I am married to a lovely man who is by nature an animal lover and by trade a Software Engineer. We have four beautiful children, two boys and two girls, who are daily involved with our cats and kittens.
I’ve been very blessed with my family and they play a huge part in how and why Adelhills has evolved. Thank you for taking the time to read about Adelhills and why we are breeding our beautiful Bengals.
Cheers, Melinda
I was smitten by the Bengal Cat when we began searching for a cat that wouldn’t cause allergic reactions to my husband. When we encountered the Bengal we were so ecstatic, not only could we finally have a cat again in our lives and home but a BEAUTIFUL exotic looking cat that glittered in the sunlight!
From that discovery we purchased Neko, our first pet Bengal and the love affair of the breed began. At that time I looked into the options of breeding the Bengals but due to my commitments, I felt I did not have enough quality time to give, that the Bengal breed deserved.
I spent several years enjoying the Bengal breed via our pet Neko. The idea of being more involved with showing and breeding Bengals never left me. So when we sadly had to say good bye to Neko, we starting looking at the Bengals and the possibility of showing and breeding.
With the reorganization of my previous commitments, I finally had the time and balance in my life to pursue my passion to show and breed Bengal Cats.
It had been several years since our first Bengal joined our home so I spent many months researching about the current state of the breed, lines, pedigrees, colours, patterns, type and form. I felt this vital so that I could go into breeding Bengals with a good sense of awareness and passion for quality.
With confidence I was able to secure what I felt were some truly top quality Bengal lines as the foundation for my program in 2009.
My first “breeding program” was set up, breeding rabbits around the age of seven. I soon came across the Satin breed thus forming my rabbitry “Sunray Satins”. With that step I was off on the journey in my breeding education.
During that time I bred and showed nationally with great success with both Satins and Holland Lop rabbits. The experience that provided in; animal husbandry, showing, showmanship, sportsmanship, tracking and selection of pedigrees and lines, interaction with breed associations, registrations, breed type selection and may other things have really shaped my life to this day. The joys I have found in animals and breeding are numerous and priceless.
I spent several years developing my breeding program with Sunray Satins. I was specifically instrumental with the work done to develop the broken red, colour variety, in Satins in the USA. After many years of competing in the “open” classes I built a reputation for some of the best Satins in the North West USA.
By the time I was fourteen I broadened my breeding experience with the purchased of a beautiful Thoroughbred mare that I trained, showed and bred. From that point I’ve not turned back from being involved in animal husbandry, of all kinds.
At the age of twenty-two, I found the true Australian Labradoodle (as developed in Australia). I am and will always be passionate about them and they will always be a part of my family and life. Because of my history and breeding experiences it was natural for me to look into the breed and their development at depth. I spent a year researching the breed, history, available lines and the breed standard.
After making sure I could make a positive impact on the development of the Australian Labradoodle breed I made the decision to breed them. I purchased my foundation Australian Labradoodle breeding stock from the originator of the breed in Australia. I spent close to ten years dedicated to the work and development of the Australian Labradoodle breed.
I was also instrumental in the development of the Australian Labradoodle Association. The ALA was the worlds first breed specific organization for the Australian Labradoodle. I was also involved and on the international IALA committee for the Breed Standard revision and was instrumental in ensuring the continued quality required for the breed through the standard.
Through endless hours, dedication and passion my kennel, Sunset Hills, gained the reputation of having extraordinary facilities, top breeding ethics, comprehensive health testing programs, top quality management programs and some of the best Australian Labradoodle dogs available in the world.
Due to the large scale required for the breed’s development and my growing family’s needs I retired from Sunset Hills. I have seen them go on to become the foundation program and blood lines for the largest therapy dog project in Japan though Nichii Gakkan.
I've been privileged to be a part of history through Nichii Gakkan's extraordinary vision to see animal therapy programs implemented in medical facilities on a large scale throughout Japan. With their vision it will address the needs of patient’s day-to-day lives with the environmental, enrichment and positive healthy interactions that come with sharing your environment with animals.
I am very proud of the work and investment I have made in my chosen breeds and projects throughout the years.
I still enjoy staying in contact with the many companion pet families I’ve been privileged to know. There is truly a joy in breeding quality animals and successfully placing them into families loving homes.
I know that with my extensive experience and my current lifestyle, it allows me to produce top quality Bengal cats for companion pet, showing and breeding.
I feel very privileged to be a part of introducing your new family member into your home and look forward to being your breeder.
No, Bengals are a domestic breed with the look of the Wild Cat that you can enjoy in your home.
Yes, Bengals are bred as house cats to interact with people, children and other animals as lifetime companions.
No, most Bengals are not lazy sleep-all-the-time cats. While many Bengals will come for cuddles, kisses and enjoy sitting for a pat while you watch a movie, they also like to prowl, hunt for dust bunnies, play rambunctiously with each other, toys or other pets and see what's happening with the household.
No, just like any cat the Bengal requires a high quality diet and routine veterinary care that is expected of any cat owner.
Bengals have the usual feline life expectancy of 12 to 16+ years.
Bengals are extremely smart and are often easy to train in many things. Bengals can be taught to walk on a lead with harness, fetching objects, sit when asked, come when called, sit & beg etc... We highly recommend buying a "train your cat new tricks" type of book that you can enjoy working on with your Bengal.
Yes, but you should be aware that on average only 70% of domestic cats in general are affected by catnip. The other 30% of domestic cats can have low to no interest.
Bengals are like most domesticated breeds and are easily litter box trained without issue. While most Altered (Desexed) cats don't spray, in rare cases this can happen. Training and environmental changes can be done to assist in this.
YES, most Bengals like to play in and with water. My Bengals love to sit on the side of the bath and play. If there's only a few inches in the bottom of the tub, you can often expect a "guest" to drop in unannounced!
Bengals are an indoor cat, while they may enjoy looking out the windows they should not be let outside without being on a harness lead and fully supervised.
No, there are many different factors that affect what you see and get in any cat including the Bengal. Things to consider when looking for a breeder of your Bengals are:
While you may find Bengals available at a varying range of prices, what you get and what you pay for are usually always in direct correlation.