Breeding Queens....
For a quality breeding queen that will actually produce, we have paid
between $1,200 and $5,000 dollars. A quality male kitten will cost
over $2,000 (usually $2500-$3500).
The more cats you have, the more health issues you will have
also. Cats immune systems evolved with them as solitary creatures,
meeting only to breed. We have changed this equation by housing
multiple cats together and as a result, veterinary bills are a constant
expense.
My two recent litters were both by C-Section at over $1,000
each plus medications. A stud fee on average is the same as a price of
a kitten when you can find someone willing to do it. (because of
health risks)
Now that you have purchased your cats, you must feed and
take care of them until they are a year old and old enough to breed.
You must use a quality food ($39 per bag) and quality litter or again, you
will have more health problems. The litter must be completely changed
out weekly and litter boxes bleached, or... yes, you will have parasite
problems.
Bengal Queens usually have smaller litters and single
kittens are not a rare occurrence. 2 kitten litters we consider
average and more than that we count our blessings. It is not uncommon
for a female to have breeding, birthing or raising issues. I have had
queens that never went into labor, had no milk, didn't want to be a mom and
refused their kittens and any number of birth defects.
Again, more vet bills and lots of sleepless nights.
We routinely must check our cats for parasites at about $35 per cat per
test. We use Frontline Plus for fleas. Our cats are indoor only,
but fleas can be tracked in from the yard by people. Any cat coming or
going must be checked for Feline Leukemia, Feline Aids and FIP. These
tests are around $50 per cat or kitten. Testing for Tri-Trichamonas
Foetus is around $85 per cat. Checking for eye problems is around $30
per cat and heart screenings are another $200 per cat. The only real way to make money breeding kittens is to do it with no vet
services, in small cages one on top of the other in squalor. I don't
know of anyone who could stand this idea.
So when a very caring breeder asks a fair price for a
kitten, don't assume he/she is asking that price to take a trip to Paris.
Chances are, they are trying to pay off their vet bills and not go into
bankruptcy doing it.
We do this for the love of the animals and to see them go to
wonderful families in loving homes, period. We want other people to be
able to experience what we do in sharing our lives with these wonderful
cats. After all, it is a gift you make to yourself that just keeps on
giving for many years. Where else are you going to get that?
See our
PRICES page for detailed pricing
To learn more about Bengal and Savannah
cats, our cattery as well as our experience in breeding, visit our
About page.
Be sure to take a look
at our beautiful Studs, Queens and
our
available kittens. All of our kittens
are brought up with love and well socialized. Enjoy your visit, and feel free
to contact us about upcoming litters.