At the end of the day, the beauty and splendor of this breed comes down to the breeder.
Many breeders consider themselves preservationists, working hard to keep this breed healthy and
vibrant, and improving wherever they can.
Not every breeder shares this mentality. The curse of your breed becoming popular, is the
inevitable uprise of what are considered “backyard breeders”. These breeders often look good in
the beginning, saying things like “they only breed as a hobby”, “they only have one breeding
pair”, “they don’t breed for a profit”, or “I don’t register as it’s not important and then I can save
people money”. The reality is these people are often the ones that are in it for the money, and I
have watched them scam hopeful kitten owners out of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
They don’t health test, they don’t check their pedigrees (if they even have them) or know
whether their pairing is sound health wise as well as standard wise. They offer no guarantees or
support on their kittens, and often let their kittens leave much too young, creating behavioral
problems in the future. I have lost count of how many woeful stories I have seen either in Bengal
forums on social media or directly from clients, who have fell prey to these types of people.
Their kittens are cheap, but are often followed by large vet bills, inappropriate behaviors, or the
heartbreak of losing your kitten to a preventable illness. Unfortunately, many people choose this
route, and I have been watching it slowly drive out reputable breeders whose focus is the breed
and its betterment. Speaking to fellow breeders and sharing our experience, a common theme
pops up no matter what part of the world you are from; a reputable breeder simply can’t afford to
charge what a backyard breeder does and maintain the level of care, health testing and quality
that a good program demands. I have watched many breeders get driven out by these backyard
breeders, including close friends and invaluable breed preservationists, and it will sadly only be to
the detriment of the breed that this happens.
Many breeders consider themselves preservationists, working hard to keep this breed healthy and
vibrant, and improving wherever they can.
Not every breeder shares this mentality. The curse of your breed becoming popular, is the
inevitable uprise of what are considered “backyard breeders”. These breeders often look good in
the beginning, saying things like “they only breed as a hobby”, “they only have one breeding
pair”, “they don’t breed for a profit”, or “I don’t register as it’s not important and then I can save
people money”. The reality is these people are often the ones that are in it for the money, and I
have watched them scam hopeful kitten owners out of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
They don’t health test, they don’t check their pedigrees (if they even have them) or know
whether their pairing is sound health wise as well as standard wise. They offer no guarantees or
support on their kittens, and often let their kittens leave much too young, creating behavioral
problems in the future. I have lost count of how many woeful stories I have seen either in Bengal
forums on social media or directly from clients, who have fell prey to these types of people.
Their kittens are cheap, but are often followed by large vet bills, inappropriate behaviors, or the
heartbreak of losing your kitten to a preventable illness. Unfortunately, many people choose this
route, and I have been watching it slowly drive out reputable breeders whose focus is the breed
and its betterment. Speaking to fellow breeders and sharing our experience, a common theme
pops up no matter what part of the world you are from; a reputable breeder simply can’t afford to
charge what a backyard breeder does and maintain the level of care, health testing and quality
that a good program demands. I have watched many breeders get driven out by these backyard
breeders, including close friends and invaluable breed preservationists, and it will sadly only be to
the detriment of the breed that this happens.