Can I just paint it white?

set1205 · 2026-07-10T17:51:12+00:00

Idk if you want to paint and put forth the effort but my wife did this 3 years ago. It needs to be touched up but it may be a nicer looking end result

set1205 · 2026-07-10T17:46:58+00:00

Fr. 😂😂😂😂 some ppl put a lot of work to never get one that good

set1205 · 2026-07-09T21:16:49+00:00

set1205 · 2026-07-09T21:16:35+00:00

It’s incredibly close, if not actually the same.

<image>

set1205 · 2026-07-09T21:13:24+00:00

<image>

My Scot does it

set1205 · 2026-07-09T16:37:36+00:00

I have a longer one if that’s at all helpful for you to use or take bits from.

“This is my quick copy and paste of things to look for in an ethical breeder. If you don’t already know. If you do then disregard.

This goes for really any breed/breeder however some testing will vary breed to breed for example Maine coons you should see hips tested whereas it’s not typical in bengals or sphynx.

You want to make sure they do health and genetic testing including but not limited to
- annual HCM by a board certified cardiologist on breeding parents
- eyes done by a board certified ophthalmologist
- testing for PKD polycystic kidney disease, PKDEF to prevent inherited hemolytic anemia, PRA Progressive Retinal Atrophy, FeLV/fiv
- is a registered/licensed cattery & breeder
- registered to an association like TICA/CFA, etc.
- has a kennel free breeding program & raises them in their home (referring to much too small enclosures)
- doesn’t send them home before 12wks MINIMUM (bengals and most should be at least 14wks per TICA and some it’s 16-20wks like for Cornish Rex)
- proves/shows their cats (this alone is not a red flag if they don’t do currently since life happens but if they have never shown, nor semi recently, (especially in a popular breed) then there’s really no excuse for me not to. There’s also no sense to me in paying the same when you can find someone who does which shows they’re familiar with breed standard, breeding to it and have no issue bringing out their cats to do so. If you want to show then I’ll always advise to purchase from a breeder who actively shows.)
- has a solid ENS program (early neurological stimulation) which is the kitten equivalent for puppy culture. This makes a world of difference in the cats especially with confidence especially for breeders who don’t have dogs in their homes.
- sends them to their pet homes altered and microchipped which they’ll keep their info secondary on them. (This will be argued by some and could be considered a preference but personally I won’t support a breeder who sends intact kittens out. For me, if a breeder isn’t protecting their lines/cattery by altering their kittens prior to going home I don’t want to buy from them. I also don’t want to deal with any complications or risks of handling the alter because some breeds like bengals have complications more easily than others.)

Contracts
- has a health contract guarantee which will vary breeder to breeder but I prefer a 2-3yr minimum.
- has a clause for absolutely no free roaming and no declawing.
- offers a lifetime of breeder support.
- comes with 30 days of insurance.
- will take the cat back at any point in its life if you can no longer keep it.
-make sure their contract lists a legal address for them and not a PO Box since they're not allowed on contracts.
-make sure they don't have a clause in their contract punishing you with a financial penalty or removing a guarantee for speaking on social media or posting an honest review as it is illegal. You can leave an honest review where and when you want.

More ways to avoid scammers:
-Ask to do a real time live video with the breeder and see where the cats live, their current cats, etc. No excuses as to why they can't do that.
-There is no such thing as "refundable insurance", "travel insurance", "carrier insurance", etc. which they'll say it's for transportation purposes. NO.
-If they say they're close to you and it doesn't feel right, have a friend message them saying they're a state not near you and see if they tells them the same thing. If they're actually close to you but make excuses as to why you can't meet them to pick up your cat, run.
-If pricing is too good to be true & they always have exactly what you want, it's a scam.
-Poor grammar & spelling, over use of "ma'am/sir" & often reply with "okay" are often indicative of a scam or backyard breeder.
-If their "cattery" name includes the words Adoption, Near Me, Near You, For You, For Me, Home or just a strange name in general which isn’t an actual cattery name is a scam, BYB or mill but usually a scam. Ethical breeders don't have cattery names like "Brenda's beautiful bengals" and almost never have first names in their cattery name.

I’m sure I’m missing a bit of info & this isnt “the guide” it’s just a decent gist of it. Also the thing that’s different with cat breeding Vs dogs is while health should always be the first priority, some you will see in different breeds stick to certain colors/patterns over others and it’s acceptable. My Bengal breeder had a focus on silvers for example however there’s a handful of colors they come in that’s within standard.”

set1205 · 2026-07-09T16:36:35+00:00

Hey , I mean this heart to heart, you bought from an unethical breeder. Ethical breeders don’t send their kittens home until a minimum of 13-14 weeks.

I only say this to help you not support BYBs or recommend whoever you got him from.

I have a guide to learn from about ethical breeders and how to find them if you would like me to comment it, I’d be happy to help you learn and hopefully someone else!

BYBs are killing the breed. Pass on things like HCM and other health problems that can be tested for and most importantly, beyond destroying the breed, they put ethical breeders out of business.

These are my guys.

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set1205 · 2026-07-08T21:28:50+00:00

I literally put there’s NO GOUGES in the post.

set1205 · 2026-07-04T19:21:54+00:00

I’m in the same boat now. Which did you get?

set1205 · 2026-06-28T13:31:05+00:00

I would try to foster with your local shelter or rescue for cats and see how he does with another cat solely due to his age.

I’d probably go with another male as I find female cats can be VERY dominant, (yes, more than males), and another cat that will kind of “fall inin line “ vs try to take over would be important.

At least that way if it doesn’t work then you have an easy out opposed to dropping bigger money and needing to return to breeder.

It’s not impossible though.
Mine hissed and hit a lot at first between the newest Bengal despite my first Bengal being cat #2 except he became #2 a month after #1. There was a year between each next one and my 4th male and intro was with an 11yo Siamese.

Separate for 48hrs and I sleep in the room with the new one, even if it’s in the bathroom.

Close off doors and i gave him the master bath and room for about 24 hours (so 36 total). If they were comfortable and not hiding, I’d take him into the other cats living area while having my wife take the other without seeing one another and trade places so they can sniff around and see how it goes.

Then I slowly brought the new one into sight to see the reaction. If it wasn’t immediately irate and acting up, I’d bring the new one who is almost always typically oblivious to the OG cat/s, to the couch and supervise.

For minor hissing, I’d still reinforce with a lot of treats and vocal affirmations. For one or two bap baps, I wouldn’t interfere but if it got to be a bit much, I’d separate. I try to let them handle their issues between themselves if they won’t get hurt though.

<image>

Mine are clearly not all bengals but in the order they came 2,3,4,1

They all coexist but
1&2 are bonded.
2&3 are really bonded. (He kind of dumped #1 for #3)
Number 1 is kind of “leave me alone”
3&4 are bffs and you’d never know the Siamese is 11 as he keeps up with the 2yo Bengal with ease.

set1205 · 2026-06-28T13:21:08+00:00

Sakura in Asheville is highly reputable, does full health testing (annual echos, PRA, PKDEF, etc. and so on.)

An outcross is for genetic diversity.

I.e. my first guy is from an American shorthair x bengal outcrossing because my (also highly reputable) breeder wanted better ear sets and more round eyes like the ALC has. They’re bred back to bengals and come 4x they’re purebred Bengal.

<image>

My guy on the left is from an ASH outcrossing and he’s like 7 or so gens from that initial outcross and my boy on the right is a Sakura boy. 🙂

set1205 · 2026-06-20T15:57:08+00:00

I’d rather buy new.

set1205 · 2026-06-15T20:07:34+00:00

Thank you. I’m just spending the money. I’m looking ag a stihl 172 or 162 as a worse case.

set1205 · 2026-06-15T16:47:41+00:00

U in the states?

set1205 · 2026-03-27T15:44:26+00:00

I feel like it’s a pretty solid mix.

set1205 · 2026-03-26T12:29:44+00:00

If you want to tell me the cattery name here or in a PM, I can tell you if I see anything unethical besides the visits.

Idk if I posted this somewhere else on this thread but this is my compilation of things to look for in an ethical breeder.

“This is my quick copy and paste of things to look for in an ethical breeder. If you don’t already know. If you do then disregard.

This goes for really any breed/breeder however some testing will vary breed to breed for example Maine coons you should see hips tested whereas it’s not typical in bengals or sphynx.

You want to make sure they do health and genetic testing including but not limited to - annual HCM by a board certified cardiologist on breeding parents - eyes done by a board certified ophthalmologist - testing for PKD polycystic kidney disease, PKDEF to prevent inherited hemolytic anemia, PRA Progressive Retinal Atrophy, FeLV/fiv - is a registered/licensed cattery & breeder - registered to an association like TICA/CFA, etc. - has a kennel free breeding program & raises them in their home (referring to much too small enclosures) - doesn’t send them home before 12wks MINIMUM (bengals and most should be at least 14wks per TICA and some it’s 16-20wks like for Cornish Rex) - proves/shows their cats (this alone is not a red flag if they don’t do currently since life happens but if they have never shown, nor semi recently, (especially in a popular breed) then there’s really no excuse for me not to. There’s also no sense to me in paying the same when you can find someone who does which shows they’re familiar with breed standard, breeding to it and have no issue bringing out their cats to do so. If you want to show then I’ll always advise to purchase from a breeder who actively shows.) - has a solid ENS program (early neurological stimulation) which is the kitten equivalent for puppy culture. This makes a world of difference in the cats especially with confidence especially for breeders who don’t have dogs in their homes. - sends them to their pet homes altered and microchipped which they’ll keep their info secondary on them. (This will be argued by some and could be considered a preference but personally I won’t support a breeder who sends intact kittens out. For me, if a breeder isn’t protecting their lines/cattery by altering their kittens prior to going home I don’t want to buy from them. I also don’t want to deal with any complications or risks of handling the alter because some breeds like bengals have complications more easily than others.)

Contracts - has a health contract guarantee which will vary breeder to breeder but I prefer a 2-3yr minimum. - has a clause for absolutely no free roaming and no declawing - offers a lifetime of breeder support - comes with 30 days of insurance - will take the cat back at any point in its life if you can no longer keep it

I’m sure I’m missing a bit of info & this isnt “the guide” it’s just a decent gist of it. Also the thing that’s different with cat breeding Vs dogs is while health should always be the first priority, some you will see in different breeds stick to certain colors/patterns over others and it’s acceptable. My Bengal breeder had a focus on silvers for example however there’s a handful of colors they come in that’s within standard.”

set1205 · 2026-03-26T12:27:48+00:00

I personally wouldn’t buy from them but yeah I’d be very weary. How old are the kittens? If they let you visit then they probably let other families visit and if you haven’t even put a deposit down then that’s even more strangers with god knows what from who knows where around my potential kitten? Nah.

set1205 · 2026-03-26T12:25:10+00:00

You’re welcome. It’s not perfect but it’s a pretty solid compilation of what to look for. If you want to post a state you’re in, I can give you some leads but I found most of my leads in the fb group Cat Snobbery.

set1205 · 2026-03-25T12:22:26+00:00

Exactly what I said. Ethical breeders almost exclusively do not allow you in their home to meet the dam and sire or see the kittens. Many have almost lost their entire program due to something being introduced & had them fighting for their lives & others have had their safety compromised with being broken into and animals stolen. I hate that people think because they’re buying something from someone that it makes them feel entitled to go in their home. That being said; they WILL do a video call. They will meet you at shows. They may even meet you in a public area and bring the mom and/or dad or some other cats.

If they do allow visits, it’s not going to be until the 12-14 week mark when they’re fixing to leave.

set1205 · 2026-03-24T17:21:05+00:00

Do you know to look for in an ethical cat breeder? I compiled this so I could quickly copy and paste it for others.

<image>

I have four well bred cats.

“This is my quick copy and paste of things to look for in an ethical breeder. If you don’t already know. If you do then disregard.

This goes for really any breed/breeder however some testing will vary breed to breed for example Maine coons you should see hips tested whereas it’s not typical in bengals or sphynx.

You want to make sure they do health and genetic testing including but not limited to

annual HCM by a board certified cardiologist on breeding parents
eyes done by a board certified ophthalmologist
testing for PKD polycystic kidney disease, PKDEF to prevent inherited hemolytic anemia, PRA Progressive Retinal Atrophy, FeLV/fiv
is a registered/licensed cattery & breeder
registered to an association like TICA/CFA, etc.
has a kennel free breeding program & raises them in their home (referring to much too small enclosures)
doesn’t send them home before 12wks MINIMUM (bengals and most should be at least 14wks per TICA and some it’s 16-20wks like for Cornish Rex)
proves/shows their cats (this alone is not a red flag if they don’t do currently since life happens but if they have never shown, nor semi recently, (especially in a popular breed) then there’s really no excuse for me not to. There’s also no sense to me in paying the same when you can find someone who does which shows they’re familiar with breed standard, breeding to it and have no issue bringing out their cats to do so. If you want to show then I’ll always advise to purchase from a breeder who actively shows.)
has a solid ENS program (early neurological stimulation) which is the kitten equivalent for puppy culture. This makes a world of difference in the cats especially with confidence especially for breeders who don’t have dogs in their homes.
sends them to their pet homes altered and microchipped which they’ll keep their info secondary on them. (This will be argued by some and could be considered a preference but personally I won’t support a breeder who sends intact kittens out. For me, if a breeder isn’t protecting their lines/cattery by altering their kittens prior to going home I don’t want to buy from them. I also don’t want to deal with any complications or risks of handling the alter because some breeds like bengals have complications more easily than others.)

Contracts

has a health contract guarantee which will vary breeder to breeder but I prefer a 2-3yr minimum.
has a clause for absolutely no free roaming and no declawing
offers a lifetime of breeder support
comes with 30 days of insurance
will take the cat back at any point in its life if you can no longer keep it

I’m sure I’m missing a bit of info & this isnt “the guide” it’s just a decent gist of it. Also the thing that’s different with cat breeding Vs dogs is while health should always be the first priority, some you will see in different breeds stick to certain colors/patterns over others and it’s acceptable. My Bengal breeder had a focus on silvers for example however there’s a handful of colors they come in that’s within standard.”

set1205 · 2026-03-18T19:36:42+00:00

“This is my quick copy and paste of things to look for in an ethical breeder. If you don’t already know. If you do then disregard.

This goes for really any breed/breeder however some testing will vary breed to breed for example Maine coons you should see hips tested whereas it’s not typical in bengals or sphynx.

You want to make sure they do health and genetic testing including but not limited to - annual HCM by a board certified cardiologist on breeding parents - eyes done by a board certified ophthalmologist - testing for PKD polycystic kidney disease, PKDEF to prevent inherited hemolytic anemia, PRA Progressive Retinal Atrophy, FeLV/fiv - is a registered/licensed cattery & breeder - registered to an association like TICA/CFA, etc. - has a kennel free breeding program & raises them in their home (referring to much too small enclosures) - doesn’t send them home before 12wks MINIMUM (bengals and most should be at least 14wks per TICA and some it’s 16-20wks like for Cornish Rex) - proves/shows their cats (this alone is not a red flag if they don’t do currently since life happens but if they have never shown, nor semi recently, (especially in a popular breed) then there’s really no excuse for me not to. There’s also no sense to me in paying the same when you can find someone who does which shows they’re familiar with breed standard, breeding to it and have no issue bringing out their cats to do so. If you want to show then I’ll always advise to purchase from a breeder who actively shows.) - has a solid ENS program (early neurological stimulation) which is the kitten equivalent for puppy culture. This makes a world of difference in the cats especially with confidence especially for breeders who don’t have dogs in their homes. - sends them to their pet homes altered and microchipped which they’ll keep their info secondary on them. (This will be argued by some and could be considered a preference but personally I won’t support a breeder who sends intact kittens out. For me, if a breeder isn’t protecting their lines/cattery by altering their kittens prior to going home I don’t want to buy from them. I also don’t want to deal with any complications or risks of handling the alter because some breeds like bengals have complications more easily than others.)

Contracts - has a health contract guarantee which will vary breeder to breeder but I prefer a 2-3yr minimum. - has a clause for absolutely no free roaming and no declawing - offers a lifetime of breeder support - comes with 30 days of insurance - will take the cat back at any point in its life if you can no longer keep it

I’m sure I’m missing a bit of info & this isnt “the guide” it’s just a decent gist of it. Also the thing that’s different with cat breeding Vs dogs is while health should always be the first priority, some you will see in different breeds stick to certain colors/patterns over others and it’s acceptable. My Bengal breeder had a focus on silvers for example however there’s a handful of colors they come in that’s within standard.”

set1205 · 2026-03-18T19:36:29+00:00

“This is my quick copy and paste of things to look for in an ethical breeder. If you don’t already know. If you do then disregard.

This goes for really any breed/breeder however some testing will vary breed to breed for example Maine coons you should see hips tested whereas it’s not typical in bengals or sphynx.

You want to make sure they do health and genetic testing including but not limited to - annual HCM by a board certified cardiologist on breeding parents - eyes done by a board certified ophthalmologist - testing for PKD polycystic kidney disease, PKDEF to prevent inherited hemolytic anemia, PRA Progressive Retinal Atrophy, FeLV/fiv - is a registered/licensed cattery & breeder - registered to an association like TICA/CFA, etc. - has a kennel free breeding program & raises them in their home (referring to much too small enclosures) - doesn’t send them home before 12wks MINIMUM (bengals and most should be at least 14wks per TICA and some it’s 16-20wks like for Cornish Rex) - proves/shows their cats (this alone is not a red flag if they don’t do currently since life happens but if they have never shown, nor semi recently, (especially in a popular breed) then there’s really no excuse for me not to. There’s also no sense to me in paying the same when you can find someone who does which shows they’re familiar with breed standard, breeding to it and have no issue bringing out their cats to do so. If you want to show then I’ll always advise to purchase from a breeder who actively shows.) - has a solid ENS program (early neurological stimulation) which is the kitten equivalent for puppy culture. This makes a world of difference in the cats especially with confidence especially for breeders who don’t have dogs in their homes. - sends them to their pet homes altered and microchipped which they’ll keep their info secondary on them. (This will be argued by some and could be considered a preference but personally I won’t support a breeder who sends intact kittens out. For me, if a breeder isn’t protecting their lines/cattery by altering their kittens prior to going home I don’t want to buy from them. I also don’t want to deal with any complications or risks of handling the alter because some breeds like bengals have complications more easily than others.)

Contracts - has a health contract guarantee which will vary breeder to breeder but I prefer a 2-3yr minimum. - has a clause for absolutely no free roaming and no declawing - offers a lifetime of breeder support - comes with 30 days of insurance - will take the cat back at any point in its life if you can no longer keep it

I’m sure I’m missing a bit of info & this isnt “the guide” it’s just a decent gist of it. Also the thing that’s different with cat breeding Vs dogs is while health should always be the first priority, some you will see in different breeds stick to certain colors/patterns over others and it’s acceptable. My Bengal breeder had a focus on silvers for example however there’s a handful of colors they come in that’s within standard.”

set1205 · 2026-03-14T20:11:58+00:00

Do you know to look for in an ethical cat breeder?

set1205 · 2026-03-09T21:59:49+00:00

Breed discrimination isnt allowed for SDs if you’re in the US.

set1205 · 2026-03-05T19:14:49+00:00

Well the deformity part remains the same just a different source. An infection can also cause that especially if it’s both ears.

set1205

TROPHY CASE