Cat fanciers get their claws out for breeder of £80,000 kittens

Claws are out for the Bengal cat, one of the world's most costly and boisterous moggies.

Claws are out for the Bengal cat, one of the world's most costly and boisterous moggies.

Loved by the rich and famous for its sleek looks and exotic origins - it is only a few steps removed from the wild Asian leopard - the much-prized pet has found itself in an extraordinary fight with the big beasts of the pedigree cat world.

The row has gone way beyond the hissing stage: there are claims of price-fixing and genetic meddling. There are even allegations of murder threats, with one leading Bengal specialist now making plans to leave the country.

It wasn't always this way. The Bengal, developed 30 years ago as an experiment to cure feline leukaemia, quickly found its good looks and playful nature in demand. While normal cats take fright at water, Bengals are willing to take baths with their owners, who have included the Sultan of Brunei, Jonathan Ross and Lord Archer.

The news that four kittens in Aberdeenshire have just gone on sale at £80,000 a piece - some say they are the world's most expensive cats - has only intensified the row. Rival breeders claim they are virtually worthless because they are too "wild" to count as pets.

At the heart of the controversy is Lord (Esmond) Gay, a self-confessed eccentric who has been breeding Bengals for 13 years but now says that jealous rivals have made death threats against him and his cats. "Message boards on the internet had all these stories that I murdered my father and raped my daughter," he told The Independent on Sunday.

But as far as the cat world is concerned, Lord Gay's worst crime is that he trades in animals only one step removed from the wild.

Among his critics is Rosemary Alger-Street, founder of the Bengal Cat Club. "The real value is very little in these animals," Mrs Alger-Street said. "They aren't even recognised by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy - the feline equivalent of the Kennel Club. They can't be bred legally under GCCF rules.

"The price of these four Bengal kittens all goes back to Esmond Gay. He's a money-making machine. He tries to keep the price high by selling to his wealthy clients."

The GCCF confirmed that early generations are not suitable as pets: "We don't allow anything less than F4s [fourth generation] at cat shows licensed by us," said a spokesman. The 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act is under review, but the Department for the Environment says hybrid cats, such as Bengals, must be licensed.

Lord Gay refutes claims that his cats are unsuitable as pets: "They are beautiful and still have that wild look, but F2s onwards make wonderful pets."

His customers concur. "I wanted an F2 or an F3 because they were so much more interesting than the usual Bengals," says Chloe Banks, fond owner of an F2 cat. "Esmond's cats are the finest you could buy."

"F4s or F5s begin looking like any other moggy," Lord Gay adds. "These breeders can't get hold of cats as pure as mine and can't make the money I do. It's plain jealousy."

The Aberdeenshire kittens have been bred by Pauline McKinnon at her farm near Mintlaw. She is aware that she has stepped into a minefield, claiming: "We have a lot of people slamming the early generations of Bengals, but they have no experience of handling them."

Lord Gay has had enough of the catfights and is now planning to leave the UK. "I sold my Asian leopard cats to Pauline McKinnon because she is stronger than me, and can handle this situation better," he said. Mrs McKinnon will be listening hard for the sound of claws being sharpened.