The one thing you do not want to do is to rush into something. You are already grieving for Larry. Take your time with this.

Getting a bengal without papers does not mean the bengal is not purebred! However, most owners want their bengals at least registered. In order to do that, you have to produce registrations for the parents. Most registration services have pedigree information going back to the very beginning, but without verification that the parents are purebred and registered, you will be unable to register yours. Thus, you have zero proof that your cat is a purebred bengal.

As for price -- many times you get what you pay for. If you are looking for an older cat, many breeders sell their retired breeders. If you are looking for a kitten, definitely go with a breeder with an excellent reputation. Prices are set by the breeders and they vary considerably. Know, too, that some breeders end up with cats six months old or older and sell them at a discount. I would suggest you check out the websites for breeders in your area and see what they offer.

Now ... as for this little lady that you are considering. I would consider (personally), the price you've negotiated to be high for an unregistered bengal. You could very well be getting a bengal mix for all you know and they are not worth much money. But, this is your decision and only you can make it. if you really want this kitty, buy the kitty! If you are skeptical, run the other way. Sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling.

I'm not sure where you're located, but feel free to PM me with any questions or your location and I will see if I can help you out.

Thank you so much and you are right, it’s only been a few weeks since we lost Larry.
I am not looking to rush anything at all, I may not even get another animal for a couple years...
I am taking this opportunity to do research so when I do decide to get another cat, I know where to go and what to look for. Still can’t figure pictures out on this thing... I tried to post a picture of the cat we saw but can’t seem to crop it small enough!! All input is helpful for me. I’m not too worried about registering, but like the idea of it. To know the facts of the animal. I going to try post pictures again

This is one picture I have of the Bengal we saw. She’s the light coloured one.

This is another picture of her

OMG she is beautiful! Definitely a bengal.

Do you think she’s a mix? Or full Bengal?

Mixes almost never turn out looking "just like" Bengals. Full for sure.

That’s good to know. She much larger than Larry was, and heavy. She has very large paws. More shy as well. I’ve asked previous owner if she could find out anything about where she came from and parents.
Well just have to wait and see what she says :) She’s a sweetie though.

Based on the photos, she looks 100% bengal. I don't see a mix in her anywhere!!! There are truly a lot of purebred bengals out there without papers -- she is beautiful!

Oh my goodness!!!!! My husband came home today with this girl!!!!

Oh, I LOVE your husband! Congratulations!!! She is stunning!

About three weeks ago my mother called me frantic because she had found a kitten in a storm drain. I ran over there after work and grabbed what looked like a long haired mackerel tabby.
Fast forward three weeks and I find I don't have a long haired mackerel tabby. I have a spotted kitty with very short fur that feels like velvet, has big round eyes who loves to play fetch and trills as he gallops around the house.

To make a long story short: someone in my mom's neighborhood is either a very irresponsible Bengal owner or decided to dump kittens that were not show quality (broken mackerel) or never had papers. I'd say it was an unaltered male impregnating the local feral population, but this kitty had no fleas and acclimated to the people in my house right away. I did have to lure him out of the pipe by trilling at him, but once I got him home and fed he settled right in. So I think he was taken from a home with other cats and children and dumped.
The FB groups weren't missing any kittens, he's not chipped and was probably only about 6 weeks old when found. I've been around enough bengals (my brother has three registered bengal cats) to know that he is one which leads me to believe someone was being irresponsible with a pet. Either trying to sell bengal/moggie kittens or just decided to dump the kittens who weren't type-y enough.
Anyway, this is just a rant about people who think they're going to make money selling pets, let their pets reproduce and then when they can't sell them because one or both parents weren't registered. Sorry about the rant. I'm still angry that people think breeding pets will be a good source of income. I hope he was the only kitten dumped because I hate to think what had happened to any others.

Thank you for rescuing this kitty. Sic weeks is a tad early for complete weaning from the mother. No one really knows the story here. But, congratulations on your kitty.

I am so glad you speak fluent Bengal to rescue that baby.

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This has me a little bit concerned. When I first started looking for a Bengal I did come across some online advertisements that I could tell were scams. People who magically had a dozen or more kittens who were all just coincidentally the exact age to be ready to sell was the first tip off, and the pictures looked a bit off, and some were offering "free shipping" and the Bengals were only 500 dollars.
I could tell those were scams. I found what I thought was a good breeder, but they do sell before 12 weeks and so the kitten will only have had it's first shots, not the second set and won't have already been fixed when I get it because it isn't old enough. Should I be worried?