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History of Auroralights Bengals
In 1999, while visiting a veterinarian’s office, I came across an advertisement for Bengal kittens. To say I was wowed by these spotted kittens would be an understatement. I knew I was not in a position to purchase one at that time so I tore out the article and saved it for three years while I finished nursing school.
In 2002, shortly after the birth of my youngest daughter, I purchased my first pair of Bengals from Absolutely Bengals. Hasani, my brown marble male, and Nafia, my brown spotted female were an absolute joy. Me and my children loved them! Unfortunately, Hasani was given a leukemia vaccine by his breeder which resulted in an injection site sarcoma in his neck. This cancer started as a tiny pea sized lump and became the size of a quarter and an open wound on his neck. Hasani underwent surgery to remove the mass, which fortunately didn’t spread, was neutered, and his cancer did not return.
Over the years, I have witness this amazing breed develop from small spots to incredible two tones rosettes in all different shapes like arrowheads, pawprints, doughnuts, and other funky shapes not really labeled. I now have extensive knowledge of Bengal behavior, color and pattern genetics, healthy breeding and Bengal care practices, and have mentored many wonderful breeders.
Through experiments here I have learned the importance of breeding for temperament and I have come to strongly believe that a friendly loving temperament is mostly hereditary. Because of this, I only keep back kittens that display extremely good social skills and a loving disposition. Many generations of this breeding practice has helped me to develop lines of Bengals I can be proud to send home with families.
In 2002, shortly after the birth of my youngest daughter, I purchased my first pair of Bengals from Absolutely Bengals. Hasani, my brown marble male, and Nafia, my brown spotted female were an absolute joy. Me and my children loved them! Unfortunately, Hasani was given a leukemia vaccine by his breeder which resulted in an injection site sarcoma in his neck. This cancer started as a tiny pea sized lump and became the size of a quarter and an open wound on his neck. Hasani underwent surgery to remove the mass, which fortunately didn’t spread, was neutered, and his cancer did not return.
Over the years, I have witness this amazing breed develop from small spots to incredible two tones rosettes in all different shapes like arrowheads, pawprints, doughnuts, and other funky shapes not really labeled. I now have extensive knowledge of Bengal behavior, color and pattern genetics, healthy breeding and Bengal care practices, and have mentored many wonderful breeders.
Through experiments here I have learned the importance of breeding for temperament and I have come to strongly believe that a friendly loving temperament is mostly hereditary. Because of this, I only keep back kittens that display extremely good social skills and a loving disposition. Many generations of this breeding practice has helped me to develop lines of Bengals I can be proud to send home with families.
My two Asian leopard cats (alc's)
I have had the unique opportunity and privilege of owning two Asian Leopard Cats. The first one was named ALC Sancho Dos. I purchased him from Riverrock Bengals when he was three years old. At the time, I was told by other breeders that F1 kittens needed to be taken from their mothers and bottle fed. This practice, one I consider cruel, was not for me. I let my Bengal moms raise their babies, played with them a lot, and developed some of the sweetest F1 kittens ever. The key to producing loving F1’s is using a SBT mother who is extremely, over the top friendly.
The second ALC I owned never actually lived with me. He was part of a 14 cat rescue/purchase and was a stunning ALC. His name was ALC Ganges Khan. He lived with Judith at Kaymankatz until his passing in 2015. I was fortunate to receive one F1 girl from Judith out of him. I named her F1 Shakira and I have high hopes that I will be able to produce a line down from her. I also own an F2 girl named Vegas who was also part of the rescue and she is a Ganges Khan grand-daughter. I have currently bred this girl down to F4.
From my experience, I do not believe Asian Leopard Cats should be purchased as family pets. 99% of the time they WILL revert back to being wild and will not appreciate attempts to pet or cuddle them. I believe they have been vital in Bengal breeding programs to bring in the leopard markings and wild type. Unfortunately, they can no longer be imported so future ALC’s will most likely be too related to move this breed forward without breeding related lines, but there are many early generation (F1-F4) bengals available if anyone is interested. Please contact me for information on bengals down from these two ALC’s.
From my experience, I do not believe Asian Leopard Cats should be purchased as family pets. 99% of the time they WILL revert back to being wild and will not appreciate attempts to pet or cuddle them. I believe they have been vital in Bengal breeding programs to bring in the leopard markings and wild type. Unfortunately, they can no longer be imported so future ALC’s will most likely be too related to move this breed forward without breeding related lines, but there are many early generation (F1-F4) bengals available if anyone is interested. Please contact me for information on bengals down from these two ALC’s.
My f1 Bengal girls
(Auroralights In The Beginning) Genesis was the first F1 I produced out of ALC Sancho Dos and will always hold a very special place in my heart. She has produced some amazing girls and her line has currently been bred down to F3 with a fertile girl owned by Sue at Bengaluvers Bengals. In 2014, after a previous daughter was spayed due to infertility, F2 Omega was born here. This Genesis daughter was my first Charcoal Bengal and has amazing round ears. I will start attempting to breed her in the fall of 2015.
(Auroralights Ferah) Ferah was the second F1 I produced out of ALC Sancho Dos. She had her first litter in early 2015 and was a wonderful mother. I have not kept back a daughter from her yet.
(Kaymankatz Shakira of Auroralights) is my third F1. This girl was the produced by Kaymankatz Bengals when Judith bred to her queen to ALC Ganges Khan. As of Nov 2015 I am attempting to breed her but no confirmation of pregnancy has occurred yet.
(Auroralights Ferah) Ferah was the second F1 I produced out of ALC Sancho Dos. She had her first litter in early 2015 and was a wonderful mother. I have not kept back a daughter from her yet.
(Kaymankatz Shakira of Auroralights) is my third F1. This girl was the produced by Kaymankatz Bengals when Judith bred to her queen to ALC Ganges Khan. As of Nov 2015 I am attempting to breed her but no confirmation of pregnancy has occurred yet.
What does the future hold for auroralights bengals?
I am working on producing some unique bengals at this time. My focus has shifted from focusing on F1 kittens to producing amazing F2-F5. While I work these generations down slowly, I will still be working on the stunning, flashy later generation kittens families love. You can trust that any adult showing aggression, shyness, or other negative behaviors will be removed from my program and spayed/neutered. F1's can be extremely joyful to own but they often will choose one family member as their favorite, which isn't the best situation when a kitten goes to a larger family. I have found this tendency is lessened with F2's (significantly). F1 mothers produce very small litters (typically 1 or 2 kittens) and can be difficult to get pregnant. Because of this, many breeders prefer to produce the large litter of F1's (this is because F1's have a mom that is later generation and can have large litters). When looking for a F2 kitten you will need to be patient with the breeder because it may take a while to get her pregnant.
I have recently discovered the chocolate gene in one of my Bengal queens (discovered after DNA was sent to UC Davis and a DNA color panel was performed). I will be working on producing some chocolate Bengal kittens to see if this is a color worth producing or not. In the meantime, I will not be selling this gene into breeding programs to prevent the spread of this recessive color throughout our gene pool. I have also been working on a line of Red/Cinnamon bengals. Again, like the chocolate, they will only be available as pets for families.
I have recently discovered the chocolate gene in one of my Bengal queens (discovered after DNA was sent to UC Davis and a DNA color panel was performed). I will be working on producing some chocolate Bengal kittens to see if this is a color worth producing or not. In the meantime, I will not be selling this gene into breeding programs to prevent the spread of this recessive color throughout our gene pool. I have also been working on a line of Red/Cinnamon bengals. Again, like the chocolate, they will only be available as pets for families.