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Welcome
to Slavess Bengals and thank you for choosing to visit my
website.
My name is Ren Slaven and I am based in the South East of Essex,
England.
My aim is to produce quality pedigree Bengal cats from top UK and
international bloodlines, with good type, wild profiles, puffy whisker
pads,
bold chins, small ears, short thick tails, & strong patterns
with loving sociable temperaments & in good health.
I am particularly keen
in introducing whited undersides to enhance that wild look. I also have
a passion for the open, horizontal marble pattern.
I spend a lot of time researching the breed and try to use
cats for my
breeding programme which i feel are some of the best examples of the
breed available, that can help to enhance & advance the
standard of Bengals.
 I
never had any interest in pedigree breeds of cats and was always happy
with my pet moggies until i first discovered Bengals in winter 2003. I
only discovered them by chance, as they were the cover feature of one
of the cat magazines that month and the pretty little face caught my
eye as i browsed. Of course after taking the magazine from the rack and
seeing the full picture I was gob-smacked and by the time I had
flicked through the feature inside I was already hooked! Then followed
a period of searching for information on the internet as my interest
grew and finally I attended my first cat show to see them in the
flesh.
I think
that was probably the point of no return - Bengals had won my
heart. I took a long time and thought hard about exactly what i wanted
but realised these cats were going to take over my life and I wanted to
be involved in exhibiting and breeding them and to be a part of their
future development. My first potential breeding queen arrived home here
in June 2005
and I have been owned by Bengals ever since! I can't imagine life
without them now.
I have an
older moggy, "Cusack" who has to put up with these naughty
little newcomers to her household and doesn't always take kindly to
their rather boisterous methods of play but believe me, she soon puts
them in their place if they go too far! She will always be the boss as
she was here first.
 My
cats live
in my home with me and the dining room has gradually
turned into the cat room, even accomodating their own giant climbimg
frame. I
do not let my cats roam free outdoors, not even my moggy Cusack, as I
feel there are far too many dangers and they are perfectly happy
indoors with lots to keep them entertained. They also have my full time
company as i do not go out to work. Eventually, as boys start to arrive
i will have to start housing some of them in purpose built cat chalets
in the garden which will be heated and insulated enough to feel like
they are actually indoors, but I intend to enclose part of the garden
for them
to play in & let them have play sessions in the home too.
The
breeding girls sleep in the cat room, but as pregnant queens approach
their
due-date, they are brought into
my bedroom or living room for extra comfort and cuddles until
the little
bundles
arrive. The babies are born in a kittening pen and spend their
first few weeks of development here with mum under my ever-watchful
eye, until they are old enough to venture out and start exploring
& socialising.
The kittens
are
handled continually from birth to establish trust and
ensure they are comfortable with their human companions from the
beginning. I introduce them gradually to all the things they may
encounter later in life such as familiar household noises and a variety
of different people (of course ensuring cleanliness & hygiene
while
handling), to help get them well socialised & maintain their
confidence.
By the time
the
kittens leave home, they should be accustomed to
noises, smells and newcomers and should be happy, healthy and outgoing.
They will also be familiar with common training words such
as "no" and "down" which I can assure you are used very frequently with
young adventurous little bengals!
If you have any queries or would just like a "cat-chat"
please feel free to contact me, my details are on the home
page.
Check back here regularly for any updates which will be featured on the
home page, news page and new arrivals on the available kittens page.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the friends
& family who have helped make my Bengal dream into a reality.
You are all special people.
Photo credits to "The C", Carol, Jules, Lucy, Philippa
& John B.
Many thanks.
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