I’m Michael Podraza, the owner and founder of Village Cattery. I purchased my first pet Bengal, an SBT male named Sammy, in the summer of 2006 and instantly fell in love with the breed. I got a second pet Bengal, an F2 male named Wentworth, just a couple of months later. The moment I found Wentworth playing in a bathtub filled with water, I realized the uniqueness of the Bengal breed. Their personalities are just as distinct as their beautiful, wild appearance. I became fascinated with the breed and began learning as much as I could about them. A year later, in the summer of 2007, I considered acquiring a third pet Bengal, but quickly stopped myself. I realized that purchasing one pet Bengal after the next was not the best way to express my love for the breed. It became clear to me that I should start a breeding program (or I’d end up with a house full of pet Bengals).

Breeding has always been an interest of mine. As a child, I bred rabbits in addition to hatching and raising both chickens and ducks. Since deciding to follow my aspiration to breed Bengals, I have been working very hard to learn the most I can about the process of breeding and feline health. My goal is to produce kittens of the highest quality. Temperament, type, and coat are very important factors when working to produce quality kittens. Each breeding cat in our program is carefully selected for his or her positive attributes that we believe will help to contribute to the advancement of the Bengal breed.

Village is a small, in-home cattery (we wouldn’t want it any other way) located in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We are a closed cattery, meaning we do not use outside stud service or co-own any of our studs or queens. All of our studs, queens, and pets are regularly tested for FIV/FeLV, all of which are healthy. All of our cats and kittens are kept strictly indoors. Village is registered with TICA (The International Cat Association). In addition, we are members of TIBCS (The International Bengal Cat Society) and TIBCC (The International Bengal Cat Connection).

We consider each breeding cat in our program a part of our family. We believe all Bengals, regardless of whether they are pets or breeders, deserve an abundance of love and attention. Naturally, it is very important to us that each of our kittens and retired breeding cats are placed into loving and devoted homes. In our opinion, the responsibility of owning a Bengal, or any animal for that matter, should not be taken lightly. Here at Village, we do all we can to produce the most healthy, friendly, and beautiful Bengals available.