Hi! First post, I'm about to bring 2 bengal kittens home with me in a little over a month and I'm incredibly excited! First time buying a bengal (or really any cat) from a breeder so want to make sure I'm checking all the right boxes.

Does anyone have any experience with Pleasant Pond Bengals in Long Island NY? I've just put in a deposit for 2 bengal girls with the breeder. Their website looks really legit and the owner is super nice and responsive. Apparently they've also been featured on Animal Planet. However I can't seem to find them on the TICA website... am I just not looking in the right place?

Another reason I'm slightly apprehensive is because I haven't seen the kittens in their actual environment. I'm from the NYC area and don't have a car, so the breeder offered to bring the 2 kittens I was interested in to the train station. They were still really young when I saw them last week, one was 4 weeks the other was 5 weeks, and both looked healthy but I wasn't able to see them run around and play etc. since we were in her car the whole time. So just curious to see if anyone has seen kittens from Pleasant Pond in their actual home.

One of the kittens were meowing constantly while the other one was super quiet and kept trying to hide under my car seat. Is this normal? I thought the constant meowing was a sign that the kitty was going to grow up really playful but want to make sure it's not behaving that way because it was in distress or anything. Both of them seemed well socialized and didn't mind being held by me, and seemed content to snuggle next to my legs. They didn't seem afraid of me at all.

The two kittens are not from the same litter but were born just one week apart- the breeder mentioned she was going to start letting them play/live together once I made my decision to get both. So they'll be spending ~6 weeks together before I take them home and theoretically should be great friends by then... my question is do I still need 2 of everything (litter box, cat bed, etc.) or would they just snuggle together on the same bed etc.?

My boyfriend also wants to start toilet training the kittens right when we get them... is that advised?

Pleasant Pond Bengals are listed in the TICA directory. http://www.tica.org/public/breeds/includes/cattery.pdf

The main thing is that YOU are comfortable with the breeder. It would have been best for you to visit the cattery and see for yourself how the kittens are taken care of there. At least you were able to see the kittens. As for their different reaction, I'm sure that was the first time for them in a car and being away from their moms and siblings. Kittens react to stress differently. One may scream at the top of his lungs and the other may be scared and retreat. Doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the cat or that's how they will continue to be. So much hangs on the new home and new owners. While they will be growing their personalities and learning things from their mom, they will continue to grow their personalities once they come into your own. A scared kitten will probably come out of its shell. Yes, bengals are quite vocal, but a scared bengal will not cry at all.

I'm going to suggest that you visit with the kittens again before you get them. Certainly there is rail and bus transportation to Long Island. How on you going to pick up the kittens? It's best to see them in their environment. You'll be very relieved that you did! The kittens may react totally different than when they were confined to a carrier in a car (not many cats like that trip) and then handled in a very small space.

Trust me, you will need multiples of EVERYTHING. A litter box each plus one more -- yes that makes THREE! A couple of cat trees would be nice, but one with a lot of platforms will do. Scratching posts -- if they cat tree doesn't have sisal rope. Lots of toys and multiple beds. Actually, blankets and towels make great beds for cats. They just like to lay on something off the floor! You hope they will snuggle together in the same bed, but my Raiden picks a different spot to take his naps in and has 9 spaces in our home that he can choose from, plus a bed and a 3-room cat house in his enclosure. Do not expect your kittens to always amuse each other. You're still going to have to engage them in play if you want to bond with them.

I can sense your excitement and the time will really fly. The breeder did a wonderful thing in bring the kittens to you, but hope you can find the time to go visit the breeder and your kittens once more. You should see a huge change in them.

I got my cat Oliver (who sadly passed a few days ago due to lymphoma at the age of 10) from Pleasant Pond, and he was the sweetest cat ever. She is legit don't worry... post pics of your kittens!

RTbar, I am so very sorry to hear of the passing of your Oliver. {{{HUGS}}}

RTbar, that's so sad. I can see from the photos they were best friends.

RTbar ...beautiful kitties! You can tell they were best buddies. Hope you find a new kitty soon! WOW, an F1 Savannah!

Hi all! Thanks for all the responses. It's been ~3 weeks since we got Mochi and Mocha now and wanted to share my experience for others in the NY area (and also pics of course). Karen (the breeder) was really helpful in the entire process answering our endless questions and the kittens are super cute. You can tell she really cares for her cats and the kittens have been really well socialized. Mocha (brown marble girl, named after coffee) is the more curious one but kind of a scaredy-cat and Mochi (silver rosette girl, named after the Japanese dessert) is the more active and athletic one (it's kind of amazing how high she can jump, she got up to the top of a 6" cat tree on the first day and just kind of flies from the bed to sofa sometimes haha). We got them when Mochi was 8 weeks old and Mocha was 9 weeks, and they cuddled with my boyfriend and I on the entire train ride back. We kept them in the walk in closet the first day and let them explore our studio on the second. Both adjusted really fast/well and are eating lots. They've also taken over the entire apartment pretty much and sleep on my bed, walk all over my keyboard when I'm using the computer, follow me into the bathroom and claw all my towels down to the ground, etc.

There were some problems along the way though. We took them to the vet on the third day and it turned out Mochi had ringworm (we noticed a small patch of thinning fur when we bathed her), they both had giardia (which caused diarrhea), and both had ear mites. The ringworm and ear mites they definitely had when we got them, as we've noticed Mochi's bald patch and her scratching her ear really frequently on the first day. The giardia I'm not sure if they'd always had or if it was from our building's water, as their poop looked pretty healthy the first few days. I only give them boiled water now. It's worth mentioning that Karen also went away on a week long trip right before we got them so maybe the kittens weren't as well supervised as usual and that's how they ended up with the earmites/ringworm. The contract included a health guarantee but even just by the third day we were so attached to them we didn't want to bring them back to Karen so she could treat them. We elected to treat them ourselves and there's 30 day pet insurance (though I found it not to be that helpful as there's a $250 deductible for each kitten and for each condition). Mochi also had a very faint heart murmur but the vet said that may go away as she gets bigger.

I'm hoping to get general advice from all you experienced cat owners too- basic questions but god have they caused me a ton of headache in the past 2 weeks:

1) Mocha being the scaredy-cat had some accidents on the first few days and now seems to use the litter box only when I'm gone. If I'm in the apartment when she has to go she meows really loudly for my attention then goes immediately after I put her in the litter box. I've decided to test out a theory yesterday and just ignored her when she meowed, and she ended up going to the litter box herself after a while. Is this the right way to encourage her to keep using the litter box?

2) They're both really playful and this is somewhat of a nightmare when one of them has to go to the litter box and the other just waits nearby and pounces before they had a chance to clean themselves. This has resulted in a ton of splatter around the litter box, litter being tracked all over the apartment, and poop smears on the couch/bed if they jump up on it immediately. They will clean themselves at some point but is there a way to teach them not to play around the litter box and to walk not jump out of it?

3) At what point do they start responding to their names? Right now they both respond to Mochi AND Mocha lol.

Pics of the babies/little terrorists below :)

Breeder pics, think 5-6 weeks?





First day




Second day





Week 1-3

They are so adorable! Keep posting photos as they grow. I especially enjoy looking at photos of silver bengals. As far as them not distinguishing their names, maybe they are too similar? When you first wrote what the names were, I thought they are too similar. That being said, my cats know their names. But sometimes when I call Blondie, Grace will come because she wants the attention. Welcome to the forum.

Oh they are super adorable. The reason they are both responding to both names is because they are extremely similar. I'd rename one of them. As for the litter box problem, you should have at least two litter boxes (ideally, three of them). Seriously! Kittens should use the litter box on their own. However, if it's a ways to the box, they may not be able to hold it until they can get there. And if another cat is bothering the kitten in the litter box, that could present future bathroom issues. A cat needs to finish the entire process of digging, going, and covering. You may be able to solve the problem with a covered litter box, although some cats do not like them.

You got TWO bengals -- two highly active, extremely energetic bengal kittens! Welcome to bengal life! They will grow and mature, somewhat, but they will always be 2-year old toddlers. It's only been three weeks so far and it sounds like they are doing quite well. I'm sorry about the health issues after you got them. Certain things just can't be helped -- but at least everything is being treated and they should be feeling as good as new again soon. Be thankful they get along great and they are well socialized. The breeder let them go a few weeks early, but I'm glad you are happy with your experience with the breeder.

Thanks for the update.

I have two litter boxes for my two cats. One is covered and the other is uncovered. The covered one is the largest one available and the uncovered one is a large plastic storage bin. They use both but prefer the one with fresher litter. Blondie rolls in the uncovered box sometimes. I keep them clean, but they are litter boxes (yuck). Grace will come up and make her stop and get out of the box. Maybe it is some sort of game.