With its sinewy body and spotted coat, the Bengal looks like a small leopard, its jungle colors combined in spotted or marbled patterns, conjure visions of the wild. Careful consideration should be given before acquiring a Bengal as it could behave threateningly.
Did you know? The Bengal cat is the only cat with the striking rosette pattern of the wild leopard on its coat.
History
The present day Bengal was created in the late 1970s by a Californian breeder who wanted to reproduce the spotted pattern, colors and facial qualities of the Asian Leopard cat. She inherited eight females, the products of crosses between Asian Leopard Cats and domestic shorthairs, from a researcher at the University of California at Davis. She then added two males to this breeding group, a feral, orange domestic shorthair with deep brown rosettes from a zoo in Delhi, India; and a brown spotted tabby domestic shorthair from a shelter in Los Angeles.
The only association that accepts the Bengal for championship showing in the U.S.A. is the International Cat Association or TICA. None of the other associations will allow it to enter, because their bylaws prohibit the showing of any cats with wild blood, no matter how far back in the pedigree it may be. The Bengal now holds championship status with TICA.
Description
With its large, sleek body, the Bengal looks basically wild. It will wade through water with no hesitation. It is strong bones and very muscular, particularly the male. The head is a broad modified wedge, longer than it is wide, with rounded contours, much like its wild ancestors, but slightly smaller in proportion to its body. The neck is thick set, muscular and large in proportion to the head. The nose is large and wide with slightly puffed, brisk red nose leather outlined in black. The muzzle is full and broad with large, prominent whisker pads. The large eyes are almond shaped. They are blue green in the seal sepia tabby, seal mink tabby and brown tabby, and blue in the seal lynx point. The ears are short, like its wild ancestors.
The medium length legs have large bones and the feet are large and round with black paw pads. The medium length tail is thick, with a rounded black tip.
The thick, luxurious, medium length coat is soft and needs only an occasional combing to keep it looking good.
Varieties
The Bengal comes in both spotted and marbled patterns and in brown tabby, seal lynx point, seal sepia tabby and seal mink tabby. Ground colors may be ivory, cream, yellow, buff, light or dark tan, golden, orange and mahogany, patterns may be black, dark brown, brown, tan, chocolate or bitter chocolate and cinnamon. The cheeks, chin and throat are white.
Temperament
The main controversy surrounding the Bengal hinges on its temperament. Offspring of original Leopard Car crosses and even third and fourth generation offspring from the Wild Leopard Car can revert to the wild and attack without warning. Domestic cats may also be upset by the pungent odor of their urine.
Unfortunately, to retain the unique wild looking spotted pattern, breeders are forced to go back to original crosses and first and second generation Bengals, thereby perpetuating the wild behavior. Breed enthusiasts recommend that anyone wanting a Bengal as a pet should ascertain that it is at least five generations removed from the wild cat ancestor. For show purposes, the Bengal must be unchallenging and any sign of threatening behavior will result in disqualification.
The Bengal was developed in an attempt to combine the look of the wild Asian Leopard Cat with the temperament of the domesticate cat.
Because this involved crossing domestic cats with the wild cats indigenous to south east asia, the breeding programs have met with some controversy. To gain acceptance, it needs to establish that wild tendencies have been bred out, and that the new breed has the ability to reproduce a consistent type. The first Bengal litters born of wild/domestic parents (known as the F1 generation) tended to produce non fertile males and only partially fertile females, and in some cases the temperament has been unstable. Most associations, therefore, do not allow these early generations to be shown, and they are often not suitable as pets.
A young bengal shows off the muscular and athletic body it has inherited from its wild relations, and the spotted tummy so desirable in breeding standards.
Although the modern breed was pioneered in the desert state of Arizona in the United States during the 1960s, it is not registered as a championship breed by all American cat associations. Most of the american varieties are shades of brown. The Bengal is on its way to gaining provisional status in the United Kingdom, where spotted and marbled variations are being bred. There has been a huge increase in Bengal breeding lines throughout the world, possibly because of the high prices commanded by the kittens.
This Leopard spotted youngster is beginning to show the desirable patterns that will be clearly outlines in maturity, but at present are slightly masked by the wooly kitten coat.
The concept of hybrids between small wild cat species and domestic varieties is not new. There is a record of a prototype Bengal at the London Zoo sometime before 1889, and at a Dutch cattery during the 1960s.
The snow spotted Bengal is a paler version of the spotted variety. The pale background color is the result of the recessive Siamese gene, and is complemented by clear blue eyes.
The modern breed is very striking, it is long, sleek and muscular with beautifully patterned fur. Its coat is its unique feature, quite unlike any other domestic breed, being more akin to the feel of a wild cat’s pelt. Smallish, forward pointing ears extend straight up frm the sides of the broadly wedge shaped head.
A marbled Bengal displays the dramatic coat pattern and long, prowling bodyline.
Bengal Cat breed information
coat – short to medium, very dense, and unusually soft to the touch
eyes – oval, large, not bold
grooming – regular stroking, some brushing
temperament – active, playful, loves water
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