Bengal Birthday!

Eight years ago today, my two beautiful kittens were born. I realise they're no longer kittens, but in this family at least, that's what they're called if we refer to them in their collective.

Shadow and Spirit are sisters and though they didn't have the best start in life where their second owner is concerned, they are happy and healthy now and that's all that matters!

I have always loved animals, with cats a particular favourite - along with dogs, horses, goats, elephants, llamas...

At the time - around 8 years ago - I really wanted another kitten and I would have adored a Bengal. My daughter @danielles suggested that I get one but I couldn't justify the cost of buying one. It was a frivolous expense and there were so many reasons not to.

She said she'd chip in for half the money and @Soul was OK with it all and so we started looking.

@danielles is a genius at research when she puts her mind to it and she found one or two likely candidates.

@danielles had a hedgehog - African Pygmy hedgehog named 'Hassle'

I phoned a few and was disappointed that they'd been sold already, and then I found two for sale. Excitedly, I rang the number in the ad.

The kittens were to be sold as a pair, but I didn't really want a pair, mainly because of the cost of buying just one. She came down on the price for both and it would seem that I actually could justify a 'two-fer'.

I asked a few more questions, the first about their registration papers and she assured me it was all good. The second question was about their vaccinations. Yes, they were fully vaccinated! The last question was about whether or not they were 'entire' and whether they could have kittens. Again, she assured me it was all good and I agreed a price with her.

Shadow and Spirit at 19 weeks old

On the day before I was due to collect them, I rang again to make sure everything was still OK and I wouldn't have a wasted journey.

I'm so glad I did ring because things had changed.

She mentioned the kittens' vaccinations. Apparently, she'd forgotten that she hadn't had them vaccinated. I'd priced up vaccinations before looking for kittens for sale and I knew the cost - £119 each! Fortunately, she was prepared to knock the price of the vaccinations off the cost of the kittens - or at least, she knocked off £200...

Because we'd 'cut a deal' on the price of both kittens, plus the added discount for non-vaccinating them, the woman's husband was no longer happy and he refused to allow her to give the registration papers over with the kittens. I'm not sure what he was hoping to do with just registration papers, but I decided I wasn't going to bow to blackmail.

"OK, that's fine, you can keep the kittens. I've not seen them and so I've not fallen in love with them yet, so I'll find another one to buy."

A swift U-turn and suddenly everything was OK again and I got the address. Cash only of course, but that didn't strike me as odd.

@Soul, @danielles and I travelled down to Leicester together, bringing a cat-travelling case so we could bring them back safely.

As we arrived, I began to get a feeling of dread. The estate was a bit on the neglected side and most of the houses were tatty - some were downright dilapidated. Nevertheless, I came from a similar background and you can't judge a book by its cover.

I knocked on the door and a woman opened it. The noise from the living room was boisterous and I saw a number of adults sitting on chairs and sofas, with lots of children milling around. When we were invited in, the noise stopped and all eyes turned to see the visitors - us.

"They're upstairs," the woman said and led us up the stairs.

She opened a bedroom door and as I rounded the corner to go into the room, I saw a procession of children following us.

The kittens were kept in the bedroom which struck me as a little odd. A litter tray in one corner wasn't particularly clean, but no worries.

"They're under the bed," the woman said and stood aside. I remember wondering if she was expecting me to fetch the kittens out of their hiding place, but she started moving the bed in order to find them. One kitten shot out from under the bed, but then shot back into hiding.

"We'll get them!" one of the children shouted, waving a child-sized garden rake. The other children had miniature garden implements too and they waved them to show they were capable of getting the rascally kittens out if necessary.

I began to worry for the safety of the kittens and even if they had not been the Bengals I had gone for, I doubt I would have left that house without them, such was the height of my concern.

We caught one kitten and I held her and tried to calm her down. Her little heart hammered in her chest and I wondered just how many times they'd been through similar treatment.

The kitten panicked and tried to escape and I can testify to how sharp those claws were! My arms were sliced and scratched, even through my jumper. @danielles took off her own sweater and we wrapped the kitten in it to minimise additional damage as I held the kitten.

The second kitten was caught and they were both placed in the woman's cat carrier so we could transfer them to our car.

The kittens wailed plaintively and I'm not quite sure if it wasn't a little bit of relief that they'd finally got out of that mad-house!

I counted out the money in front of the woman, but didn't hand it over until she produced the registration papers.

I was as happy as the kittens to be getting out of that house!

The kittens wailed and yowled all the way home.

When we finally got home, I put them in a small room so they could calm down and settle in and I looked at the registration papers. The breeder's name was on the papers and I searched for her on the internet.

She had a clear contract on her website that stated if any of the kittens she'd bred needed to be re-homed, then hers should be the first number the new owner called. I emailed the address and waited for her to contact me.

She emailed back and I rang the number she gave.

She was annoyed and upset at the treatment of the kittens when I told her the conditions we'd found them in. The woman that had purchased them from the breeder had assured her that she would have the kittens neutered. I told the breeder that they weren't neutered and nor were they vaccinated.

"Oh, that's surprising, I paid for the kittens to be vaccinated and chipped and that is still available to you," she said.

The kittens, while registered as purebred Bengals (F4), were NOT on the active registration list and therefore, any kittens they had would not be registered as purebred. I was crestfallen, that had been the whole point!

After a long conversation and the start of a friendship, the breeder then said, "It sounds like you rescued those kittens from a bad situation and because you contacted me and made sure I knew about it all, I'm going to activate their registration so you can breed from them."

At last, some good news!

Later that week, she phoned me back with an update. The woman from whom I purchased the kittens had gone to another breeder and tried to buy a pair of Maine Coon kittens - brother and sister, for breeding purposes. That breeder rang my new friend and asked what the name of the woman was that had sold my kittens to me.

"Her name is Ruby," she said.

The conversation relayed to me (as far as I remember) is as follows:

"No, you're not buying my kittens. I have the last breeder on the phone and she's told me exactly what you did and how you mistreated her kittens and I'm not going to let you do that to any kittens that I've bred. Get out of my house and I suggest you don't bother trying to buy any more pedigree kittens because I'm telling all my contacts not to sell any kittens to you!"

So, not only did I rescue my two kittens, because of contacting the breeder and telling her what had happened, I also saved at least two more kittens from the same fate - and possibly more.

Skinny, poorly Shadow

The kittens were very poorly for a while and they cost more in vet bills than they cost to buy, but now they're well, the house is filled with love from and for them and I can't imagine being without them.