We have been breeding Bengals since 1991, and the reason that we are still very enthousiastic about breeding is first of all of course that we are fond of having kittens around. We like raising kittens very much, but as there are enough cats in this world already, we feel we should have a clear goal in mind as well toward which we select the cats we will breed and which we will not. Just producing more Bengals, to sell or to win shows with is not what we want to achieve.
The ideal Bengal should look like a wild cat, and not many Bengals do.
But we are convinced that ours can, and they will, even if it takes us
a long time to achieve this.
Therefore, our first breeding goal is to breed wilder looking Bengals.
We breed for stripeless horizontal patterns, wild types and yellow coats.
We try to breed patterns with the biggest spots possible without introducing
ribstripes or vertically aligned patterns. This is very challenging, especially
since we want spotted legs as well!
We love yellow coloured Bengals, because they resemble the wild cats so much. The bright background contrasts with the black spots, and any rosettes that are present are clearly defined against both the background and the spots themselves. We are really getting somewhere now breeding for yellow, for our latest litters have been very solidly coloured and the contrast of these kittens, even in the so-called fuzzy stages, is incredibly high. And the beautiful thing is, that yellow coats seem to go hand in hand with light bellies and horizontal alignment of spots. If we were to compare our Bengals of this moment to any species of wild cat, it would be the Cheetah: the yellow background and the clearly defined horizontal black spots remind us more of a Cheetah than of any of the rosetted wild cats.
Of course we want rosettes as much as any Bengal breeder, but we feel that extreme contrast, wild body and headtype and complete absence of any mackeral or classic tabby influence are more important now. For a description and illustrations of what a Bengal should look like in our eyes, we would like to direct those who are interested to our Bengal booklet, also on this site.
Our second goal is to promote the Bengal wherever we can. It is a nice thing to have a rare breed, and it may make the neighbors jealous, but it does not make breeding easier when you have to do everything yourself: importing new blood and keeping the genepool large costs a lot of money and generally gets your house filled up with cats, which is not the way we want to do it. Sharing the expenses with other breeders, each keeping certain lines available to the others is much more sensible. It also keeps the population healthier, because more genes will be available to all. Of course, it is also easier to find new homes for kittens when the breed is already well-known with a reputation for being excellent pets.
Our third goal, is to see to it that every kitten we breed finds
a suitable owner, and that a potential Bengal owner finds a suitable kitten.
For of course we cannot keep all the kittens we breed for ourselves, either
because they are not suitable for breeding or because we already have
a close relative in our program. It would not be right to just to sell
these kittens to any prepared to pay what we ask, we have to take care
that the kitten and the people
will be suited for one another. Bengals can be very active, and not everyone
is up to that, even though they might want a Bengal for its beautiful
appearance. We have an obligation to the kitten to find it a good home,
but we also have an obligation to the new owner that the kitten they pay
for and grow very attached to is healthy and has a dependable character.
And that the kitten is in other ways suited to its new owner: he may want
to breed or show his new Bengal, and for that purpose he needs a kitten
that has the right traits to do that.
Our fourth goal is to raise our kittens in a home environment and prepare them well for their life as a companion. Our cattery is small, we breed only three or four litters every year. Our kittens grow up in our livingroom with our other cats and two large dogs. Since 1998 we have added a real trial to our kittens' lives: our son Wolf. We are teaching him to respect cats and small kittens, but that does take some time! So our kittens are used to quite a lot of noise when they are ready to go to their new owner! When a kitten leaves us to go to its new home, we always accompany it on this frightening journey. We drink tea with the new owners and the kitten can explore the new people and room with our laps as home-base. By the time we leave, the kitten is already used to the new environment. This is good for the kitten, it settles much more easily and with less stress, but also for us: we know where the kitten will live, and we get to see some lovely homes this way!
