About Us

Our Beginnings:

We started out with Bengals and are still dedicated to breeding only our wonderful Bengals!

We brought home our first Bengal in early 2000 and since then, have become steadily more entranced with these amazing creatures! We are still "in awe" of their superior intelligence and wildly captivating beauty.

We found it almost impossible to part with our first litters of kittens and so... we didn't. We felt it necessary to keep our first babies until they were fully mature so we could watch them grow and develop, to help us understand and learn to know what to expect, as our kittens went through their changes. We needed to observe them for more than just a few weeks because we are also intent on discovering, and tracking any genetic or congenital problems, as well as inherited characteristics so we could be knowledgeable about our bloodlines, and responsible in our breeding program. Our Bengals have all been brought into Canada legally, always adhering to CITES requirements for inspection with appropriate USFW documents and license/permits. There are special requirements that must be met prior to crossing the Canada/U.S.A. border with a Bengal cat of any generation and we would be happy to explain the procedure.

Our Breeding Standards:

We do agree that it is important for breeders who are serious about ‘breeding better Bengals’ to actively show their cats. In this way, the cats are continually evaluated against the breed standard and other Bengals, and are proven to be worthy of being in a breeding program once they have been titled.

Of even greater importance is the health and vitality of the cats/kittens. The most beautiful Bengal in the world will not bring much joy to anyone if it is sick or destined to fall prey to a genetic disease or illness at an early age. As ethical breeders, we must all take our responsibilities very seriously when it comes to the health of our beautiful cats and should be testing for what we can, and carefully scrutinizing the lineage of our breeding cats for things that can be tracked in that manner.

With our constantly evolving breed and ever-changing health information, we must keep abreast of new developments and screening/testing/tracking tools as they come available. There are no perfect breeders, there are no perfect lines from which to breed, and there is no absolute certainty of long term health, even with extensive testing. There are, however, breeders who are willing to do their very best to produce the most beautiful, healthy, happy Bengals, and who will stand behind them should any previously unknown issues come to light.

All cats/kittens should be sold under contract with a detailed health guarantee, and all potential buyers should carefully read the contract and guarantee, to ensure they are in full agreement with the terms, and feel free to discuss those terms to ensure there is a mutual understanding before purchasing the kitten. For instance, if Veterinary certification of a condition is required for replacement in the case of a serious illness due to a genetic cause unknown at the time of the placement, this means the cat will not be replaced without that document. As responsible breeders, we will do our very best to make sure your kitten will be healthy, and although no one can state with absolutely certainty that your kitten will be healthy for it’s entire lifetime, we can and will provide appropriate guarantees for the sake of our babies and their new families.

Our sales contract forbids the declawing of our Bengals and if you'd like to learn more about the procedure and why we are absolutely against declawing, please read the information provided at: http://www.declawing.com/

HEALTH SCREENING/TESTING PROTOCOL

Currently, our cattery has been screened, and we continue to test all incoming cats for Feline Leukemia [FeLV], Feline Immunodeficiency Virus [FIV], and Tritrichomonas [TF]. Our cats have been screened for Tritrichomonas using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test – a sophisticated test that can detect the presence of the genetic material of the organism. This is an extremely sensitive test that does not produce false negative results which are commonly found when using the Pouchtm TF test. The PCR test must be done by a qualifed professional, unlike the Pouchtm TF test, and since we prefer to have the most accurate results possible, we have had the tests professionally administered by Dr. Jody Gookin's team in North Carolina where most of the studies on TF have been done. We also screen all breeding age cats annually for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy [HCM] and any other heart problems, as well as Polycystic Kidney Disease [PKD]. While we do realize that a cat may test negative for HCM today and still come up positive on the next annual scan, we will continue to use the means we have available now, while we wait for the genetic markers to be found.

Our cats have been brought up in our home, on our beds, and in our laps. They love people and insist on being near their humans at all times. We guarantee their temperament and health, and their beauty speaks for itself!

Our cattery is located in our home, right next to the kitchen and living room, which is about as "In Home" as you can get. The cattery is where we house our studs, and queens when they are in heat, with the rest of the house being the playground for our kittens, altered pets, and queens when not in heat. We place the emphasis on producing top quality Bengals who possess stable, domestic temperaments, and display that feral beauty, unparalleled in any other breed. For those seeking a truly unique companion, we invite you to explore our website and see for yourself, how these miniature leopards can allow you to enjoy the pristine beauty of their wild ancestors, right in your own living room!

The initial research and early breeding programs established, maintained, and recorded by the Pioneers of this fascinating breed, have enabled us to make use their extensive knowledge and expertise and apply it to our own breeding program. It is with great pride that we present our Silkenthunder kittens and cats, whose pedigrees are representative of lineage to the very early Bengals, hybrids, and Asian Leopard cats that are the foundation of the breed, as we know it today.

To the right is a beautiful brown marble boy out of our first litter at about 4 months of age. It is most important to us that all kittens we have bred have a good home with caring, responsible owners, and we invite anyone wishing to know more about our kittens/cats to contact us for more information.

Our Bengal family receives only the very best in nutrition, and Veterinary care, and are always well loved and socialized, ensuring a smooth transition for our kittens to their new homes. Our cattery is Veterinarian inspected and recommended. [# MB 052 0502]