Hi I am new and am planning on getting my first Bengal cat. I have grown up with cats all my life so I am not new to basic cat care, although I feel that I do need assistance with what to look for in a Bengal cat. I was fortunate enough to get in contact with a breeder who has a 3 month old "only child" male for sale for $500. I have included a picture of him and if anyone could take a look to see if just from the picture if it is worth driving 8 hours round trip to check him out and hopefully purchase, I am only concerned physically that he doesn't have that "orange" color that I see most often and I want to make sure I am getting a legitimate Bengal cat. Thank you for any assistance.

His color is fine I think. The concern, for me, is the pricetag. There is usually no such thing as a good deal. What else do you know about the breeder? You might get lucky and get a great kitten for that price, or you may end up paying for it later.

He looks like a Bengal to me. There are lots of coat variations. I have two brown marble boys from the same litter, but they are completely different shades of brown.

If are unsure of how to tell if you've found a responsible breeder there are lots of posts that go into detail about it, and we can give you some pointers.

The breeder may have reduced his price because he's already 3 months old and hasn't found a home. Yes, I know that's only 12 weeks old and it's a good age to go to a new home but sometimes breeders get antsy to find homes for their kittens. He is so beautiful. I love his wild face.

It also depends on the area in which you live. Bengals in my area go for about $600-$750 for pets and my friends think that's way too much to pay for a cat. But that's another topic of discussion.

I would also ask the breeder about pedigree papers.

Thank you all so much for the replies. I live in San Diego and the lowest I have seen Bengal cats for are 900, hence why I am willing drive 8 hours round trip to save 400+ dollars. I heard of the breeder through another online community where a friend of the breeder said that they were slowing down and possibly getting out of breeding all together. The cattery is called Calcatta and they said they are famous for a bengal called "Custom-Made".

I will definitely ask for pedigree papers, and I still need to find out what generation it is.

He is a Bengal no doubt about that he is beautiful. The price point I would say is right on that is what I paid for my bengal. The average Bengal cost is 500 and upwards of 1000 just for pet quality. He is beautiful I think with a little research you should be making that trip if everything in your research turns out ok. I wouldnt pay that much for a non registered cat! Even though it might sound like just a peice of paper it insures that you have a pure bengal and your not paying for a back yard breeder to keep this up! I will look around and ask some contacts of mine about the cattery and see what I can find out as well.

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i looked up calcatta and it is a TICA registered cattery and seems to be quite nice , however I didnt find and available cats on there other than a marble adult. I would talk to the breeder and find out everything about them and what generation he is looks like he is later generation. find out about the papers and if everything works out I would go look at him if all else fails go to Amantra Bengals from my understanding she is in the same area and her Bengals are to die for. You will pay more but it will be worth it ask Ted I have been harrasing him about his boys seems like forever now. I know that she has one boy that is at very reasonable price for his quality. Keep your eye on that boy though that is a good deal for a Bengal of that quality and like I said that is what I paid for my girl, and Bengals cost just as much here as they do there. She is not show quality and doesnt have perfect rosettes but she is still beautiful to me. Everyone might not think that but I love her and most of all she is healthy and has a wonderful temperment ( for a Bengal )

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The "custom made" insures me that we are talking about the same cattery "custom made" is the name of their supreme grand champion cat!

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wow he is lovely and so is "custom made" !!