Yes those are the 2

Rory also prior to July last year was allowed out, and he was about 2 when we we had him.

Also with the home check, I was asked what type of home I had, but I could have said anything, and really I could have been living in a bedsit with an entire male, planning to breed. For me as a new owner, all the questions and checks just proved that she cared for her kittens welfare.

I'm late coming into this thread but I just wanted to say that I'm so glad everything worked out for you.

My breeder asked me questions in a casual conversation and invited me to come see not just the kitten I was interested in but she took me on a tour of her entire home. She showed me where she kept all of her cats and kittens. The males had large cages that had small doors that led to outdoor enclosed pens. The rest of the cats had the run of the house except queens and kittens had their own rooms. Anywho, I fell in love with my kitten and I was encouraged to visit him so I did on a weekly basis from the time he was about 3 weeks old. My 2 daughters and I played with him and his littermates for hours. They were all very sociable from the start. We would sit on the floor and they would crawl all over us. I don't understand a kitten not being sociable at 9 weeks!

We brought him home at 11 weeks, which is the norm in the US. We took him back to the breeder when he was due for his second set of shots and she took care of it for us. He has been well and happy since.

I don't know if 11 is the norm, I've never seen a Bengal breeder who does less than 12.

I dunno, i have heard of several being rehomed at 9weeks in the US over the years but maybe it is changing and maybe it varies by each state. There was even an F2 that was rehomed at 9 weeks.

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Lollo

I've seen cats of all breeds go up for adoption as young as 8-9 weeks of age. I've never heard of an age restriction but I'm not a breeder so I haven't made it my business to know. Romeo was nearly 12 weeks of age and it could be that she let me have him a few days early just because we live just a block away from each other and had arrange to bring him back to her for shots.

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Lollo

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TICA is predominantly an American cat group, although a lot of UK breeders choose to register with both TICA and GCCF now. I think those guidelines you quote are for all TICA registrations and not just in the UK.

If kittens are fully protected from the first set of immunisations then there would be no need to give a booster 3 weeks later. The fact that it is required means that they are not fully covered. In not rehoming kittens until they are fully covered ensures their safety in my opinion. A lot of kittens are unwell 24/36 hrs after the vaccinations as well so that is why it is best to wait a week to ensure they are fully recovered.

Quote: The GCCF strongly recommends that no kitten should be permitted to go to a new home before 13
weeks of age. A least seven days prior to this the kitten should have completed a full course of
vaccinations, including a health check, given by a Veterinary Surgeon or by a listed Veterinary nurse
given under the direction of a Veterinary Surgeon. The breeder should ensure that the kittens are house
trained, inoculated and in good general health.

I also stand by the 2 breed clubs i am associated with (and a paid member of) and they also state the same guidelines.

It is perhaps a personal opinion but i would much rather my kittens were given the best start in life. They also continue to learn from their siblings/mom/other cats so they are rehomed in a better position.

I am not really sure the breeder of your two acted very responsibly when rehoming Nala to be honest. I thought i remembered you saying that it fit in with her better as she was going away (may be wrong here) and i cannot understand why any breeder would plan to be away when they had 9 week old kittens. Even if that last bit was not you, to rehome a kitten with a heart murmur before vaccinations were given is fairly irresponsible. Sorry.
EDA: this is a criticism of your breeder not you... hope you realise.

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Lollo

In the US shelters will allow adoptions as early as 8 weeks because they are trying to find homes for all their cats and have space/funding limitations, etc. etc. BYBs will also let cats go home that early. However, responsible breeders should still let their cats go home at 12 weeks at the earliest. I got Toast at 12 weeks and Snowpoke at 14 weeks and one of my friends asked "why didn't you get kittens? your cats look big."