#except tansy she's 14 now and Idk if she just can't hear them or if she just. doesn't care xD

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

All three Bengal kittens have been rescued

So I made a post yesterday about how I had to catch all the stray Bengal kittens I'd be made aware of and said that I'd hopefully post the full story when I had them all. Well, it's storytime!

So some backstory here: When I was 8-12 years old my parents and I breed and raised Bengals cats. Some of you are going to get the wrong idea from that sentence so let me assure you that we were VERY responsible breeders and also a very small operation. We only ever breed three Bengals (our "queens") and we did not keep any adult male cats at the same time to breed them with. Instead, we took them all the way down to West Virginia to the lady we'd gotten our first one from and she bred them for us. During those four years we were a business, Shanti had three litters, Rosie had two, and Diamond had one. They were not over-bred and the kittens were well cared for. In fact we even fostered a mother cat who we did not own, who had EIGHT kittens which we then hand fed and raised because the mom couldn't take care of them.

That was Crystal's litter, if you happen to have been here a couple months ago and seen my post about her when she died. Crystal was 17 when she died. Shanti was 18. Rosie was 14 and I believe Diamond was 12. Diamond and Rosie only died "early" because they had health complications that we could not fix despite all our efforts and it was kinder to let them go then let them suffer.

So. We love Bengal cats. LOVE them. However, we also know just how much it costs to get one and we knew we'd never be able to afford another.

Enter a longtime family friend who works in a nearby town and has known us since our Bengal cat raising days.

Three weeks ago she sent my mom a text with a picture of a BEAUTIFUL snow Bengal who she said was living on the streets. Nobody wanted her, this beautiful little cat. So, a few days later, I ventured out to investigate and see if this cat could be caught because I am the crazy cat girl and always have been (the friend who told us about the cat even said I'd "always had a way with animals").

I get there and find out two things very quickly upon meeting this cat. One, it is a BABY. Like, not a tiny baby, but 5-6 months old. And two, it is starving. Like, it's not just hungry, I can see and feel its ribs and backbone VIVIDLY. I am immediately in love and committed to saving this precious baby.

I try and fail to capture the kitten two days in a row (and like, when I say fail, I mean that I managed to pick it up and one day get it in a crate, I just couldn't zip the crate shut fast enough before it wiggled out). On the third day I meet a woman who works where I've been trying to catch the cat and she tells me it belongs to someone. I am skeptical, but I listen because I don't want to steal someone's cat, obviously. She tells me what house she thinks the cat is from and encourages me to find out if the lady who owns it will give/sell me the cat. In light of this I put the cat crate I'd been bringing away, but stay to feed the cat. And then I find out something else that's incredibly important.

There's another Bengal kitten.

As I'm feeding the little snow a beautiful little black spotted kitten appears and demands food as well. My brain says "Bengal" but I'd never had one like this so I take pictures to show my parents and check out later. My mom recognizes it as a charcoal Bengal and is immediately in love with it.

But, we were told the snow belongs to someone, so a couple days later on my mom's half work day we head over (in the rain) to ask the people in the house if it's their cat or not. We meet a nice lady with a little girl who tells us that she has no idea who's cat it is and it isn't theirs. She tells us she'd be happy if we took it, especially if it's starving!

So the next day I return with the intent to capture the charcoal and the snow. I find a little charcoal in the parking lot I've been working out of and put some canned cat food in a crate to try and lure it. It walks right into the crate. I lock it in. One kitten down. I don't catch the snow, but hey, I got one, right? I take the kitten to the local APL to make sure it isn't microchipped and it's not! So, with the blessing of the APL I take it home.

This little dude is the friendliest, chillest Bengal I've ever met. He was SILENT when I was driving him home. I have NEVER had a Bengal be silent in a crate. He is the loviest little guy you'll ever meet, so happy to be rescued.

For the next couple days I go back and continue to befriend the little snow, making up for what we lost when I tried to catch it the first two days and it got wary of me. Then, yesterday, I'm feeding the little snow, trying to catch her, when, out of nowhere-

ANOTHER charcoal appears. I am shook. I HAD thought that the charcoal boy looked different from the one I took pictures of, but... I figured it was the lighting/environment or something! I NEVER expected there to ACTUALLY be three babies!

And then charcoal 2 walks straight into the crate just like her brother did. I have no choice but to take her home and come back for snow another day, I cannot leave this other baby here.

So I bring baby number 2 home to my equally shocked parents. She is the feistiest little cat, the exact opposite of her brother's purrsonality. She is the embodiment of chaos- but she does love hugs and cuddles.

And then today, after praying, begging, PLEADING with God to let me rescue the cat I ACTUALLY WENT TO SAVE-

I caught the little snow. She has been so excited to see me the past two days! Running right up to me chattering away for food. She's such a precious baby. She wouldn't walk into the crate, but I felt like God was telling me it was time, so as I was petting her, I scruffed her (a harmless action, especially to a kitten) put her in the crate (a non zipper one this time) and slammed the door shut. Put her in my car and drove her home, promising her the life of a princess she's always deserved.

So now, two months after our last Bengal died, God gave us three Bengal kittens. Three beautiful, STUNNING, Bengal kittens who somehow, despite having been in the streets, love hugs and cuddles and pets.

There are two girls and one boy. The girls' names are Maraly (the spirited, fiesty charcoal) and Leeli (the precious little snow with a musical voice). We haven't settled on a name for the boy yet, we're debating between Kalmar and T'challa because both are kingly and both suit him. (I suggested Kalmar obviously xD) They're all safely contained in individual crates (not cat crates, we have old dog crates/pens and a big soft-sided cat pen that they're in) on our screened in front porch, so they're very safe. They can see each other, but they've been understandably distressed so for safety they're separated unless we're out there with them.

Like, I cannot stress how funny this is. God sent me after a little snow Bengal, then made the situation drag out until I'd caught the two charcoal babies. Then easy as could be I caught the snow, the one I was ORIGINALLY THERE FOR. And all this two months after we realized we'd never have Bengals again. God truly has a sense of humor.