Because the breeder said he was familiar with these tests but chooses not to do them, I will ask why, and if he feels comfortable either a.) signing something that states that, if we get the kittens tested and they are positive, he will refund us and take them back or b.) will pay for and have the kittens tested prior to adopting. I agree that these conditions seem devastating and I would definitely have the kittens tested by either ourselves or him. We will also be getting pet insurance - any recommendations? I am most interested in going through Wells Fargo because I have all my insurance as well as finances through them and have always been super satisfied. They use VPI Pet Insurance, and I would have to figure out if it covers this testing, spay/neuter, microchipping, etc.

_________________
The little monsters 3

_________________
Lollo

_________________
Lollo

SO I BROUGHT HOME TWO KITTENS!!!!!!




Just kidding. I'm sure you all appreciate it when a newcomer takes your advice everyone once in a while, right?

Here's the scoop on Mr. Monty Weadel. I am going to post his full name and contact information in the hopes that future potential purchasers like myself can turn up something with a Google search. This is all information he posts on free classifieds sites, so it's no state secret, but if the admins find something inappropriate about it please feel free to remove.

Name: Montgomery Weadel
Cattery: Artiqlat Katz, TICA registered (the irony is not lost on me)
E-mail: mweadel81@yahoo.com
Phone: 858-254-6284

I'm no expert, but from what I've read I wouldn't call this man a "backyard breeder." More like livingroom breeder. There were no cages, the house was as clean as could be expected of a moderate-income residential area and Monty and his wife use a spare room to birth and house the kittens and their mothers. Their queens and studs (two of each of which I saw) were large, healthy purebred bengals and he was proud to show me their TICA papers. Most of them did not have excellent coloring, one had a longer coat and most of them were ticked, but their paperwork absolutely checked out (all the way back to Millwood, as he had said).

The kittens were more of the same. Incredibly healthy, energetic, not the best in the looks department, at least according to breed standards - they were tarnished, there was not a lot of contrast, they all had ticked coats. My guess here is that, as with all people who offer a service, there are levels of skill. This man was more of a Goodwill than a Barney's, but I wouldn't fault him that. He clearly loves this breed and isn't out to make a profit. He had good knowledge, was aware of the health concerns inherent to bengals, was able to guess which kittens would have "glitter," was able to accurately describe what to expect temperament-wise, etc. He provided me with the kittens' most recent vet paperwork, a copy of both of their parent's pedigrees and it is written into his contract that the life of the kitten is insured for one year. He does thorough blood, liver and heart work on all of his studs and queens, but does not do the expensive HCM test or PK-def. I asked if he selects for anything when he breeds but it is clear he does not understand genetics nor does he desire to produce "show-quality" cats. I genuinely feel he is a good man trying to propagate and share the breed that he loves but lacks technical knowledge.

That being said, we left without a kitten and have to think it over. The kittens are purebred bengals, sweet, healthy and attractive, if not the best specimens of their breed. I would feel comfortable dealing with this man if we choose to go this route and don't feel like I would be encouraging "bad breeder behavior."

Perhaps the most unfortunate part of the experience was after leaving - my partner confessed to having felt very stuffed up while in the house and started sneezing, experiencing itchy eyes and skin. It wasn't severe and passed quickly. He owned one cat prior to this for a number of years with no allergies. We are not sure if it was the sheer volume of cats in the house or if he has somehow developed allergies. If that is the case, we can definitely not have a cat. ): We are going to go over to a friend's house who has a single grown bengal and see if that elicits a response. Does anyone find that bengals are more or less prone to trigger allergies than other housecats? Do you find that some people can tolerate one cat while more is too many? I have never had allergies to anything and don't have experience with the topic.

Thanks so much again for everyone's advice.

Good on you for remaining level headed and not jumping into things.

As for the allergy thing, I've had cats all my life and I find that I have an allergic reaction to each new cat I meet, whether it be my own or others. I find it's a matter of getting used to the cat and my symptoms go away after a while.

Oh and I did a google search on both the registered name and the guys name and nothing at all came up. Does he not have a website or anything?

No, no website at all. I found him on eBay classifieds (which should have been a first warning sign). Like I said, he has at least ten years of legitimate TICA paperwork for all of his cats. Surely there must be tons of people like this who get into breeding cats and somehow remain oblivious and off-the-radar? In addition, of course, to those who are actually unregistered scam artists.

Some people have good intentions, but I don't support breeding for breeding's sake, with no regard to health or without any real goal or direction. There are enough kittens in the world, so I only like to see breeders that do everything right.

_________________
The little monsters 3

_________________
The little monsters 3