absolutely number one priority at this time should be a breeder who is regularly scanning breeding cats for HCM AND using low risk lines, ask them for certificates from a recognised cardiologist to prove the parents have been scanned in the last 12 months.

Also you should ask them for pedigree information in order to have the blood lines checked for HCM risk, even if you have no intention of doing so ask for it, if the breeder is evasive about giving this information do yourself a favour and walk away

You are in a position to help make a change here, and you are in a position to learn before you buy and help yourself obtain a kitten which has a lower risk of suffering from this horrendous genetic defect.

Be absolutely sure you put your money in the hands of someone who is genuinely trying to help improve the health of the breed

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Also ask about the PK-Def status of the parents, especially if you are considering going into breeding. PK-Def normal means the cat has no defective genes and is clear, PK-Def hetrozygous means the cat has 1 defective gene and is a carrier, PK-Def homozygous means the cat has 2 defective genes and is affected. If the parent cats of the kitten you are interested in are anything other than PK-DEf normal and you are buying a breeding kitten ask the breeder if they will test the kitten for you. Carrier cats will be healthy and you can work with them but you have to be careful whith which cats you breed them to as two carriers or a carrier and a possitive will produce affected kittens.
Once you have found a good breeder who screens and tests and socialises their kittens and you have looked into the lines then you want to look for kittens with good type, good temperment and good clear markings. The colour and pattern i.e. marble/rosetted are all up to you

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madmax

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The little monsters 3

Hello All, i am new to this forum, hope i will learn here and making new
friends here, i want to say hi to Alll...

Hi, and welcome! Have you got a bengal?

[quote="Louise-paisley
I think any breeder who is willing to sell an un neutered breeding contract cat to just anyone is not worth a ****.

I would like to hope that the majority would want to be assured you are knowledgeable enough about the breed, health problems, genetics and line assessments, in breeding, rearing kittens, socialisation, sanitation, nutrition etc etc... to be able to breed cats before they would even begin to consider letting you have a breeding cat.

Of course this is not an ideal world and there will always be those who don't give a rats arse and will sell you whatever you are willing to pay for [/quote]

I'd have to agree... I have two bengal sisters and in the process of getting a little brother for them, and I remember even for "pet" bengals, the process we had to go through, the questionnaires/emails everything! But honestly, I'd rather go through all that and see that the breeders have a real concern about where their babies are going then breeders that don't give a sh!t and are only out to make a quick buck.