipe we use from Janet Rennecker of www.sandiegobengal.com We wean our kittens on this and they are typically bigger at 12 weeks old than kittens weaned on canned or dry food.