Edited and Input from Emily D'Agati of Singularity Border Collies and Sophia Pierce of Solina Hounds For those who have been involved in breeding and showing dogs and now have an interest in breeding and showing cats, it's common to believe that their experience with canines will seamlessly translate to felines. While there are certainly similarities, such as genetics, welfare, health care, point systems, and grooming, it's important to remember that cats are not dogs. Breeding and showing cats involve a range of additional factors that must be carefully considered, making it a unique and dist ..read more

In the Spring of 2022 I began hearing many reputable breeders still having BEAUTIFUL available kittens that were now 5-6 months old. They had dropped prices to a ridiculous low with still no inquiries and the inquiries they got were poor quality. My ground transporter told me it wasn’t just the cat world, the dog breeder clients they transported for too were seeing similar issues. Some find this time of the year is always slow as people save for their summer trips. I thought maybe it was only new breeders who are not as established or have the same following or reputation as the older well kno ..read more

It is important that all animals are given a home, loved and cared for as the living beings they are. Rescue and other such programs have a place in society to tackle overpopulation efforts through low cost veterinary clinics, spay and neuter programs and TNR (trap, neuter, release) programs. In fact many breeders work closely with their local rescue or shelter to foster kittens or volunteer their expertise to help the facilities in numerous other ways. Unfortunately, it seems that as soon as one mentions the word “breeder” many people get this sad look on their face. Many people believe all b ..read more

Enrichment and Stimulation are essential for any cat especially our very intelligent Bengal Cats and kittens who can be a little naughty without it. We are always being asked about the cats and kittens favorite toys and cat products. We sure aren’t short on product testers so here is our list. 1. Floating Shelves Floating shelves and structures are one of the most beneficial things you can do especially if you have limited space. These offer vertical space that otherwise would only displace still picture frames. Why not add some moving art? There are options to bought premade shelves some with ..read more

ALC- Asian Leopard Cat, the cat that our Bengals are derived from AON, BON, CON - these terms are used for breeders using and outcross (seeing outcross below) and will appear in the registration number of these cats A= first generation outcross from two cats from different breeds B= second generation outcross with at least one non-Bengal grandparent C = third generation outcross with at least one non-Bengal great grandparent O - means outcross and that there are no unknown or unregistered cats in the three-generation pedigree N - means non-permissible. While an outcross can be registered, it c ..read more

Back to Back breeding, what a hot and very taboo topic. Often this type of breeding is what we associate with backyard breeders, unethical breeders and breeders just wanting to profit as much as possible off of an animal with little regard for the health and welfare of the animals in their care. But what if ETHICAL back to back breeding IS for the health and welfare of the animals in our care? Let's get a few things straight before you bite my head off. 1. I don’t practice Ethical Back to Back Breeding at this time. 2. The animals in our care are still respected, taken care of, loved and regar ..read more

Elysian Bengals strives to produce kittens sold both as pets as well as breeding and show cats that are bred and compared to the TICA Bengal standard. A standard is a guideline that outlines traits and characteristics that make up a breed. By breeding to the standard, one contributes to the overall breed as well as recognizes characteristics that need improvement to not only better the individual and the breed as a whole, but also to conform to the over-arching goal of creating a cat that looks like the a small forest dwelling cat but is as friendly and affectionate as the domestic house cat ..read more

Genetics sometimes seem quite convoluted and confusing but as a breeder it is essential to understand the ins and out of genetics and how to generate predictions amongst your program to determine potential offspring and plan the future of your program. Note this article is a complementary second part to our Elysian Bengals Color Genetics blog so this article will not cover specific color genes but should be referenced. Let us first cover some basic terminology Allele- versions of the same gene. Eg. Agouti gene can include the following alleles A, a, APb, A2, H2 Dominant - a gene that will exp ..read more

It should be noted Elysian Bengals and its authors are not veterinarians in any capacity. Our information is for education purposes only but should not replace trained professionals and is not responsible for how readers use this information. As a Breeder Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy or HCM is something to be quite aware of; not only to understand what HCM is, but also concerning the breeders you are working with, buying cats from, how to screen for it, what to look for in the final report, and how to publicly deal with a positive result. As a kitten buyer, it is equally as important to know wh ..read more

In genetics we have a code. This code is compilation of groupings of letters that represent specific genes that express as various character traits. Some are dominant (denoted with a capital letter i.e. A, B, C ) and typically over powers the recessive trait (denoted with a lower case letter i.e. a, b, cs) and some need to be paired together to produce specific new traits. Each trait set will include 1-3 letters on each side of a forward slash. The first 1-3 letters is a trait from one parent. The second set of letters is the trait from the second parent.­­­­ In the Bengal breed we have severa ..read more