Ready To Start Your Own Bengal Journey?
Bengals are very intelligent, social and energetic cats. Providing plenty of appropriate scratching and climbing surfaces is important. Scratching is a natural behavior for cats and you may worry that they may damage your furniture. This should be taken into consideration when bringing any cat into the home. Declawing is not a solution and often leads to even more problems such as biting, eliminating outside of the litter box, limping and chronic pain. There are lots of options for “catifying” your home in preparation for your new family member.
At first, your Bengal will need to be kept in a small, quiet room so they can adjust to being away from mom and siblings. Once your kitty is introduced to the rest of the house, having appropriate places to scratch and climb will save your furniture and your sanity.
Bengals are descendants of the Asian Leopard Cat. Bengals have maintained their forest dwelling ancestor’s instinct to climb and be off the ground. Cat trees and shelves will help satisfy your Bengal ‘s desire to be high above everything. There are a variety of styles available that blend into the decor of any home. Trees with sisal rope posts and carpet provide excellent surfaces for scratching. Not all cats are sensitive to cat nip, but if your cat is one that goes crazy for it, putting a little on the cat tree will help attract your kitty away from couches and chairs. A variety of vertical and horizontal scratching surfaces is also helpful.
Cat wheels are excellent exercise and good for draining excess energy. It may take a few tries for your cat to get the hang of it, but they’ll love it once they do. We recommend ZiggyDoo cat wheels. They tend to be more sturdy and stable. There are plenty of other brands available and you can even find directions online on how to build your own.
Not everyone has room for a giant cat wheel in the house. There are plenty of other ways to entertain your cat. Amazon and Chewy are great places to shop for cat toys. Plain cardboard boxes will provide hours of entertainment without spending a lot of money.
If you decide to make diet changes, do it slowly. You will need to mix the new food and old food for a few days to give your cat’s digestive system time to adjust. Probiotics are great and can be useful for avoiding diarrhea from new foods or the stress of moving to a new environment.
If you wish to use a different type of litter, we suggest having one box with the old litter right beside a box with the new litter in it. This will allow your cat to get used to the smell and texture of the new litter before taking the old litter away.
The stress of moving to a new home can cause stress diarrhea. All of our cats are free of intestinal parasites and have undergone PCR testing for a variety of GI infections. Kittens are dewormed regularly. Staring at 8 weeks old, they are treated with Revolution monthly. Parasites such as coccidia and tritrichomonas are common in crowded conditions or in places where there are cats coming and going a lot. We only breed a couple of litters a year and keep a minimal number of cats in our home to avoid crowding and allow us to give each cat the attention they need. We also quarantine and test all cats that come into our cattery prior to allowing them to mingle with our cats. If your kitten develops diarrhea when you get it home, take it to your veterinarian. We do not suggest using remedies obtained from the internet as the first line of treatment. Dr. Google is not a substitute for regular veterinary care.
Male or Female?
Once you decide on a Bengal, you may have trouble deciding on whether to get a male or female.
Males tend to be bigger and more muscular than females. If not used for breeding, we recommend neutering before 6 months of age in order to decrease the chances that your male will spray. This is NOT an absolute guarantee that they won’t spray as adults, but it makes it less likely. It also reduces the tendency to fight with other cats.
Females are slightly smaller, but just as much fun. Females can spray, but typically don’t if spayed before they become sexually mature at around 6-9 months of age. Some females sexually mature as early as 4 months. Spaying also eliminates the chances of developing a pyometra. This condition happens when bacteria get into the uterus and develop into an infection. It is a life threatening problem that is much cheaper and easier to prevent than to treat.
No matter which you choose, we will help, you find the right Bengal for your home.
Trusted Cattery Friends
Upcoming Shows
Upcoming Shows
If we don’t have what you‘re looking for, try one of these trusted catteries. These catteries are all CFA and/or TICA registered. Each of these catteries produce kittens that are guaranteed healthy.
Boyds Bengals, Savannah Georgia
Cosmic Bengal, North Port Florida
Jensayla Bengals, Georgetown, Kentucky
Prismatic Bengals, Savannah GA
Painted Cats, Milwauke, WI
Wildlife Bengals , Prairieville, LA
You may also contact any of these catteries for references or you
may schedule an appointment to come see us. We work outside of home and need a couple of days notice to arrange time off, so please call ahead.
Upcoming Shows
Upcoming Shows
Upcoming Shows
Want to find a cat show in your area?
Check out https://www.tica.org/events/show-calendar
Spectators are always welcome. Attending shows is a great way to learn about and see all the wonderful breeds of cats. You can also meet reputable breeders and see some of their beautiful cats.
Come see us at the following shows:
Midwest TGIF Fanciers Gray Summit, MO Region: Midwest (6)
August 5-6
Rebel Rousers Cat Club Lawrenceville, GA Region: Southern (7)
August 19-20
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact and Useful Information
Contact and Useful Information
How much do kittens cost?
Pet kittens are $2500
(we sometimes have kittens available for reduced prices)
Breeder/Show quality $3000-$4000
These prices are based on coat quality/clarity and conformation.
Retired adults $800-$2000 (spayed/neutered prior to adoption)
Why are kittens so expensive?
A lot goes into producing healthy, well socialized, high quality Bengals. Our cats are screened yearly for HCM and have been genetically tested for PRA (Bengal blindness) and PK Deficiency (causes anemia). Our cats have also been PCR tested for gastrointestinal parasites and infections. Our cats are maintained on monthy parasite preventatives as well. Maintaining a healthy environment and providing quality care is expensive and labor intensive.
Do you allow visits to see and choose kittens?
Yes, we allow visits. We ask for at least 48 hours notice since we work outside the home.
Aren‘t kittens old enough to leave mom at 6 weeks?
No, kittens are not ready to leave mom that early. Kittens are kept with mom for 12 weeks so that they can mature socially, learn to use the litter box, interact with other people and pets and be properly vaccinated prior to going to their new home. We want our babies to make the smoothest transition possible into their new homes.
Do you ship kittens?
Yes, we will ship kittens to most areas. There is an additional fee for this service. if shipping outside of the US. This fee includes a carrier, health certificate, airfare and any testing required prior to shipping. Pet Jet Pals In cabin flight service is available for a fee of approximately $450 within the continental US. Contact us for pricing on shipping in cabin outside of the US. We do not ship to areas where Bengals are prohibited. Since I am USDA accredited, shipping to prohibited areas would void my accreditation.
If I change my mind, do I get my deposit back? Once a specific kitten is reserved, the deposit becomes non-refundable unless the kitten is deemed unhealthy. In this case, you have the option to choose another kitten or get a full refund on the deposit.
Do you give discounts for purchasing more than one kitten?
Yes. If you purchase more than one kitten there is a price break.
I’ve seen other websites with cheaper kittens that are ready at 8-10 weeks. Why are they able to price them so much cheaper?
Buyer beware when you see kittens priced very cheap. This is often times a scam and you’ll never hear from the ”seller” again once you pay them any money. There are some breeders that do sell kittens for less than $1000. They usually have a large number of breeding cats and just concentrate on quantity not quality. We keep our numbers low to ensure we provide proper care and attention to all our cats. They are kept in a clean environment and receive interaction daily. They are part of our family. We breed our cats specifically to meet breed standards.
May we see the kitten in person before placing a deposit?
Arrangements may be made to see your kitten via video chat. We try to keep cattery visits to a minimum and only clients that have placed a deposit on a kitten may visit in person.
Contact and Useful Information
Contact and Useful Information
Contact and Useful Information
I work away from home and will return calls as soon as possible. Please leave your name, phone number and a brief message. Emails and texts are easiest for me to answer during the day. I am unable to answer phone calls during the day, so I will get back to you in the evening if you leave a message.
Call or text: (706) 601-9096
No calls or texts after 10 pm
email:
southernpinesbengals@gmail.com
Visit us on Facebook too!
You may request videos and live chats to see kittens as well. If you’d like a video of a specific kitten, please e-mail us.
We highly recommend ZiggyDoo cat wheels to keep your Bengal entertained and fit. www.ziggydoo.com
One Fast Cat wheels are another option and are available online at amazon.com
Please follow your vet’s recommendations for feeding, vaccinations and parasite control. Each cat is an individual and they have different needs according to lifestyle and exposure risks. While we may make suggestions, breeders and Google are not replacements for your veterinarian.
There are several pet insurance providers available. We strongly recommend signing your new kitten up as soon as possible. Enrolling them as kittens can help you lock in a low monthly premium. No one plans for pets to get sick or get injured and unexpected emergency veterinary care can be costly. There are some that cover both preventive and emergency care. An agent can help you pick a plan that works for you and your budget. Your SouthernPines bengal will come with one month of free insurance through Trupanion.
Want to get into showing, but not sure how to go about getting started? We and some of our cattery friends will be more than happy to help you out. The CFA and TICA websites are a good place to find information about showing your cat. We will be happy to walk you through the process of registering for a show, getting your cat ready, setting up at the shows and getting your cat to the show ring.