Hello,
I am new on this forum. We lost our beautiful marble boy three weeks ago. He would have been 7 in May.
I know that I will want another and possibly two Bengals down the road. We are still actively grieving but I know that time will help heal. Our memorial to Ari is tomorrow with poems, songs and wish lanterns to honor his presence, he was the light of our lives. I can't imagine living without that wonderful Bengal energy forever.

I am terrified of having any health problems when we do get another. Ari seemed fine one day, stopped eating the next and after many tests including an echocardiogram and MRI, trachial wash and cultures taken we still don't know what happened. He died of acute respiratory failure within 4 days of first seeing the vet, the day after he stopped eating. His echo showed mild to moderate HCM but the cardiologist ruled it as sub clinical. Being a strictly indoor cat we don't know the cause (a virus?) and neither do the specialty vets who treated him. It was a heart-breaking roller coaster for those 4 days and he had he best care available. His Daddy and I had both been very ill with a respiratory virus ourselves the week before...The vet says no but...

I am looking to connect with a really good breeder who has a history of healthy cats in Northern CA. I think the breeder that we got Ari from was good but since we don't know if something might have been genetic and she has slowed her breeding down considerably, I am looking for any suggestions. I know there're no guarantees in this world or bullet-proof Bengals and these are living creatures but the unknown terrifies me. Thanks, kk

My friends have tthe beautiful Bengals from Ounce Cattery in Roseville... Is that Nor Cal?
I follow them on FB, too, and she seems to be an amazing breeder. Her cats are gorgeous and there is a lot of love in that home. So sorry to hear of your loss :(

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Thank you, I actually had already submitted a request to Ounce for more info. Yes, they are about 2 hours away from where I live in the Bay Area. I see they have a litter that was born in Jan and another litter due soon. It might be too soon for us but I am not sure.

My friends' crew goes by the name of Battlestar Galacticats on instagram. They're awesome. If I wasn't on the other side of the country, I'd totally try to convince my hub we need and Ounce baby.

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