Why Sarez Bengal’s are Special - Our Bengal Story

C. Esmond Gay

October 2004

The Ultimate Investment In Art

By Lord C. Esmond Gay - 2003

The Bengal leopard stole our hearts because they are totally unique when compared to any other type of pedigree feline…

This article explains why Sarez Bengal’s are special…this is our story…

Sarah and I adore anything that is ‘a little different’…and the Bengal is most certainly that! We want to share the immense joy that our babies give us and we feel that the best way of doing this is to breed some of the worlds most beautiful and affectionate Bengal and Sphynx kittens and then give others the opportunity of 'adopting' them.

I never actually intended to breed Bengal's…I was trained in computer technology, but because of the immense stress that I was under, I was hospitalised at the age of 25. I had always had cats as pets and I loved them as one would ones own children. One day in hospital my fiancé and I were reading a cat book and whilst flicking through the pages we saw our first Bengal cat - I felt as though my breath had been taken away! I was entranced at the beauty of this stunning pedigree cat that not only looked like a leopard, but was also their close relative! At that point Sarah and I knew that we would have to have one as a pet to join our existing "feline children".

When I came out of hospital we started to look in earnest for a Bengal, but much to our horror prices for dreadful quality, late generation kittens started at £3,000 in those days (today, many years later, we would give away kittens that were of such poor quality)! However, we had heard of two top quality females that had been rescued from a drug addict breeder in Southampton and so we went to look at them at a cat rescue centre. We were immediately besotted not only by their astounding looks, but also by their wonderful temperaments - these 2 cats really were worth their high prices! Of course we brought them and because of the fun and pleasure that they subsequently gave us, from then on there was no looking back.

We found that Bengal's were so different to any other breed of cat. Sarah and I were mesmerised and decided that we too wanted to breed – what better way was there of expanding our feline family? And within a few short month's we had 11 vibrant Bengal babies bouncing around our home! By that time we were so addicted to these unique creatures that over the next few years we put together a collection of the world's best and rarest breeding Bengal cats. And to this day we have always ensured that we remained different to other more commercial breeders.

The passion that we have for all our cats is reflected in the care that we show towards our “feline family” and the kittens that we breed. For hygiene and health reasons adults (Dads) can be housed in large, luxury outside quarters, but this is not so with kittens nor their Mothers. We refuse to keep our kittens in outside pens because we believe that this is highly detrimental to their characters, as they then remain aloof, unapproachable and unfriendly – we wanted to breed some of the world’s friendliest Bengal’s!

Most other Bengal breeders (even though they say different) sadly rear their kittens outside due to the huge saving in upkeep costs – a point that Sarah and I find distressing as bringing up any pedigree feline outside is never in the kittens nor the new owners best interest. After all, kittens of any breed which are reared alone and outside fail to make the ever loving companions that we truly believe that prospective new families deserve. Furthermore, there is little point in owning one of the world’s most magnificent creatures if one is unable to neither stroke nor even get near them.

Sarah and I rear our babies in a completely different manner. We insist upon breeding all of our kittens inside our family home and they are reared and brought up within our own bedroom – we thoroughly enjoy the love and companionship that these little babies give us as they keep us warm, talk to us in their soft purring voices and cuddle upto us under the blankets every night. The love and affection that we give to all of our kittens ensures that our babies are incredibly friendly, outstandingly docile and behave more like ever loving little puppies rather than cats – not just to us, but also to their new adopted parents!

Our Bengal’s are highly affectionate, sociable and very intelligent. They have an abundance of energy and mischief and are always with you, on you or showing off for you. They get along with other pets including dogs and they are the ultimate ‘lap’ and ‘bed’ cats. They love to be looked at - and perform silly antics for your entertainment…on purpose it seems. Because of there inquisitive, alert nature and ‘look at me’ attitude our Bengal’s make wonderful show cats as well as pets.

But we deliberately don’t show our cats for one reason only - we do not want to be competition against those who have adopted our babies with a view to showing. With such superior kittens, this means that the many new parents of our babies, who are currently showing, are wiping the show benches! Their kittens (bred by us), consistently win 1st prizes and are frequently honoured with the prestigious 'Best in Show' title etc, etc. It appears as if no other Bengal's can compete with my world famous lines. And even if it isn’t our cat that’s winning … then look in the pedigree of that cat and I guarantee you will see the “Sarez” prefix.

Our 'miniature leopards' make adorable pets! These fun loving spotted kittens are brilliant with children and if we have no Sphynx kittens to keep my young daughter company, we always try to ensure that she has a litter of Bengal's in her bedroom (of any generation). Over the baby monitor Sarah and I hear her laugh and play with them and we can also hear the little kittens purring as they gently show their affection towards her.

Our very rarest kittens may appear to be expensive but one must remember that Bengal’s can live for 20 –25 years so their initial cost is actually quite small if one works it out annually over their lifetime. And we do put all of this income towards two extremely good causes. Each and every Bengal and Sphynx sale helps other more unfortunate animals. We have no expensive cars, no ‘investments’ nor do we have any surplus money in the bank; We put every penny into our Wild Cat Conservation Program and into our sanctuary for abused and neglected animals (please see my articles “An Ironic Step Towards Feline Conservation” and “The Sarez Conservation Programme”). Even so, due to the enormous cost of running these projects, we still struggle to pay the bills every month. And we refuse to sacrifice quality for quantity. Sarah and I gladly lose a potentially higher income by deliberately breeding only a very limited number of kittens per annum. This enables us to concentrate my love and my time on just a few kittens thus ensuring that those few have superb genetics, outstanding appearance and of course, the very best puppy personalities.

Within our conservation program we work closely alongside the Wild Cat Survival Trust at Welwyn and many other conservation centres such as London Zoo and the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Herts. Some of the cubs from the wild cats that live on our premises such as our African Leopard’s, Serval’s, Ocelot’s and Asian Leopard Cat’s, will be reinstated back into the wild into vast areas of protected rainforest that a fellow sanctuary owns in Argentina (other less endangered sub species of the aforementioned are used within our pedigree cat breeding program). We are proud that the income derived from our pedigree kittens helps so many other animals. And we are proud of the individuals who support my conservation work by 'adopting' my babies – after all, it is wonderful to think that the stunning Bengal cat, created by nature, is now helping to save their diminishing wild forefathers. In years to come we do not want the beautiful Bengal to simply be a distant reminder of their extinct ancestors.

Our Sanctuary for abused and neglected animals was created a few years ago. It started when Sarah and I went to an abattoir to get meat for our African Leopards and other wild cats - we did buy the meat…but we also brought 3 live pigs that were about to be slaughtered. Our sanctuary began from there and ever since then we visit livestock auctions every two weeks and if we know that an abattoir is bidding for an animal, we will bid against them until we have secured the life of that creature whatever it maybe. Our fields are now full of rescues ranging from 3 legged Pigs, road injured Deer, neglected Llamas, unwanted Wallabies, ex-battery hens, ancient Geese and Ducks, lame Swans, deformed Rheas and abused Donkeys etc.

Whilst our grounds are full of my rescues and wild cats, our family home is full of the world’s rarest and most beautiful Bengal’s. Even though it’s a relatively new breed, the true history of the Bengal is unclear because for centuries unbeknown to man the Wild Asian leopard cat no doubt came into contact with and would very occasionally mate a domestic cat. This went unnoticed until the 1900's when a 'spotted cat' was shown at a London exhibition. No one is certain whether or not that was 'the first Bengal' as facts surrounding the authenticity of this cat are vague.

American millionaires Jean Mill and the internationally famed geneticist Dr Centrewall were the first documented individuals who encouraged and studied the hybridisation process (and ultimately created the pedigree 'Bengal cat'). The first cross between the Asian Leopard cat and a domestic feline is very difficult to accomplish successfully as one has to hand rear the Leopard Cat from birth, keep him away from all other wild cats and allow him to only mix with and smell domestic females. And even then there is only a one in twenty chance of hybridisation taking place. And to make matters yet more difficult, even if an Asian Leopard Cat does mate a domestic female, all the male children, grand children and 90% of great grandchildren will be infertile (until "F4"). This leaves only the early generation females as potential breeding cats with which one can take the breed forward. Hence the extreme rarity of all early generation Bengal's (and thus their high prices).

Since the 1960's the breed has flourished in the USA and the Bengal as we know it today arrived in Britain in the late 1980's. They have now become the most popular and most sought after pedigree cats in the Western world.

The prospect of adopting a Bengal can be a little daunting as the varying rarity of the different generations creates completely different price structures. This is due to the early generations (F1, 2 and 3) being so difficult to breed and subsequently far more rare than the easier to breed later generation Bengal's (F4, 5, 6 etc). Sarah and I are the only individuals within the UK who are able to breed early generation Bengal's such is the complexity of their genetics and also the great financial expenditure that is required to accomplish such a program successfully.

“Generation 1, 2 and 3” Bengal’s (the child, grandchild and great grandchild of a wild Leopard), behave more like domestic little “cubs” rather than kittens and to see them at play within ones home is a truly exhilarating experience! “Generation 1” Bengal’s are more commonly referred to as “F1’s”, “Generation 2” Bengal’s are referred to as “F2’s” whilst “Generation 3” Bengal’s are known as “F3’s”. These numbers are important, as there are great differences between the various early generations. Much less rarefied Bengal’s that are further removed from the wild are referred to as “F4’s”, “F5’s” “F6’s” etc (the higher the number, the further the kitten is from the wild leopard). These later generation Bengal's as a group are also known as "SBT's" because once past the "F4" stage, there is little difference if any between an "F5" and an "F8" (for example).

At the time of writing this article, only about fifteen “F2’s” exist within the whole of Great Britain, only about twenty exist within the rest of Europe, and apart from America no other “F2’s” exist within the rest of the world except for the ones that we have bred for various foreign royal families and celebrities.

“The mystical presence of one of Esmond Gay’s majestic cats is an extravagance that all should endeavour to enjoy…they are a world apart from any other pedigree cat…a living work of art…the ultimate in feline luxury…”.
London Goodlife (2001)

All our Bengal’s are magical whether they are “F1’s” or “F5’s”. Different people prefer different generations. Owning a later generation baby is as joyous an experience as owning an early generation baby. Our most popular kittens are the “F4’s” to “F7’s” because they are more readily available. As these late generation Bengal cats are so much easier to breed prices of “F4” and “F5” Bengal's (SBT's) are much cheaper. The rare early generation Bengal’s are normally chosen by those who want the world's rarest and most unique pets. If one is uncertain about owning a Bengal because they are related to a wild leopard, then one really should try to visit our home because once one has stroked them and had time to enjoy their personalities, we promise that one will be amazed! They are unusual cats for unusual people…

New families who have 'adopted' both my early and later generation kittens include His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei (F1’s and F2’s), Lord Jeffrey Archer (SBT), Goldie Hawn (F2 and F3), Jonathon Ross (F2), Uri Gella (F3), Esther Rantzen (F3), Rolf Harris (SBT),Lady Nourse (SBT), Peter Stringfellow (SBT), actor Kevin Bacon (F2), Donatella Versace (F1 and F2), three important members of the British royal family (F2’s and F3’s) as well as many members of the Arabian and other foreign royal families (F1’s and F2’s).

But our babies are celebrities in their own right as well! They have starred on 35 TV program's and have been featured in 55 national magazines as well as having appeared countless times in all of the respectable national newspapers – we do hope that the constant media attention surrounding my cats and the patronage of such well known individuals says a little about the unique quality of our kittens whether they be “F1’s and 2’s” or “F5’s and F6's”.

Until recently the beautiful grandchildren of the wild leopard (F2’s) were the rarest of the rare and the most highly prized of all Bengal’s because no earlier generations were available. Of course the outstanding direct hybrid children of the wild leopard (F1’s) do exist…but until now it has only been Sarah and me who have owned these precious ‘direct leopard hybrids’. In the mid 1990’s three were imported from America and being a fanatic wild cat lover we purchased these three “F1’s” at a cost of £45,000 each. Just after that their importation was banned (by the GCCF) because it was quite correctly believed that six months of quarantine was too cruel for early generation Bengal's.

We have never regretted paying £135,000 for these three “F1’s” because not only have the 2 females produced some of the worlds most beautiful “F2’s”, but also they have been the most loyal, loving and trustworthy creatures that we have ever had the pleasure of sharing our lives with. Due to the subsequent ban on anyone importing “F1’s”, it has been every Bengal breeder’s dream to re-create these hybrid children from Asian Leopard Cats kept in Britain. But again, we are the only Bengal breeder willing to pay vast sums of money for the wild Asian leopard cats themselves and after eight years of horrifically hard work and having outlayed a total of approximately £300,000, we finally succeeded and have bred (and occasionally offer for sale to experienced homes) the very first “F1” Bengal’s out side America – the first hybrid Asian Leopard Cat children from Britain!!

In the first few years of our breeding programme, we had intended to breed from female ALC’s, but upon talking to experts we soon realised that yes, this would be far easier than hybridising from male ALC’s, but sadly would result in ‘F1’ kittens with completely domestic faces. The Bengal breed desperately needs to retain the ‘wild look’ and as so many other breeders in the UK have already lost the look of the wild cat within their Bengal’s, we did not wish to follow suite. We gave up on our ideas of using female leopard cats and instead put all of my energy into breeding from our numerous male ALC’s. Until recently ‘Sarez Little L’ was the only one of our male Leopard Cat’s who has hybridised to date. But later that changed when ‘Sarez Apollo’ started to mate our domestics - and thus yet more Bengal history was made!

We intend to keep the 13 ‘F1’ females bred to date in order to further our early generation breeding programme (they are all fertile). But if we feel that a prospective new home is suitable for a male ‘F1’ (all in fertile), then we will allow others to experience the wonders of living with a direct wild cat hybrid. But the interview process for potential F1 buyers is vigorous as Sarah and I guard these babies closely and insist on only the best for them. In general, if one is not quite as obsessed with wild cats as we are, then an ‘F2’ would be a little more suitable (and far cheaper) for a family home.

The Asian Leopard Cat is a very sensitive creature that is extremely difficult to work with and so even though we have owned numerous Asian Leopard Cats over the past 8 years, the project of hybridising from them and creating totally new pedigrees has been very disappointing until recently. There are only a handful of Asian Leopard Cats in the world that can hybridise and we are very proud to be the owner of two of them who I call "Sarez Little L” and “Sarez Apollo”.

Following in Jean Mill's footsteps ‘Little L’ and ‘Apollo’ were two of a number of babies that we bred from various pairs that we had purchased from various British zoos and private keepers including Basildon, Blackpool and Banham. We hand reared them in our home from tiny babies, and even though now adults, they are still as loving as ever. Being the only 2 Leopard Cat’s outside America who can hybridise has secured "Sarez Little L's” and “Sarez Apollo’s” name in many a genetic history book.

Dr Andrew Kitchener, a world famous geneticist, scientist and Curator of the Natural History Museum of Scotland is intrigued with "Little L's” and Apollo’s” "F1" hybrid kittens and our 2 Leopard cat’s are now helping this scientist with his ground breaking work on how two different sub species can hybridise (in this case 'Felis Cattus' and 'Felis Bengalensis'). Dr Kitchener has many questions for “Little L” and “Apollo” to help answer. “With such different skull structures between the 2 species, how does the Leopard Cat brain ‘fit into’ the scull of Felis Cattus and vice versa? Each of these 2 feline species has a different number of chromosomes, so how can they hybridise successfully and create live offspring?” The questions go on and on and without "Little L” and “Apollo”, Dr Kitchener would have had to have given up his career in Scotland and lived and studied in America for a number of years. Being able to help so actively with this gentleman's most important scientific and conservation research is a true honour to us.

"Little L" and “Apollo” have now had quite a number of litters to date and their “F1” babies have been adopted all over the world. The Sultan of Brunei has two and Donatella Versace has one. Each “F1” Bengal baby has stunning gold backgrounds with silky soft pelts that are splattered with mesmerising black spots and rosettes. They have "Little L's” and “Apollo’s” unique wild appearance, but they always inherit their Mother’s loving, domestic personality. These little babies will purr as soon as their eyes meet yours…even before they are stroked! All their “F1” kittens are very special indeed and one can see what each is going to grow up to be like by watching their 13 adult counterparts (my own pet/breeding “F1’s” from various ALC’s including ‘Little L’ and ‘Apollo’) running around our house and playing affectionately with all visitors who venture near them!

Last year we mated our rare “F2” Snow Marble (only one in Europe) to “Little L” and the kittens are astonishing!! With about 75% wild blood, they are the spitting image of their ALC Dad and ‘F2’ Mother! We have kept the two female “F1” progeny and are breeding them to create “F2’s”, then “F3’s”, then “F4’s”, all with much more wild blood than is normally found in these generations. By hand rearing all these kittens, we plan to eventually breed very friendly “F2’s, F3’s and F4’s” from a totally new line which carries all the colours of the Bengal…but which will have much far wilder features than normal. We are at “F2” stage now (and they look like normal F1’s due to this ALC to F2 mating!) and will soon be breeding “F3’s” which should look like F2’s due to the increased percentage of wild blood.

“Exemplifying a perfect harmony of a feline appearance combined with the alluring personality of a puppy, Esmond Gay’s kittens are comparable only to the most precious of gems…quite simply, and they are the best of the best…”
The London Magazine (2001)

Only a handful of breeders in the WORLD have managed to hybridise from ONE ALC - and only one other breeder in the world has managed to hybridise from 2 ALC’s – and that was Jean Mills, the founder of the Bengal breed. So this was an astounding achievement for Sarah and me and we are deeply proud that amongst all the odds we created 2 totally brand new lines of Bengal that are unrelated to any other cat in the fancy. Just as we so desperately wanted during our breeding careers, this brought the breed much needed new pure blood – and has helped to dilute a previously inbred gene pool.

We adore the freedom of being able to breed ALL of the different generations of the Bengal in all of their recognised colours. With many exclusive pedigree’s, the mating's that we can undertake WITHOUT inbreeding, are endless. This is beneficial to all especially to those who wish to show, to breed or just to own a very rare and exclusive pet. Our prices are reasonable even though we admit that in some cases we are more expensive than other breeders, but this is simply because our cats and kittens are kept in sheer luxury and without any corners ever being cut – and to breed in such a perfectionist manner is extremely expensive.

A few years ago Sarah and I bred “The World’s Most Expensive Cat” and this point was highly publicised within many national newspapers, including a full-page article within the Daily Mail and the Sunday Times. This sale is also featured as a world record within the current ‘Guinness Book of Records’.

Then in 2003 we succeeded in undertaking a truly astounding mating – we bred a 75% wild blood F1 back to the Leopard Cat and created the world’s first 90% wild blood F1 – the world famous “Zeus”. Due to the love and human companionship that Sarah and I thrust upon this very special cat, to this day, he remains as tame as any domestic is. He broke our previous Guinness World Record when he was sold for £100,000. Why so expensive? Because the breeding of him was so expensive and complicated that he could only ever be a total one off and there will never be another cat like him in the world!!

The extreme rarity of Zeus propelled him to worldwide fame and before he was 12 weeks old he had starred in 12 TV programs and appeared in dozens of magazine and newspaper articles. He is still famous to this day as one can see if his or my name is “googled”.

If one “adopts” a female and wishes to breed Bengal kittens of ones own, we will help in anyway that we can. Our female breeding kittens are some of the best in the world and to ensure that top quality kittens are bred from them, we can offer the services of anyone of our 5 outstanding males of various colours. All our stud services are closed i.e. no one apart from the kitten’s new parents and us can use them – this ensures that our unique pedigree lines remain rare and highly sought after. As well as pet kittens of all colours and all generations, as well as breeding kittens of all colours and all generations, top stud cats from our lines are offered for sale occasionally to good breeding homes. All kittens are registered with the Cat Association of GB.

Even our much cheaper late generation Bengal's (“F4’s” to “F7’s”) are frequently mentioned within the press, in the media and on TV due to their outstanding appearance. Therefore interested parties can rest assured that the quality of any kitten purchased is so high that all fields of the media will have taken a great interest in them.

Please do note that Bengal’s of any generation do not require any special treatment or care. They are hardier and more self-sufficient than any other breed of cat and will happily co-exist with all other types of cats… and obviously they adore children! They can happily go outside on their own or be taken for walks on a harness and lead - Our Bengal’s are bred to be loved…and to return your love in a truly awe inspiring way!

By allowing members of various royal families and also some of the most important people within today’s society to 'adopt' my kittens, Sarah and I have earnt a valuable and world famous reputation. It is therefore very important to us that we never disappoint nor let any of new homes down. With this in mind, if one lives abroad and are unable to visit me, then please indicate which generation is of the most interest to you and then trust us to pick a baby on your behalf. We guarantee that we will only choose a baby that will delight and intrigue you with his or her beauty and wonderful puppy-like personalities. Upon receiving your instructions, we will arrange to have him or her shipped by professional pet couriers anywhere throughout the world.

Alternatively, if one resides in Great Britain and is unable to visit us, we are more than happy to bring a selection of varied and delightful kittens of each generation, to your home with absolutely no obligation to purchase.

It does not matter whether one 'adopts' one baby Bengal or two. Although I admit that Sarah and I do prefer to re-home my kittens in “pairs” (but this is not imperative) as they enjoy each others company so much especially when their 'human families' are out of the house or are away. Kittens bond together so well just as they will do with their new 'parents'. There are many other benefits for 'adopting' two kittens rather than just one, especially seeing two Bengal babies at play with one another which is a truly exhilarating experience! Like Sphynx kittens, they will ‘prowl’ and ‘stalk’ one another and chase each other in exhaustive play – reminiscent of baby cubs playing in the wild … their antics and natural instincts are so similar. Whenever this happens Sarah and I turn off the TV and just sit watching them and laugh at their unusual antics.

As previously mentioned, we do breed one other type of very rare pedigree cat of which there are only about 80 in GB. We have always loved the “Sphynx” cats and so to help fund my sanctuary and conservation projects we have imported 14 of the world's best breeding “Sphynx” cats and we now have some beautiful babies available. We have all the colours and most of our cats are USA or European International Grand Champions, Quadruple Grand Champions, Grand Champions and Champions…like our Bengal’s, we only imported the best because we only want to breed the best...

The Sphynx are also unique because they are completely bald and quite outrageous to look at! Huge ears rest upon the Sphynx's delicately sculptured heads. Nature has painted a myriad of rainbow patterns upon their sleek and athletic bodies ranging from soft lilacs to deep blues and vibrant reds. The elegant Sphynx embodies the grace and poise of a prima ballerina; and with the sophisticated looks of a supermodel they could easily hold their own on the world’s most prestigious catwalks!

Sphynx enjoy a luxurious down of tiny silk hairs that makes one feel as though one is stroking plush suede wrapped in a cuddly hot water bottle! And like the Bengal, they are loving, playful and very talkative! Prices for the little naked Sphynx kittens that we currently have available start from £400 - and so if one is interested in a breed that is as equally unique as the Bengal, please phone and we will send you further written details.

Sarah and I adore the unusual and so the Sphynx was a natural choice for us. In the same way, the Bengal is an equally unique feline being derived from a wild leopard. There are no other types of pedigree cats that have been blessed with the amazing qualities of the Bengal or Sphynx. We love all cats, but we don't think we'd actually enjoy breeding Siamese, Burmese etc. simply because they do not 'stand out' amongst the rest. We leave the breeding of those cats to others who want to rear kittens that are a little more 'normal'. We are happy to breed the unique, the fascinating and the unusual…

As highly reputable breeders who care about both our kittens and their new homes, whenever we do re home a baby we humbly request that their new 'parents' allow us to stay in non-intrusive contact. We want the new families of our kitten's to rest assured that we are always here to help with queries, answer questions etc. – we are willing to help in any way throughout the kitten’s whole lifetime. In this way we not only ensure that my babies lead full and enriched lives, but we also ensure that their new families get the very best from their 'adopted child'.

However, sadly the adoration and commitment that we show towards these two breeds and to the new ‘adopted’ homes of our babies, has created problems for us – not from the cats or their new ‘parents’, but from other ‘commercial’ breeders who see themselves as our ‘rivals’. In the same manner that many other individuals are persecuted for achieving success in other fields, sadly Sarah and I have also been targeted and victimised by other 'less famous’ Bengal (and Sphynx) breeders. But we are used to such envy having suffered it for many years and we have learnt to try to ignore even the most vicious of comments. After all, these commercial breeders make it obvious that money drives their breeding ventures…whereas only love and passion drives Sarah and me. Their antics against us and our beloved cats have been documented and condemned within many magazines and newspapers including a Daily Mail 5 page front cover story (see "Daily Mail - Fur and Loathing").

Even so, some of the lies that they tell do hurt mainly because we know that they are simply trying to mislead the more inexperienced members of the public. An example of this is that even though these commercial breeders (and their 'clubs') have absolutely no experience of keeping nor breeding early generation Bengal's, in a desperate bid to make innocent cat lovers buy only their own poor quality later generation kittens, some (not all) will often state that early generation babies are 'unpredictable' and are 'not suitable as pets'…but many Royals, stars, celebrities and everyone else who has 'adopted' my unique "F1, 2 and 3" kittens and adults will vehemently disagree! And the words of these people who actually live with our early generations, are so much more important than the words of those who have never actually seen nor handled one stunning creatures.

The extreme loyalty of such affluent individuals who 'adopt' our cats and of the media who so frequently praise and write about them, must surely be a good indication as to the high quality and adoring nature's of all our babies - no matter what generation. And if one cares to visit our home to see our "F1" and "F2" kittens and adults and also our other Bengal's, one will immediately realise that the some of the supposed 'reputable' late generation Bengal breeders and their ‘clubs' are simply lying in order to further their own "F5" kitten sales. It appears as if large amounts of money can bring out the very worst in certain people and the commercially formed 'clubs' that they have set up and run as a profit making business’s - a matter that Sarah and I find extremely disheartening.

Worse still than mere liars, there are other breeders who are trying to cash in on our hard work and these people actually pretend to have and breed F1’s and F2’s etc. They even advertise as such! Innocent families are tricked into purchasing a “supposed F1 or F2”, which is in actual fact only an ‘F5 or F6’. This is outright fraud and that has now been reported to the authorities, but whilst these investigations continue, please do beware.

Yet more breeders mate a Bengal to another breed – and call them “pure Bengal’s” and will charge upwards of £1000. But they are NOT Bengal’s - they are in fact extremely expensive “moggies”. Others will state that their ‘F5’s’ are “extra special” because they have “wild faces or small ears etc, etc”. Again, not true as these individuals are simply trying exaggerate in order to procure more business. Finally, please beware of “bargain kittens”. Have they been ill? Previously un-saleable? Extremely poor quality? Do they carry a serious disease? Do beware of these cheaper, but always inferior ‘imitations’. It costs Sarah and me a fortune to breed our babies – simply because we insist upon doing it properly. Please remember that one gets what one pays for…

We have high morals and ethics and so even if one has no intention of purchasing a cat from us and has chosen a breeder elsewhere, if one has any doubts or worries either prior to the sale or afterwards with regards to that breeder or their kitten, please feel free to phone us and we will give you our best possible advice which will be wholly unbiased and 100% honest. We will also help to sort out any problems. As an advocate who cares so much about the Bengal, we feel it our duty to make the above warnings, but at the same time I apologise at having to do so and pray that my words do not discourage good and honest families from adopting such stunning creatures – after all, there are some other very good breeders around. One simply has to be careful and look around until one feels that one has found a reputable breeder who cares about their cats and not the money.

One can’t successfully breed exotic animals for money – to truly enjoy this wonderful occupation, whatever the species, one has to breed for love and for the devotion that one has for that chosen breed. I may be a little ‘eccentric’ and ‘different’ in my views on how Gods living creatures should be bred, but Sarah and I vow to always do what is right for our animals and for their new ‘parents’, simply shows that we are dedicated, conscientious and that we take our work very seriously.

As previously mentioned, I kindly ask you to read the article entitled the ‘Majestic F1 and F2 Bengal’ for further information on “F1’s, F2’s, F3’s” as well as ‘The Magnificent Bengal Cat’, which describes the later generation “F4’s”, and “F5’s”. These articles will give one an idea of how different the characteristics, the looks and the behaviour is between the extremely rare “F1’s, 2’s, 3’s” compared to the less rarefied but equally stunning “F4’s” and “F5’s”. Please also read “The Behavioural Aspects and Care of Bengal Kittens” for advice on what to look for in a kitten, how to care for them and what sort of behaviour to expect. And for more information about “Zeus” the £100,000 90% F1, please read “Zeus – The World’s Most Expensive Cat”. And finally, for information about our wild cat conservation project, please read “An Ironic Step Towards Feline Conservation” and “The Sarez Wild Cat Conservation Program”.

Thank you for considering our registered, pedigree kittens; Quality, style, beauty and a respect for the astounding creativity of nature…there is no shortage of reasons for owning either one of these two exquisite breeds. The Bengal and the Sphynx are the finest expressions of elegance and refinement. High-class cats that crave human affection and happily adapt to your way of life. To quote the words of another well known magazine;

“Esmond’s opulent cats are Mother Nature’s greatest Masterpiece’s…they are her finest works of art. Like a flawless diamond, they must surely be the epitome of feline perfection…”
“Debretts Magazine (2000)”

If one would like to visit our home and see these delightful babies, please feel free to phone and arrange to stay as long (or as short) a time as you wish - our aim is to teach you as much about the Bengal(and Sphynx) as possible during the time you have with us. We will take the opportunity to show you our conservation project including our magnificent Ocelots, our African Leopards, all of our breeding cats and kittens including all our early generations and ALC’s. And of course our rescues are equally welcoming including Winston my 3 legged pig, Titus my 60 yr old donkey, herds of road injured deer, wallabies, my ‘ex-meat’ Ostriches, my Swan and Duck sanctuary and much more.

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to read about us and our beloved menagerie and we hope to see you soon if you care to visit. Please do enjoy reading my website.

C. Esmond Gay
Lord of Burrough
Honorary Member of the A.B.C.L (America)
Curator of the Sarez Wild Cat Conservation Programme
June 2003

Addition;