Recommend me breeders in NYC/LI Area

CrazyCatGuy · **Joined:** Thu Nov 12, 2015 5:19 pm **Posts:** 4

Can anyone here recommend me some breeders in the NYC or Long Island, NY area? Also where do you go to find out breeder reviews? Is there any specific sites? So far I've gotten prices of around 1500-2000$ per cat. Is this a fair price from a reputable breeder Tica registered? I found these 2 sites not sure if anyone has bought from them:

http://bengalbrothers.com
http://www.bengalslongisland.com/index.html

Thanks for any info!

DeputyMP24 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:31 pm **Posts:** 212

Ive previously been in contact with Bengal Brothers. Their kittens ARE beautiful...but their prices are absurd. I was quoted $2600 for a kitten. I am not familiar with the other breeder you listed. Take a look at Frosty Bengals. I came SO close to buying from them, but couldnt sell my husband on the kittens they had. Their babies are BEAUTIFUL. They have 2 crazy cute snow babies available right now (1 male, 1 female).

Also check ebay classifieds (kijiji) as well. Hoobly (hoobly.com) has lots of NYC area breeders that post. Type "bengal kitten for sale NY" into google. Youll see several sites pop up.

I paid $1000 for my kitten. Her original price was quite a bit more, but I haggled and got her price dropped. It does seem NY prices run a tad more than other states for a TICA kitten. However....be careful if you find a price that seems too good to be true... because it probably is.

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

The BEST advice I can give you is to do a google search on them and add "reviews." See if there is anything negative out there on them. One dissatisfied customer wouldn't be too bad, but if you consistently find unhappy owners, stay away. The next thing is to contact the breeder and ask to visit their facilities! Even if they breed in their home, most reputable breeders will allow you a short visit which will allow you to see their queens/studs/kittens. I think the high prices are because NY is expensive. I am sure vet visits, food, medications, all cost more in NY than in most other states. Up to $1,500 is common for a pet quality bengal. A show quality bengal can go as high as $2,500 and a breeding queen will cost about $5,000. I can't stress this research enough! You want to make sure the kittens are socialized and integrated with the household (children and other pets).

DeputyMP24 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:31 pm **Posts:** 212

Oh Sherry, vet visits KILL here. Just the visit fee at my vet is $60. Ive yet to have a bill be less than $160. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me. The town I moved from in Oregon, you could buy a complete Kitten Care Package for only $100....that was the spay, shots, wormings, exams the works.

brianj12 · **Posted:** Sat Nov 21, 2015 1:17 am

I'm a little skeptical about the idea of breeder reviews. They aren't even allowed here on this forum, and the places where you'd likely find such things are on really low-brow sites that handle transactions between desperate owners. I think the best you could do is find a couple of first-hand recommendations. But barring that, knowing what I know now, here's some things I'd look for:

* If they show their cats (in shows) and are up-front about being registered and getting you papers after purchase = GOOD
* If they offer to take care of neutering before you taken them home = GOOD
* If they scan for heart problems and provide detailed medical (immunization) records, and offer a health guarantee = GOOD
* If they ask a lot of questions about you, your experience with cats, and the environment that you have to offer = GOOD
* If they allow you to visit the kittens and see their environment and cat parents and interact with the kittens = GOOD
* If they are up front about the type of litter the kittens use, and the food that they eat, and offer to give you a small supply when you take the kitten home = GOOD

* If they clearly want to get the kittens out the door and offer to let you have them before 12 weeks = BAD
* If the kittens have runny noses or gunky eyes = BAD
* If the advertise on Craigstlist or ebay or the newspaper = BAD
* If the kittens are predominantly kept in cages = BAD
* If the kittens or parents are kept outside = BAD

socalprincess · **Joined:** Tue Aug 11, 2015 9:17 pm **Posts:** 89

DeputyMP24 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:31 pm **Posts:** 212

I also disagree with reviews being a bad thing. I should have taken the reviews on Suri's breeder to heart, rather than just chalking the negative reports up to a few buyers who were unlucky. There are even reviews/ testimonies from buyers on very well known and respected breeder webpages, facebook accounts, etc.

When it comes to 1st hand recommendations, ok thats great. What do you do if you dont personally know a person with a bengal? I dont. Id never even SEEN a bengal (outside of online picts) until I picked up Suri.

I also disagree with some of the points as to what makes a breeder "good" or "bad". Just because a breeder shows their cats doesnt make them a good breeder. Suri's breeder has won many many many MANY awards for his beautiful cats, yet he sells sick kittens. Same with seeing the facilities, the parents, the breeder asking the buyer questions, and informing the buyer as to the feed they use, litter, etc. I was even given several cans of the food Suri was already eating. I went through all that.....and still got a sick kitten.

Advertising doesnt make a breeder bad either. Word has to get out somehow... what if a 'new' breeder with top notch, well cared for cats and kittens has arrived on scene? They have to let people know they have available kittens somehow, right? Theres nothing wrong with advertising. I personally would advertise if I ever had kittens. Why? Because no one knows who I am. I could have the best kittens in the world, but if no one knew, it wouldnt matter.

What I would do different as a buyer NOW is this: I would find a family with a single breeding pair (or possibly only 2 queens) who occassionally has kittens. Im talking once, MAYBE twice a year litters, where the kittens are hand raised indoors, well socialized and well cared for. Id still want to meet the parents, see where and how the kittens were raised, see paperwork regarding vet care or health screenings, etc. I would want to feel 100% at ease with my decision, and not deep down be second guessing myself. A bengal is an expensive purchase. A buyer should feel confidence in their breeder, given how much money they are about to spend. Id steer clear of breeders who mass produce kittens....even if those kittens are beautiful and out of champion show stock.

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

A wellness visit to Raiden's vet here in Nashville is $55. I think that's extremely reasonable for all the checking they do.

I agree you can't always trust the online reviews you read, but they are interesting and absolutely can give you a good idea of the type of breeder! Still, nothing beats an actual visit! You can see for yourself where the cats are housed! You can look at the cats and see if there are gunky eyes, runny noses, etc. You can get a feeling for the breeder. Intuition is a great thing. If something doesn't feel quite right -- move on!

Recommend me breeders in NYC/LI Area

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