Raising kittens with a five-year-old son and four-year-old daughter is, to say the least, a learning experience.  My daughter is great; she seems to be naturally calm and quiet around the kittens.  Her presence doesn’t send them ducking for cover.  My son, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to get enough kitten time but didn’t know how to make his interaction with the kittens a positive experience.  He zoomed through the house  touching any kitten in site – running toward them with his vocal cords stretched into high gear.  Constantly correcting his behavior with consequences was getting old – for both of us.  So to try a different approach.

Since consequences weren’t working to change my son’s behavior, I tried a reward – with the reward being the kittens themselves.  If my son makes it through the day with no interactions with the kittens, then he joins me and all the kittens  in his bedroom after dinner for a kitten party.  At first, the kittens were not sure they liked the idea of being placed in the lair of the dragon, but soon they realized the dragon had somehow turned into a lamb as he quietly, calmly played with the kittens.

The structure and routine seems to work for everyone.  My son knows that he will get his fifteen minutes on undivided kitten and Mom time, and the kittens also know they get fifteen minutes of uninterrupted feather toy play. It is a win win for everyone.

Luca Like and Jonesee had a litter of fourth generation kittens – three females and one male.   They are super friendly and kid tested.

The kittens in this litter are large boned and will grow up to be substantial Bengals.  You can see the typey large paws and prominent knuckles on the kitten above.

See photos of all the kittens:  Bengal Kittens Available

Eraser Pandora of Solana Ranch Bengals, left, has a wild Asian Leopard Cat parent.  I have written an article explaining the terminology of early generation Bengals as well as their personality traits.

Read it on my site:  Early Generation Bengals

Although each kitten always has its own personality, the Bengal breed is known for being full of energy and being more dog-like than the domestic house cat.

Read my new article about behavior and personality on my website:  Bengal Breed Characteristics

I’ve posted a new article on my website explaining what desirable patterns Bengal cat breeders are working to achieve.  It includes photos showing horizontal flow, bars and circular patterns.

Read it here:  Bengal Cat Patterns

I’ve written a new article detailing all the various Bengal cat colors which includes the many brown variations in Bengal cats, snow Bengals, silver Bengals, seal lynx, seal mink and seal sepia Bengals as well as the rare dilute and melanistic Bengals.  Photos of Bengal cats representing most of the colors accompany the descriptions.

See the article on my website:  Bengal Cat Colors

Maintaining the wild “type” is one of the most important aspects of my breeding program.  I’ve written an article explaining the characteristics that make a Bengal cat look “typey” which includes photos showing the difference between “type” and “domestic” looks.

Read it on my website:  Bengal Cat Type

Learn the history of the Bengal breed that had its beginnings in a scientific study.
See:  Bengal Cat History

ALC Elias of Callista
Courtesy of Julie Calderon

Summer vacations are always tricky when there are kittens at home.  I stress about leaving them, but I cannot stop engaging in family vacations for the sake of the animals.  On a previous trip this summer, I arranged for friends to visit everyday that I was gone — just so the kittens would have companionship.  But this time, we had just a quick three day camping trip planned not far from home.  So instead of arranging a parade of kitten entertainment, I asked my mother-in-law to pop in and make sure they had fresh food, water, and litter.

On the drive home, all I could think about was the kittens.  Were they okay?  Would they remember me?  Would they get the typical adult cat attitude and ignore me for a day because I left them home without constant entertainment?

As I opened the front door, I could see them on the other side of the house playing in the family room and I poked my head through and said, “kittens,” to see what kind of reaction I’d get.

They all stopped, looked the directions of the sounds, and took off — straight towards me.  Five sets of  four-legged-creatures scampered across the wood floor as fast as they could.  Within an instant, they surrounded me and vocalized their thoughts – they were more than happy to see me home again.

As good as it is to get away with the family, the homecoming greeting from a batch of Bengals makes the return just as sweet.

Welcome! My new blog is meant to accompany my Bengal Cat breeding website, Solana Ranch Bengals.  We have been breeding Bengal Cats since 1999.  Through the years, we’ve made a big move to a large ranch and had two children, and now between my two kids and the kittens, I’m at a place where I want to write as an outlet, and excuse, and motivation.

The breed goals for the cattery are fairly narrow as we are working with relatively few cats.  Aesthetically, our main breed goal is to maintain the wild look of a small forest dwelling cat, specifically the Asian Leopard Cat, Margay, and Ocelot, into the SBT generations of the Bengal.   Our Bengals are distinctly different in their skull shape and body structure which translates to the unique way in which they move – just like the small wild cats.

Please visit Solana Ranch Bengals to find out more about our program and to see our cats.