Why should a breeder health test?
Bengal cats can suffer from some health issues. A responsible breeder will not breed from animals that test positive for PKD, PKdef, Pra-B and HCM. We use Wisdom Panel to test our breeding cats.
Some breeders will describe their bengal kittens as negative or clear by parentage for Polycystic Kidney disease (PKD), Progressive Retinal Atrophy (bengal) (Pra-B) and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKDef). This is perfectly acceptable because as a breeder, if you know the parents are negative for these disease's, then the offspring will also be negative. A regular HCM screen every 12-18 months is also done.
Some Bengal cats may be carriers of these genetic issue's, being a carrier doesnt mean they will be symptomatic as they will carry 1 copy of the gene of the condition. For a cat to be positive for these conditions, they will need to carry 2 copies of the gene's. Breeders will work with cats with 1 copy of a gene, but will need to think very carefully when selecting potential breeding pairs.
There are alot of adverts for bengal cats and kittens for sale on different websites, not many will advertise they have health tested and even if they do say they have done it, unless they share the information, can you really trust them? Always do your research before you buy and do not be afraid to ask the questions!