how to reserve

A-Kerr's Bengal cats since 1989

My responsibility is two fold:

	To the individual cat/kitten that I have in my charge
	To the client who trusts me to assist them in selecting their newest addition to their home.

I breed Bengal cats because, frankly, I love people... and I will do all I can to help you find the best match for your home.

I need to know what look you are wanting

	do you have other animals
	children
	are you an experienced cat owner
	what are your expectations.... and so on.

I try to give a complete picture of the cattery and to cover any questions and concerns you might have. The highest priority is to make sure you have the kitten you want and that the kitten has the home he/she needs.

It is helpful to know:

	Have you had cats before
	What are you expecting in a kitten
	The most important characteristics you are interested in
	Do you have an active family with young children
	Other animals... dogs, cats, etc.
	Color, pattern, and overall look....

This helps me to help you and place the right kitten in your home.

I am hesitant to take deposits on kittens not born, however, I know some of you want to be assured of a kitten and will consider this on a limited basis. The demand for Akerr's kittens exceeds the supply! So, patience and trust are important on both our parts!

My prices include:

	Spay/neuter. Since 1998, we have been doing early spays and neuters, I highly recommend them. I find the kittens recover faster and are less stressed when done here before leaving.
	Vaccines given by my veterinarian. Includes at least two FPL-CVR.
	Testing. We annually test adults for corona titers. I no longer test kittens and do not guarantee that they will not have titers.* I do guarantee the kittens' health and guarantee no Felv or FIV. I test all my adult breeding cats for (Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) HCM and for Eye Certifications.
	Fecal testing.
	Access by your veterinarian to your kitten's health history record through my veterinarian.
	Your vet can call my vet for specific questions and help.
	My help with behavior and other questions.

The above represents about $400 of the cost of the kitten. Kittens are individually priced and I will help you in finding the one that best suits what you are wanting. Average price of a kitten from Akerrs with all the vaccines, testing, health evaluations, neuter/spay included PLUS my guarantees is $800-900. Top price for a show quality kitten that is a pet, $1200. I have some for less, depends on the kitten.

When you get a kitten you have only to have the last FPL CVR vaccine and rabies... and enjoy the kitten!

I usually have a waiting list, but you can reserve a "spot" on that list for $100 which will lock your position in place. I then work with you to make sure we understand each other, do extra videos and such to help you, encourage you...if possible, to visit.

Eye Certification

I have begun the proces of certifying the eyes of my breeding cats with the Ophthalmology Department at Ohio State University Veterinary College. These too will be listed as done.

Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy or HCM

It is most important to collect data on different heart diseases. Not only for the cats but also because by using the feline model, we are actually able to extrapolate helpful information for the human. see my links page www.akerrsbengals.com/links.htm for more detail.

I test as the Ohio State University Veterinary Cardiologist recommend. This means that while I cannot guarantee that none of my cats/kittens do not carry for HCM, since it has a variable expression and we do not understand completely how to predict, it means that I am doing all I can to make sure YOUR kitten is as free as we can know. I will do all I can and will post material on my site showing the results of testing. That is all any of us can do today.

This testing is expensive.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis.

Current statistics indicate corona virus is present in 80-90% of multicat households. Of these the young and old are susceptible to a mutation of the virus that allows it to become lethal... again, statistically this is 1-10% of the 80-90% that have a corona virus. Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) effects mainly the geriatric cat and the young.

Due to the outbreak of SARS (a corona virus) money has become available for researchers to study FIP. Cats are an ideal source of information for human application. SARS did not come from cats... I want to clarify that. Work is under way at UC Davis and the cat world anticipates a hoped for break through in the next few years.

Until then, we are left with inaccurate tests, mixed recommendations on vaccines, and a lot of heart ache. I have had kittens succumb to FIP. Dr. Neils Perderson of UC Davis says that this will happen to all catteries at some point... life is what it is. In an effort to protect the cats and you... I have instigated even more strict cattery management practices. I am recommending the following:

	A single cat household. There is only the kitten you are getting to consider. While I will not guarantee that the kitten is free of corona virus, I will guarantee replacement of a kitten that succumbs to FIP.
	Remembering that the tests are not reliable consider the following....
	If you have a multicat household... the issue is a bit more complex. Your current cats may have a corona virus... this would place the kitten at risk... your current cats may not have a corona virus this could put them at risk. Your current cats and the kitten may all have corona virus and exposure to more virus will compound their exposure.
	Confused? So are the experts... as I breeder I want to throw up my hands... how do I protect you and the cats?
	While I will guarantee and replace a kitten from my cattery that succumbs to FIP, I cannot be responsible for the other cats. This is simply not possible with the tests and information we currently have.
	The most conservative approach, not necessarily going to answer your questions and may give rise to more.

CONSERVATIVE APPROACH

Multicat household, the following is the most conservative, but not scientifically clear method: doing a full blood panel on every cat in the current household to ascertain status of FeLV, FIV, and corona titers. (approximate cost: $150) Reason to do... you will know only the corona status of the household at that moment, it does NOT mean that your cat will or will not contact coronas in the future, nor if there is a titer, that it will succumb to FIP.
Kitten will be corona tittered before leaving IF it is going into a multicat household. I also will not release a kitten until it is four months of age if it is going into a multicat household and there are any corona titers present in the kitten or the established cats.
If there are titers, it would be a good idea to talk with your vet about the FIP vaccine. Again, there are arguments on both sides of the vaccine.

All of the above information is true for ALL catteries and feline lovers... Until a test that is reliable is made, we are all of us in a state of unknowns. I am giving you the best information I can give you.

I would be glad to answer any questions you might have, IF I can answer them :)

Also go to: www.orionfoundation.com for information

Libbie

page was last edited on: 02/10/2009

libbiekerr@akerrsbengals.com

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