I first learned of Bengals when I read an article about spotted cat breeds in CATS USA 95.  I was blown away by the Bengal, and even then as a teenager, I dreamed of owning, showing, and breeding Bengals.  Many years later, I finally have my chance and am super excited! 

My husband and I raise all our cats in our home as part of the family.  We have an outdoor enclosure for our stud, due to spraying (quite normal and expected of breeding males), however we spend time outside with him daily and he enjoys walks on his harness.  Our girls have free run of our home, interacting with our two large dogs and two domestic longhair cats, and snuggling on the couch with us during the evenings. 

Kittens are raised in our bedroom until 4 weeks when they are moved to a bedroom of their own.  At 6 weeks they begin roaming the house underfoot and interacting with our other cats, dogs, and visitors.  From 8-12 weeks they have excursions outside the home to accustom them to traveling, vet visits, and meeting new people. 

My two partners in this cat venture are my husband and sister.  I owe lots of thanks to my wonderful husband, who helps by playing with cats and kittens, taking care of everything when I'm away at shows, supporting me throughout the ups and downs of cat showing and breeding, and just plain putting up with everything!  I couldn't do it without him!  Huge thanks also to my amazing sister, who has been my show-buddy and support from the beginning, sharing long drives to shows, and putting up with my show anxiety.  Her household pet Tyger Lily is now a Quad Grand Master, and will hopefully soon be a Supreme!  However, my sister surprised me by getting into breeding and showing Bengals for herself!  I look forward to many more shows together.

Also, many thanks to Karen of Avenir for my beautiful girls Pixie and Luna and all your advice and support!
www.avenirbengals.com