We here at Lap Leopard Bengals have 2 full time people working with our Bengals, myself and my partner. In addition, I also raise 3 energetic beautiful kids ages. We have a large 4,000 sq ft house that we use to raise our family and Bengals. When our pregnant queen is about 2 weeks from her due date, she is moved to the Birthing Suite, an area dedicated to quite and peace. As social as Bengals are, when they go into labor they want a labor partner and that is where we fit in! When they start contractions they seek us out and we put on the soothing music while we help assist. Whether on our laps or in their specially made Birthing Box, we help them proudly welcome their litter into the world. It is quite a beautiful experience!
We use bedding in their Birthing Boxes that we have slept in so that the Bengal mothers and kittens can be surrounded by our human comforting smell. From the first day the kittens are born and every day thereafter the kittens are held, cuddled, and loved by both Bengal mother and my family. We love to keep tabs on their developing personality, whom is the first out of the box, whom is the first to try solid food, whom is the brazen one, the loud one, the curious one, or the reserved one. This way we can help match the right kitten to our buyers by giving feedback.. If litters are born in close proximity, they are raised collectively together by all the Bengal mothers. Bengal mothers are social enough to not care whom kitten belongs to whom and will take care of any kitten. It is for this reason that we can match kittens together from different litters.
When the kittens turn 4 weeks old they start to get supervised visits onto the first floor where they can interact with the rest of the family and kids in a positive manner. After visiting for short periods of time they eventually go back to the third floor with Kathy. Over time their visitation becomes extended until they reach 6 weeks old when they are permanently left on the first floor. This gives our kittens 2 weeks to get use to the hustle and bustle, TV, vacuuming, a wider family space, and all of the sights and sounds of a family. This helps the kittens to adapt quicker to their new home whether they have kids or not. We have received overwhelming feedback from our buyers that this Socialization Program works wonders! Our kittens are curious, affectionate, trusting, and quickly acclimates to their new home environment. Just look at the testimonials!!
When you spend your hard-earned money on a Bengal, part of what you are investing in is the award-winning social personality. This is best achieved when Bengal kittens are socialized Intensely, Consistently, and most importantly, Early. You are NOT buying a kitten from a shelter, although there are many kittens in need of love from there. You are buying a Pedigreed Bengal from a Breeder and some of that compensation should be going towards the time it takes for the Breeder to properly socialize your Bengal or you're paying too much! How a Breeder socializes their Breeding Bengals and her kittens, which will ultimately become YOUR kitten, should be of utmost importance for you to know!