As some of you know, my OH and I brought home our beautiful bengal boy, Stash, about two months ago. He has been the perfect addition to our family and we couldn't be happier. We are preparing to take Stash on our Thanksgiving trip to the mountains next week. He is harness and leash trained and is a great car rider. It's fair to say we have caught the bengal bug and we have been considering getting another.

During our initial search I contacted a few breeders, one of which was Lucia Viti of Mayaville Bengals. We ended up getting Stash from Gary Colby of San Diego Bengals. Recently, while browsing his site, I saw that the two kittens I had seen from Lucia are still looking for homes. I contacted her and she said that Charlie, a brown marble male, is still available. She was happy we got a kitten from Gary and told me that the two of them work closely together. It seems a bit like fate - this kitten is out of Gary's grand champion Brissinger, and would have been our second choice if we hadn't found Stash. He is Stash's same age, although OH would like another 12-week kitten because he has loved watching Stash grow and develop. I think the upside of a slightly older kitten is that Lucia has been able to shower him with attention and can accurately tell us how he behaves.

Now that we are arranged to go see him, however, we are having second thoughts. We love Stash and our three-member family. He sleeps between us in bed and goes for walks with us in the evening. I am worried that having another kitten will change the way he interacts with us. Will they choose to sleep together instead of with us? Will walking two cats be more difficult? Will they become more rambunctious? Will we continue to love Stash more and show favoritism? I don't want to upset the beautiful balance we all have achieved. At the same time, I realize having a playmate would be very beneficial to Stash, and that if I ever plan to be a mother I had sure better get used to upending the status quo!

Should I wait? We are still going to meet Charlie, and we wouldn't be able to take him home until after we return from our trip, which is over a week from now.

Edit: Pictures, I know you love them!

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It wouldn't change the way he interacts with you, it will just give you another kitty who is most likely going to interact just as well.

Unless the kitty is a right meanie

There maybe a few scuffs here and there but that comes with the life of owning more than one kitty.

I would say don't give up, go visit this kitten, your heart will tell you if it's right or not, once you've met charlie x

Hi

I personally think it might change the balance in your family. This is from my own experience.
One of our kitties is a bit more dominant and attention seeking than the other one, and I always fear I give less attention to the other kitten.
We do try our best to balance it well being full time employed as well, but 2 kittens do change the balance no matter what you do.
On the other hand, I could not be more happier to see them playing with each other and watching them groomming each other. there is noway I would be able to replicate that.

I also think if you doubt you decision, you should wait then.

The marble kitty is gorgeous though ))

I have to say Charlie is BEAUTIFUL!! I myself couldnt go see him and not take him( I am a sucker for good looking kitty) but I think its really a personal preference. I have been like you , what, three times now! I have found three different kittens that I have wanted over the past 7 months and when I am supposed to go see them or put a deposit down all I can think about is what it would do to BB and I dont want to upset her for something that I want! I have even went as far as putting a deposit down and then backing out. Now I have a new problem I was ready and had talked myself into getting another and put a deposit down before the litter was born and then they were all still born! So that was horrible. Now I feel terrible because I have waited so long BB will Be a year old in January so I feel that I have missed out on watching two kittens play and love each other. You on the other hand still have that chance! I think things will be different but you all will adapt to your new situation and there will just be more love to give and more love to recieve! I dont think you will show favoritism because you are going to love each of the differently! They will be totally different kitties so you will love certain things about each of them!

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aw I wouldn't be able to resist him - look at his little face.
I think it would change your current relationship - but who is to say that that has to be a negative thing.

I got my my two at the same time. As they've got older they've both settled into their own routine. Nismo does get jealous of time that I spend with Evo - i always try and balance it but its not easy when one is standing on you!
Nismo is very much my cat and Evo is very much my partners cat - although we chose the other cat when getting them. I often find that Nismo pushes Evo off my lap or away from me, Nismo gets told thats he's naughty and I always try and get Evo back, although my lap really isn't big enough for the two of them.

Another kitten could be really lovely for Stash, you might find that you have two kitties snuggling with you at night -or they could snuggle together which trust me is the cutest thing in the world. I know that if i'm never not there (like i was in hospital for a week) that they have each other and wouldn't be too lonely.

Thank you all for the honest replies! You've helped put me at ease. We had a great experience at Lucia's house last night. She has the sweetest, most loving cats, including an enormous melanistic who kept following me around, giving me hugs and jumping on my back when I wasn't looking. As for Charlie, he was quiet, reserved, liked to cuddle but uninterested in toys. Soft, sweet boy.

There were a few red flags, although Lucia is one of the sweetest, nicest breeders I've had the pleasure to meet. First, she told us Charlie had bonded with her husband, and it was true that while he was in the other room during our visit, he would jump out of our arms and go meow at the closed door. She also told us he was a picky eater and only likes two flavors of Fancy Feast - she doesn't feed raw because she feels kibble is necessary for fiber and to "clean the cat's teeth," which I found interesting since she works exclusively with Gary, who is a huge proponent of raw and told us that kibble gets stuck in the cat's teeth and is the result of many illnesses and poor dental hygiene. She also doesn't vaccinate. Charlie is almost 6 months and has no vaccinations! She said she is "homeopathic," and we do go to a veterinarian who has a minimal-vaccination policy, but it is my understanding that there are two vaccines that are more or less required, at 8 and 12 weeks?

Another factor working against me was that there were two 5-week old kittens there, and, as mentioned previously, OH wanted to get a younger kitten. He fell in love with one little brown spotted boy and that put an end to Charlie's chances. ):

Overall the experience was good, although I don't think we will be purchasing from Lucia based on the factors above. Gary has some brown spotted kittens available as well so next step is to check them out. OH wants to "connect" with a kitten like we did with Stash - we both new immediately that in a room full of cats, he was the one we wanted. At the same time, we have also agreed we DO want a second cat, and will wait as long as it takes until we find the right one. The search continues!

You know , that is great! You have both come to an agreement and I think that you have made a wise decision! Its hard to get a kitten that has a real attachment to someone else! I have to say that I agree with you 100% on choosing a cat/kitten. That is just the thing you dont really choose them they choose you! That is how it was with BB she came to us jumped on us and was loving on my children, the others were just playing. That helped a lot in choosing for us!! I think you are on the right path to finding a good happy( and most important ) healthy kitten. You might have to wait longer but things like that you have to look at what would be best for you,your family, and Stash. I peronally cant wait to see what you and OH decide! GOOD LUCK! My best wishes are with you!

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Woah! How is this still on the front page? Seems like I posted this forever ago. Just wanted to follow with an update.

We have been in touch with Lucia over the past two months about her new kittens as they've grown. We've also tried to keep tabs on Charlie. As Stash has become more of a nutcase, Charlie's mellow demeanor has become more appealing. When the OH finally broke down and said it might be time to take him home, I contacted Lucia and she said he had been adopted!

Then, just a few days later, she said his sale fell through at the last minute. It seems quite a bit like fate to me. She originally had him priced at $1500 and now is asking $800. He is about 6 months old and she is obviously going to have a hard time getting rid of him at this point. OH does not want to pay that much for what he sees as a "cast off" cat. Yes, we would love and adore him and give him a wonderful home, but OH thinks we are doing the breeder a "favor" by taking him off her hands. I feel a bit weird about lowballing her after having met her and understanding what goes into breeding - all the time and effort - but OH simply will not pay more than $400 or $500 for an older kitten. What do you think? I wrote her a nice e-mail explaining the situation but I can't help feeling a bit scummy.

And yes, he has all his papers, is microchipped, neutered and up to date on boosters.

In the UK the average price for an older kitten (6 months) is around £250 (converted thats just under $400) but it all depends on the prices in the US as unfortunately I have no clue so can't really help.

I really do think older kittens are a total bargain - my first Bengal was 6 months old when I got him and I would have paid double for him

I would say that, generally, a six month old Bengal kitten would tend to go for half the price of a 12 week old. In the UK, prices seem to be around £400 a £600 for a Bengal pet kitten. Sometimes higher and sometimes lower.

In the US prices tend to be higher. If her normal price was $1500 and she is now asking $800 I feel this is about right. After all, he is now 2 months older than when you posted this originally and were considering getting him then. As a breeder, I can't help thinking its slightly mean spirited to barter for him when you know how much it costs to breed and you were interested in him earlier. The breeder will be gutted that he hasn't found a home yet. She will probably be quite attached to him as well. He will have cost her far more to raise than the rest of his litter since he has been with her longer. I think your OH is thinking of him as a commodity or as goods, which is not really right in the world of breeding.

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Lollo

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Lollo

Thing is here, that the kitten is older and it is a marble. It is basically time expired for top prices, and marbles, unless really special are always cheaper and can be difficult to shift. Why did the home fall through?
So whilst your OH doesn't want to pay top whack for Charlie, his reasons for not wanting to do so, may not be too far off the mark.

The thing to consider also, is that does your OH really want another cat. Is he happy with Stash and your little threesome with the cat in the middle?.
He may not want to say a definite no to you, but by his conditions ie he will not pay any more than $400-$500, he knows that Lucia will not sell Charlie for that price. So Charlie stays at Lucia's and you two do not fall out over him dictating that you cannot have another cat. Is he in fact hedging his bets?

Also another point to consider, Lucia's husband, with which Charlie has bonded, may be dictating the price from his end too as he may not really want to sell Charlie.

I think I kinda agree with OH on this one!! First 1500 is on the high side for a kitten and I have noticed marbles are usually priced less. I see older marble kittens going for 400-600 time and time again. However I don't know if these cheaper priced kittens come from screened parents and I would say most of them are not fixed!! Therefore I could easily argue both sides of this, older marbles are usually cheaper and then again you are paying an extra 200-300 dollars to make sure your kitten is healthy!!! Both sides have valid points you just have to weigh out which is more important!!

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