Hello, just wanted some opinions, I have found a bengal kitten that I would love to buy and maybe use as a show cat, the coat has a big brown/golden cape down the middle and no spine lines but does have a line of joint rosetts either side of the Cape, the kitten is around 6 weeks old so I'm just wondering is that normal to not have spine lines? Is it desirable?

The kitten is brown and will be rosetted.
The other kittens seem to have at least one spine line.
I haven't put pictures up as I'm unsure if it would be allowed by breeder ect (I'm new here) so sorry if it's hard to understand.

Thanks in advance

Welcome to our forum. I don't have a definitive answer for you, but found this on a breeder's website:

Spine:
All Bengals are born with three stripes down the spine. Sometimes, these stripes are so wide that they bleed into one large black patch down the back, known as a "Cape". Over time, the Cape can thin or fade or remain the same. The middle stripe down the spine never really goes away and is considered rare indeed if they ever develop into spots. The 2 stripes down either side, however, may stay stripes or they may eventually develop into individual spots. This usually starts occurring around 4 weeks and if you don't see a development towards this by then, then chances are slim it will ever happen. I would say that only 40% of the time these stripes become spots and more spots means better quality.

Rib Bars:
Right behind the arm where the ribs are located is often times a stripe, known as a "Rib Bar". Sometimes it's a thin line barely noticeable unless the arm is stretched out, sometimes it's a thick line or even two lines, and sometimes they are multiple spots that are connected to form strange looking blobby line. Obviously, no Rib Bars means less lines and better quality. Rib Bars can be found within up to 80% of all Bengals.

We have many potential bengal owners share pictures from their breeders. I just checked my bengal and I don't see any spine stripes except the one down the middle. He has what looks like butterfly markings off of that stripe. My bengal is a cool bengal so there is not a lot of contrast between the pelt and the rosettes and striping. Plus, he is 9 years old.

Here is FoothillFelines website with what they look for in a bengal for showing:

http://www.hdw-inc.com/showingbengals.htm

Your breeder should be able to tell you the difference between a pet quality and show quality bengal. Even having a slew of supreme grand champions may not make your cat a show cat. You really need to do a lot of research as showing a cat is time consuming and can be costly with travel. If you have a beautiful cat that is sure to champion, then it can be worth it.

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The little monsters 3

Put up some pictures and ideally show different angles.

Just an update, I cancelled my deposit and placed it with another breeder that checks the health better in all of her kittens and parents.
I will probably start a new thread asking more on my kittens developement soon, she will be kept as just a pet :)

Hopefully, the breeder will refund the money. There are a ton of complaints where a deposit was cancelled, the refund was promised, but never showed up. At least you seem more confident about this new breeder.

Sorry I mean that I have told her I won't be going ahead with the kitten purchase, I haven't asked for the refund for the deposit

Most breeders do not give refunds on deposits. Hopefully, it was not a lot of money for you. Know that most breeders are happy to show you records of vaccinations and vet visits for the kitten. But, every breeder is different. A good breeder should never feel you are asking too many questions, especially if you are a first-time bengal owner.

As long as you are happy with the new breeder and kitten you have selected, that's all that really matters.

I didn't ask for a refund on the deposit and she didn't want to show me any records, she just wanted me to take her word, that's why I had many questions regarding the health which she got a bit annoyed about. Very happy with the breeder I'm with now, I have also seen her on here! :D

I'm glad, this seems like a much better situation for you.

I will definitely echo that a good breeder will not get easily upset with a new owner asking questions. I know I want my bengals to go to good families who will take care of them. The ones that are concerned and asking questions show that they are more likely to be a caring family.

Thank you, OntarioBengals. An buyer needs to be comfortable and confident with their breeder. Any red flags or intuition that you have that something isn't completely right -- move on -- just as you have. Most breeders spay and neuter and vaccinate before the kittens go to a new home -- so they have medical records they can provide. How much longer are you going to be waiting for your new baby?

Just as an aside here, I have noticed in another forum that some Bengal breeders are hostile towards people who are not knowledgeable about the breed or who ask what they think are 'dumb' questions. I saw many people get jumped on for asking basic questions. I don't know if this is a developing thing in Bengal-world, but Thomas and I got thrown out of this forum for him not being Bengal enough. So it makes me wonder if there is a general attitude towards people who just won't accept what a breeder says. If so, it's not a good thing.

I had a purebred Holland lop who came from a very cantankerous breeder lady, but she was always great about letting me visit for a checkup on the critter. So I dont' mind some attitude, so long as they do what they are supposed to for the animal involved.