Breeding Bengal cats (mating)

Stages of breeding Bengal cats

Mating

The specific timing of mating depends on the condition of the Bengal pets and their readiness to reproduce:

for cats, procreation is possible from 7–9 months;
for females - from 1 year, although signs of estrus may be earlier.

The stable ovulation cycles of Bengal cats allow them to reproduce according to the norms for this breed: estrus occurs 4 times a year, very rarely - 5. During this period, there are no specific discharges; a swollen loop will be a sign of ovulation. If the discharge is bloody, this is a cause for concern and contact a veterinarian.

Representatives of the breed cannot be crossed with other species; in this way, the pedigree and appearance of “domestic leopards” can be spoiled, which will lead to a decrease in cost and possible health problems.

The main stages of the period suitable for reproduction are distinguished:

Proestrus - the cat does not let the cat near, but becomes affectionate, rubbing against furniture, this lasts 2-3 days.
Estrus - ideal for mating, the cat loses its appetite, marks the room, screams and withdraws its tail, if stroked, it huddles to the floor. Within 4–8 days, a cat can be allowed near her for the purpose of mating.
Metestrus is a quiet period, the final stage of conception, at which time mating becomes impossible.
Antestrus is a period of absolute rest, the interval between estrus.

During the mating season, the cat is brought into the cat's territory and left with him for several days to increase the likelihood of mating. You can accurately determine whether conception has occurred with an ultrasound scan after 2 weeks. If the attempt was unsuccessful, the mating is repeated in the next cycle.

The kittens that appear are the property of the cat’s owners, and the cat’s owners are given one kitten or payment in money.

Pregnancy

Gestation lasts about 45 days; the presence of children can be determined by palpation within 3 weeks after conception.

It is very important to provide your cat with adequate nutrition using special lines of food and vitamin supplements.
Cats' appetite is usually not satisfactory, so do not limit your animal's food intake.
Activity will also be the key to successful pregnancy and birth of babies.

Important! You should not knead the cat's belly while trying to determine the number of kittens. This can only be done by a veterinarian, whose consultation will be mandatory.

Childbirth

The place for the birth of the offspring is prepared in advance; the cat must get used to it. The ideal option would be a cardboard box with a bottom lined with soft fabric. If the expectant mother does not like the place, she will look for another secluded corner.

Before the onset of labor in cats, swollen mammary glands are visible and discharge appears.
After the waters break, the female begins to give birth. This usually happens in the evening or at night.
The presence of the owner should be mandatory, and you should have the veterinarian's phone number on hand in case of emergency.

To adopt kittens, prepare towels, disposable diapers for wiping, napkins, and scales.

Knit or sterilize?

Not all purebred Bengal cats are suitable for further breeding work. And we’re not even talking about obvious exterior defects or problematic nature. In order not to spoil the breed, breeders allow only animals that ideally meet the standard and have a promising appearance to breed. Uncontrolled reproduction can, over several generations, disrupt the plans of the creators of the species and worsen the type. For this reason, most often one of the conditions for purchasing Bengal breed babies is their mandatory sterilization on time, so not everyone can breed Bengal cats. Sterilization is useful for the animal that is not suitable for breed work, for the owner, and for the breed as a whole. Unsterilized animals should be mated regularly. Otherwise, troubles and aggressive behavior caused by instincts will not be corrected - it is necessary to eliminate the cause itself.

The opinion that a cat should be allowed to give birth once “for health” is irresponsible, and the cat supposedly turns into an amorphous creature after castration. The behavior of an animal after sterilization and castration changes in a positive direction.

Nursery premises

Breeding Bengal cats as a profitable business requires the presence of a special spacious room where the animals will be kept. The size should allow cats to be kept separately from cats with offspring and not interfere with the activity of Bengals.

Apartment

If you choose an apartment for keeping spotted pets, it must have at least three rooms. In one the cats will live with you, in the other two they contain cats and their offspring.

A private house

A nursery in the private sector is most suitable for breeding Bengal cats due to the ability to equip an open enclosure. Fresh air will help keep Bengals active.

An aviary is constructed by fencing off the space and covering it with a net with a canopy. The internal area will be divided into sectors by partitions. In winter, the room should be well heated and have the necessary lighting.

What does it look like

Photo: this is what a Bengal cat looks like.
Bengals are distinguished by their special grace and unusual shine of their fur. They combine the wild nature of their ancestors and the friendliness of a domestic cat.

Thanks to this friendliness, they are able to make friends with other pets living in the apartment, even getting along with a dog.

They are not alien to the features of other representatives of the cat family:

communication and games with the owners,
trust and responsiveness,
curiosity and observation,
communication in one’s own language, the ability to make sounds of different tones.

There are also distinctive features that distinguish this breed:

love of water and bathing: when a Bengali sees a bath of water, he will immediately jump into it,
ability to get accustomed to using a home toilet,
desire to get the owner's attention,
lack of aggression.

Caring for them is simple: you need to regularly comb the fur and trim the animal’s claws. They will always reciprocate your feelings and are a very loyal breed.

The Bengal will try to build a close and lasting relationship with his owner.

Content recommendations

The principle of keeping spotted pets is not to limit their freedom and hunting instincts.

Formation of a parent fund

To preserve the breed, observe the following principles:

Having a documented pedigree.
Crossbreeding only with purebred animals.
Availability of all necessary vaccinations.

The number of pets depends on the size of your premises. You can make a significant profit if the number of females exceeds 4, otherwise care and maintenance will be too expensive. Cats give birth 2 times a year, the number of kittens is from 3 to 5, the rest of the time the females need rest.

Breeding animals

You can purchase purebred kittens for subsequent breeding, or you can take older pairs whose age exceeds 1 year.

Purchasing females would also be a suitable option. But you need to take into account that mating with a breeding cat will cost you from 30 to 50 thousand rubles, and if the crossing was unsuccessful, the next attempt is free.

Imbreeding

This name is given to mating between close relatives to preserve breed qualities. At the same time, there is a risk of passing on negative genes and the appearance of defective offspring, which can spoil the breed.

Visiting exhibitions

Presence at exhibitions is necessary to obtain the official status of the breed, which is confirmed by high marks (not lower than 5) and awards. You need to find a suitable club and pay for membership in it.

Important! Females become sexually mature later than males, so males can take part in exhibitions from the age of 2, and males - later.

Nutrition

A balanced diet will help avoid digestive problems: Bengal cats have a very sensitive stomach.

Feeding of pets is organized using industrial food or a natural diet. Ready-made foods have a balanced composition, especially super premium ones.

There is no point in saving on food; the average cost of a diet is about 2 thousand rubles per month for one “mini-leopard”.

Care products

The choice of care products is based on the breed's characteristics: dishes, scratching posts, and cleaning wipes are purchased in the required quantity. Depending on the size of your nursery, you can establish regular contacts with pet stores.

Medicines and prevention

Periodic flea and worm treatments are an important part of grooming procedures. Vaccinations are given starting from the age of two months, the marks are put in a special veterinary passport. Be sure to take into account unforeseen expenses for treatment and purchase of medications.

Toys

Bengals inherited the love of swimming from their wild ancestors, so try to organize water procedures with small rubber toys.

Important! Animal activity is maintained through games, so purchasing toys is mandatory.

Optional equipment

The presence of a cat litter box, houses, and beds is necessary for effective breeding. Purchasing toilet filler will also be a mandatory expense.

Approximate costs

The required investment at the start of a business can be significant, given the high cost of purebred animals.

One kitten will cost 50–100 thousand rubles.
Buying 10 females can cost you 1 million rubles, and their maintenance per year will be 500 thousand rubles.

Sexual maturity of Bengals

Males mature at 8-9 months
Females mature at 5-9 months

The first mating is best done with a female who has already given birth. Subsequent matings can be carried out up to twice a week. Estrus lasts from three to fourteen days. Sexual passivity (anaestrus) lasts about four months. Preparation for mating (proestrus) takes up to three days. When readiness for sexual intercourse (estrus) occurs, the cat can be mated with a worthy, pre-selected partner.

Business benefits

The cat is the most popular pet among Russians. But only 10% of citizens keep purebred animals. This number mainly includes students, entrepreneurs, executives and managers, housewives, and holders of higher education. More often than other purebred cats, Muscovites are kept.

The combination of these reasons makes breeding purebred cats a promising activity: there are many potential buyers. People often come to buy kittens from neighboring cities, so the “sales” market is not limited to one region. In addition, Bengal cats are less common than other breeds; the breeder has a chance to become the first in his city and occupy a potentially profitable niche.

Cat breeding business has the following advantages:

An opportunity to combine hobbies and income.
Pedigree cats are expensive, they are almost always in demand, so all investments will pay off many times over.
Possibility to combine with work or other business.
You can run it at home.
Available for beginners. There is a lot of useful information and reference literature on the Internet. Even purebred cats are relatively easy to care for.
Safety. Cats pose less of a threat than dogs or exotic animals.

Domestic Bengal cats are leopard-print in color.

Important to remember

When you decide to breed your female Bengal to a cat for pregnancy, you should wait until she is a year old or older and should have already gone through a couple of heat cycles before you begin breeding her to a male cat.
If you have a male that you breed her with, it is normal for them to stay together throughout the pregnancy. They get along great.
The reason it's so important to know your cat's expected conception date is in case some kind of emergency arises and your veterinarian has to perform a C-section.
Remember the importance of choosing the right mate with the right temperament. This will help avoid the birth of kittens that may have aggressive tendencies.
Finally, when breeding your Bengal cat, never think of it as a way to get rich. It will not happen. Typically breeders who are in it for the money are motivated for the wrong reasons, and it is much better to be a hobby breeder rather than someone who is in it for the money.

Castration and sterilization

If you do not plan to breed Bengal kittens, then the best option would be to spay or neuter the animal. There is little scientific evidence about the best age to sterilize animals. There is early sterilization, when the kitten has not yet reached puberty. Its advantage is that he has not yet experienced the severe psychological and physical consequences of the need for mating. More standard sterilization is carried out when the animal has already reached sexual maturity (starting at 7–8 months).

After the operation, the Bengal cat requires good care. In the first twelve hours you should not leave your pet; it is best to place it in a warm, soft and clean place. Under no circumstances should you feed the animal, but after six hours you can give water. It is important that there is a clean tray nearby without filler.

After surgery, you need to carefully monitor your pet’s diet, as his activity decreases, he will begin to move less, and if you continue to feed him as abundantly as before, this will lead to obesity.

Owner reviews

Irina: “It all started simply and banally, with the pet Bagheera. By producing permanent offspring of high quality, participating in exhibitions, receiving awards, she brought profit where she was not expected. As a result, I gave up my day job and now only care for Bengal cats.”

Anastasia: “Such a business is not suitable for ordinary businessmen who want to earn more quickly and more. Here you need to put your soul into it. If a person doesn’t have a special connection with animals, then he won’t be able to make money from them.”

Dmitry: “The idea is risky, since expensive breeds require increased attention. In addition, the fashion for one or another type of pet often changes. It’s better to have some kind of safety net in the form of a main source of income, and use cat breeding only as a hobby.”

Sale of kittens

If you managed to wait for purebred offspring, then we assure you that there will be no problems with the sale of kittens, especially if you are a resident of a big city. After all, then, there is an opportunity to sell your pets at exhibitions, using the Internet, the media or even bulletin boards. For example, if you are interested in what kind of business to open in Moscow in 2021, then by taking up the idea of a business on Bengal cats today, you can secure yourself a good income. Indeed, recently, Bengals have become very popular, and wealthy citizens are trying to buy such a cat for themselves.

Documentation

If everything is in order with the health of your chosen one, it’s time to familiarize yourself with the documents that must be included with a purebred kitten. In particular, the package should contain:

Metrics (this is a temporary document, instead of a pedigree). When the kitten grows up, it can be exchanged for a pedigree issued for the kitten by the club that registered the mating and filed a litter certificate;
Veterinary passport, which should contain notes on all vaccinations given;
A purchase and sale agreement in which, in addition to the amount of how much a Bengal cat costs in rubles, information about the kitten is indicated (in this regard, before purchasing you need to decide what to name the Bengal cat, because this information will be recorded in the documents), its seller , the buyer, about the purpose for which the animal is purchased (in our case - with the right to breed), and other nuances of the operation. The agreement is also accompanied by an act of acceptance and transfer of the purchase object.