Adoption & Misc. Info
Why is Epsilon a great place to purchase a Bengal Kitten?
- We pride ourselves with our ability to match cats with homes and people.
- We’ve been breeding and placing kittens and cats for over 30 years.
- We have few absolute guidelines, but we strive to get to know a prospective buyers needs and desires as well has their living situation so we can better serve you and provide the best homes for our beloved cats and kittens.
- Our kittens are home raised with special attention to socialization, health and well being. Over 30 years of experience is unmatched.
- We provide a 1 week unconditional guarantee. If you don’t like how your cat is eyeballing your gold fish with bad intent or doesn’t fit in to your home in some way, you can bring them back for a full refund. We want the Bengal cat you choose to be the right pet for you. After all, it’s going to be with you for many years.
All of our cats are usually spayed or neutered prior to moving into new homes, but COVID has changed that for the moment. *See note below
*COVID-19 Note: While spay/neuter services are limited during these challenging times, we are placing our kittens with Spay/Neuter agreements instead of spaying them prior to release. The number of Vets that do early spay and neuter are limited and it takes months before we can get them fixed. We hope to return to early spay and neuter mid 2022.
All of our cats are microchipped. This is done to protect the animal throughout its life if it’s lost, stolen or otherwise left in a compromised position. The microchip ID is recorded in the following places:
- Universal microchip registry. When an owner registers the microchip, it goes into a database that accessible to anyone. When a cat is found and scanned, the owner will be on record and will be contacted about the lost cat.
- Microchip vendor. If the microchip isn’t registered and the microchip is scanned, the vendor will be contacted and will contact me as the purchaser and implanter of the microchip.
- Epsilon’s database. When the microchip vendor contacts me about a found Bengal, I find the owner associated with the microchip and contact them. I have been contacted about a lost cat several times, so this process works. If you register your microchip, then you’ll be contacted if your cat is found. Please register the microchip.
We are responsible and reputable.
Breeding & placing kittens is a very complex process. Sure it sounds easy to put a male and a female together, let them breed and then kittens appear in 9 weeks. There are so many different elements to evaluate in breeder/show cats and kittens like structure, appearance (according to the TICA standard and the breeders goals), health, temperament, genetic health. It’s easy to create a litter of kittens, but it’s really challenging to really produce better Bengals long term. There is a “sweet spot” where a seasoned breeder knows that the cats they keep back are as strong as they can be without losing too much of what we wish to keep in terms of their goals.
Then there’s the matter of how to manage pet kittens and breeding rights so that there’s not an unnecessary population boom leading to poor homing of kittens, back yard breeders, kittens and cats ending up in rescue and animal control. We make that easy by practicing early spay and neuter (ESN) as well as carefully choosing homes for breeder/show cats. During COVID, we use spay/neuter agreements to assure the cats are fix and don’t grow up to be urine spraying and marking animals. We’re working to return to early spay and neuter soon.
What the diseases that affect Bengal cats & what do we test for?
Bengals are generally a very healthy breed. There are conditions that affect Bengals that can be tested for in one way or another. These conditions are present in other breeds, but there are variations to the Bengal exist in a couple of them..
Some breeders post a long list of test results from the Optimal Selection (TM) test panel for all breeds of cats that have nothing to do with Bengals. It implies that they’re doing more than other breeders to maintain healthy breeding animals. This is misinformation.
There are 2 simple recessive genetic illnesses that are preventable through testing. These are:
- Bengal PRA-b (Progressive Retinal Atrophy-Bengal gene) which causes blindness
- PKDef (Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency) which causes a form of anemia.
HCM, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a heart condition that has no definitive test. Monitoring of the heart using ultrasound is the only way of diagnosing this condition.
Like cats in general, Bengals are commonly affected by periodontal disease and tooth resorption. Periodic dental exams and cleanings will help prevent this.
There are other illness that cats in general get that affect Bengals like upper respiratory, gastrointestinal (GI) problems and parasites. Vaccinations, good living environment along with flea and GI parasite treatments will treat and prevent many of these problems.
We test only for the genetic illnesses that affect Bengal cats and for opportunistic viral agents if an infection surfaces. Our sound husbandry practices and living environment minimize the occurrence of upper respiratory, gastrointestinal illness and other conditions.
*See blog post at this link for more information about Bengal Health.
What’s the procedure for acquiring a Bengal from Epsilon?
First, please practice pleasant persistence. We get lots of inquiries, many of which aren’t serious, so it’s best to both call and email. Texting is best left for misc. correspondence after the adoption process has begun, so please keep it mostly to email and phone calls.
I avoid corresponding thru Facebook and ask you to use email. A quick and easy way to initially contact us is to use our Contact Page. There you can email directly from the page or use our email address or phone number. Frankly, it gets overwhelming with multiply communications streams, so I prefer to keep it simple so I can better serve you. Getting on the waiting list gives a buyer first right of refusal of kittens over those below them on the waiting list and non-waiting list buyers.
I recommend you contact me after you review this adoption info and tell me a little about yourself and others in your household, non-human as well, of course. You may also visit our Blog for additional information. We will be adding new blog entries as time passes. By getting to know you a little and learning what you hope to see in a Bengal kitten or cat, I can better match you with a great companion animal.
I provide pictures of available kittens on this website, but obviously, meeting a kitten or cat is best. Often, people come with a list of favorite kittens and end up leaving with one they hadn’t even considered. I find that they’re even more beautiful in person and during a visit, I’ll answer questions and provide more useful information about specific kittens and the breed in general.
I rarely ship kittens and find that having people visit to meet and interact with the available kittens provides the most rewarding adoption experience. Some breeders don’t allow prospective owners to visit their home. Our humble abode is open to all who wish to meet, interact and choose a kitten for the best experience finding the right kitten.
How much do Bengals cost?
See blog post about the Cost of Bengals
Are there any additional costs?
We include a microchip implant in all of our animals, which would be a cost of $30 to $50, depending on the vet clinic used.
While spay/neuter services are limited during these challenging times, we are placing our kittens with Spay/Neuter agreements instead of spaying or neutering them prior to release. The number of Vets that do early spay and neuter are limited and it takes months before we can get them scheduled to be fixed.
You are advised to take your new kitten/cat to a vet for a checkup and follow up with a third vaccination and a rabies vaccine (at 4 months of age) now required by the State of Washington. And remember, these are living creatures that, no matter how well they’re raised, may encounter illness just like children. We have an excellent record of minimizing the occurrence of upper respiratory (runny eyes, nasal congestion and chronic sneezing) and gastrointestinal (which cause diarrhea) afflictions. Please note that most cats carry Feline Herpsvirus Type-1 (rhinotracheitis) but cats raised and maintained in a healthy environment usually don’t develop chronic illness.
Can I show my kitten/cat?
Some cats can be shown in the Alter class at a TICA, CFA or ACFA show. It’s easiest to show in TICA because our cats are registered with this registry. Even though I allow the showing of a cat, no cat is guaranteed to perform well in the show.
How much does shipping cost?
We cannot ship unless a buyer visits to choose a kitten and then we can ship later. The other option is that a buyer flies in to SeaTac (Seattle/Tacoma International) and I’ll be there with the kitten and health certificate. The kitten can then fly back with the buyer preferable as a carry on or in a special, heated, climate controlled cargo compartment for animals. I usually sedate them with a safe compound to minimize stress and anxiety. Many of my kittens are very adaptable and will be perfect flight companions. I’ll also provide a cleanup kit in case the animal has a bowel movement, which is rare. Flights can be scheduled so a person can fly in and out the same day. The added price for this is $150-$200 depending on my expenses.
What colors/patterns do I breed?
We specialize in Black/Brown Leopard Spotted Bengals, but we do get an occasional Snow color and Marble pattern. I really like a good marbled Bengal and consider them very special and unusual. They’re like an abstract painting on a living, breathing animal.
Why don’t you have your address on your web site?
Many Bengal breeders, including Epsilon, have had cats stolen. As a security measure, we don’t list our exact location. We may ask for name, address and phone number and require that I speak with you prior to scheduling an appointment and providing our address. And if you’re thinking you might find a Bengal breeder a good theft target, think again. Most of these thieves get caught as they did in me.