Bengal Cat & Kitten Pricing

How much do bengal cats cost?

Bengal cats are very very expensive to breed if you are an ethical breeder and doing it the right way. Yes, there is a short answer to this question but that also depends a lot on what each particular breeder charges. You can find scammers trying to sell bengal kittens for as low as $500 and you can find low quality bengals for around $1000. Please read below so that you know what all goes into the cost of a bengal kitten that is bred by an ethical breeder that's not taking any shortcuts.

Set up and housing for the breeding bengal cats-

The set up needed for the cats is also very costly. You can not just have males and females and kittens running all over your house or it would be the most unsafe and unsanitary conditions for the cats. Males AND females that are not spayed/neutered WILL spray all over the place and your house will be disgusting if you don't have the proper accommodations for them and when I say accommodations I don't mean locking them up in cages either.

A separate area for the moms to give birth to the babies because they will get stressed out and possibly even abandon or kill the kittens if theres tons of noise and activity.

A bengal nursery for the older kittens is a must so that IF anyone was to get sick it wouldn't spread to all the cats, very young kittens, or pregnant moms.

Multiple areas for hormonal moms because no matter how much they like each other when they are pregnant they might fight (it happens a lot) and if they do you can absolutely have them miscarry the babies.

Spacious outdoor enclosures for the males. They must each have their own because they WILL fight and they WILL spray.... all the time.... non stop.

Health testing-

Any time you limit the gene pool in order to achieve a specific goal in an animal—in this case, a beautiful cat that looks like a leopard cat and has an awesome temperament—you’re also subjecting that breed to the possibility of doubling up the bad genes in addition to the good genes. A knowledgeable breeder is going to be well aware of this, and will be diligent about keeping the health of the breed a prominent focus. But this requires testing, which costs money.

With Bengals, there are currently 3 main genetic conditions that a good bengal breeder will be actively screening or testing for: HCM, PRA, and PK-def.

The most prominent factor to kitten pricing is HCM screening. This must be done by a cardiologist and can cost $300-$1,000 per cat, and it’s recommended that cats are screened every year. A breeder selling cheap kittens cannot afford this screening.

In addition to genetic health testing, breeders must be diligent about routinely screening for infectious disease and address anything that crops up in a timely manner.

This all means that a kitten that comes from health tested lines will cost more than a kitten from a breeder who skips this, but it’s so important that health is at the forefront of any breeding program.

https://thebengalconnection.com/articles/bengal-cat-price/

Quality and cost of the adult bengals

Breeding for quality means that breeders have to pay a significant amount of money (sometimes tens of thousands of dollars) for cats from quality lines, with breeding rights. Breeders do this to preserve and improve the Bengal breed, but they have to charge more for their kittens as a result.

You will NOT find a quality bengal kitten for under $1000. It could more than likely even be a scammer.

Flashy large rosettes, ultra clear coats, high contrast, really wild looking faces, are all characteristic of a high quality bengal cat that has taken decades to achieve. The price of a quality bengal kitten will reflect this.

Breeders cost for other necessities-

Breeding Bengals is NOT cheap at all, period. You would be shocked at the vet bills, cost of feeding high quality food, cost of genetic testing, the cost of preventative medications, the list goes on and on. When you have a large number of cats living together you are constantly having to do preventative medications, and if one gets sick they usually all get sick. Doesn't matter how clean and sanitized you keep your cattery. You will eventually have your cats get sick with something and most of the time it comes from the trip to the vets office unfortunately. Even if the other cats don't have symptoms many times the safest thing to do is treat everyone, and it's not cheap. Below is a list of costs that a good breeder will incur throughout the year.

High quality, high protein dry food (with no filler, corn, wheat, soy, or by-products) is NOT cheap
Some breeders feed a raw diet which is also NOT cheap
High quality wet food and real cooked chicken
Water filters (Because our bengal kitties only get filtered water! LOL!)
Cat litter
Toys and the constant replacing of toys because they get worn out extra fast by all the kittens
High quality supplements
Emergency supplements for fading kittens
Nebulizer with medication and incubation box for emergencies
High quality probiotics
Vaccines
Worming
Microchipping
Vet emergency trips and C sections
Vet health checks
Medications
Supplies for birthing moms such as Breeders edge supplements, Kitty Bloom Waite supplement, constantly replacing blankets for the birthing box, replacing whelping pads that go on the bottom, etc etc
Gift bags, toys, health cards, samples, blankets that smell like their mom and one month of Revolution for each kitten to go home with
TICA registrations fees for cattery, the adults, and litters of kittens
On going educational costs (For us this means traveling and getting a hotel room to attend a yearly breeder convention hosted by Revival. Top doctors give amazing lectures and there's lots of other guest speakers too.)
Cost of showing the cats and all the fees and travel expenses that go along with it.
Advertising costs, breeder listing fees, website hosting fees

Why our bengal kittens prices aren't posted

I do not post prices of my kittens on my website for this reason:

I've had NUMEROUS clients ask me to take down the price of their kitten when I used to post them because of issues with friends or family members being nosy. I can completely understand this. There's been plenty of times I bought something for my girls and then had to listen to someone tell me how I should be spending MY money.

It really annoys me when people criticize the price of a gorgeous exotic cat, who has qualities you will not find in any other animal. No one ever questions spending hundreds of dollars on a dog. Are dogs better than cats?? I would have to say no. Especially when you're talking about a Bengal cat. People (including myself) spend more money on more useless items, restaurants, etc in life and have nothing to show for it. A Bengal kitten is a new family member! It's companionship, love, entertainment, and happiness. It's the only time you can actually buy love or happiness! And when taken care of and fed properly, Bengals easily live 15-18 years so the price is well worth it!

Kittens are also being evaluated as they develop. Most people don't realize this and if they are seeing our bengal kitten prices change they might wonder what is going on. If a kitten turns our better or not as good as they were expected to be when first priced at 3 weeks old, the price will go up or down accordingly. However, if you are on our waitlist or placed a deposit to hold a kitten your price will be locked in and will not go up. If we think the kitten isn't turning out as well as we had anticipated we will be honest about it and reduce the price of the kitten for you. All of our kittens are still beautiful. Even our lowest priced kittens are top quality even in appearance. If you want an average looking bengal kitten you've come to the wrong place! LOL!

If you would like information about the price range of our gorgeous bengal kittens please contact us and I will send you a very detailed email with the kitten pricing. I can also provide the exact price of any available kitten that you are interested in.

Please consider placing a deposit and getting on the waiting list if you're sure you want a kitten. Many times the kittens all have deposits placed on them before they're even born and if you wait until the moms due date they are all taken by then.

We only place our kittens in loving homes where we know they will receive the absolute best possible care. These cats are not just our pets, they are our family members. Belle Ami Bengals reserves the right to refuse the sale of a kitten at any time if we are not comfortable with the buyer.

We hope we can help you find that special Bengal kitten of your dreams!!!

See our page how to choose a bengal breeder for some really helpful tips!

Choosing a quality bengal kitten

To many people who are new to the Bengal breed and perhaps saw a picture of one or has a friend who owns one and has decided they have to have one too, all Bengal kittens with cute little spots look the same. To the untrained eye all they see is an adorable kitten with spots and the price. Bengals drastically change during the first year of life. They go through a cute stage, then a fuzzy stage, and then their color and contrast continues to change until they are about a year old.

There are LOTS of features to consider when buying a Bengal kitten besides the spots!!!

Contrast: which is not fully developed until the Bengal is about a year old
Pattern: does if flow the way it should
Rosettes or Spots: will they open up into rosettes or stay as spots, are they random or flowing
Face: this covers soooo much; profile, ear size and set, rounded ears, whisker pads, whiteness of whisker pads, chin, nose width, eye spectacles, mascara lines, size and set of eyes (this is also one of the most important reasons a Bengal has a "wild" appearance)
Bone Structure: does it resemble that of the Asian Leopard Cat
Defects: is there are tail kink or locket, etc
Tummy: is white or creamy, is it spotted
Legs: are they striped and front legs shorter than back giving the cat a "wild" walk
Tail: is it striped or better yet rosetted, is the tip completely black
Glitter: does the Bengal have it, how much does it have
Coat: softness and thickness

If you do not know how to tell what these bengal features should look like in a kitten then ask someone who does for help or go the TICA website and read up on the "Bengal Standard." It's much harder to tell when they are kittens too because these features are not yet developed. Even breeders sometimes are surprised to see how a kitten turns out as an adult.

Adopt a Bengal From a Rescue Group

There's always bengals at rescue groups in need of loving homes. If you can open your home and your heart to one of these cats in need, contact one of these bengal cat rescue groups.

www.bengalrescue.org

https://bengal.rescueme.org/Louisiana

https://bengalrescue.ngo

https://www.instagram.com/officialbengalrescue/

https://greatlakesbengalrescue.com