These
are just a few general descriptions and discussions of this
exciting cat. Specific Bengal breed standards may be found
on our link to The International Cat Association (TICA)
website.
The
Bengal Cat is relatively new breed of cat. They are a hybrid
derived from crossing of the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) and
a domestic cat. The purpose of this cross breeding is to
achieve the looks of the wild cat while maintaining the
personality of the domestic cat. These are highly intelligent,
active cats that require interaction with their people.
They make great family or individual pets. Each Bengal has
its own individual personality that will delight (and sometimes
challenge) the new owner. Some Bengals actually play in
the water. Many will play fetch for hours on end. They are
curious and innovative in their problem solving techniques.
(We have installed "baby latches to prevent ours from
opening cupboard doors.) Their eating and litter box habits
are the basically the same as any other domestic breed.
The
Bengal is a medium to large domestic cat. The average female
weighs from 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 Kg). The average
male weighs from 8 to 15 pounds (3.6 to 6.8Kg). With all
averages there will be those cats that exceed the limits
on both ends of the scale but these are exceptions. The
Bengal cat has long legs with the back legs being slightly
longer than the front legs. They are long bodied with heads
proportionally smaller than other domestic breeds. Bengals
are very athletic and are great leapers. They are world
class athletes that will abandon every bit of decorum to
catch what they are chasing.
The
Bengal Cat is accepted for championship competition by most
cat fancies with the notable exception of CFA. TICA recognizes
the fourth generation of breeding (F4) to be a domestic
cat and therefore eligible for championship competition.
Other cat fancies may require one more generation (F5) of
Bengal to Bengal breeding to be considered for championship.
The preceding generations (F1 through F3) (called filials)
are early generation Bengals that are not eligible for championship.
In these generations most of the males are sterile.
The
Bengal Cats were first accepted by TICA into championship
competition in 1991. The original Bengal classes accepted
only the spotted variety of Bengals. It was in 1994 when
both the marbled patterns and the pointed colors were also
allowed to compete for championship in TICA.
The
colors accepted for championship competition by TICA are
Brown Spotted Tabby (BST), Brown Marble Tabby (BMT), and
the pointed varieties referred to as snows which include
Seal Lynx Pointed (SLP), Seal Mink and Sepia. The "snows"
have both the marbled and spotted patterns. Colors not currently
accepted for championship are blue (gray), silver and black
(melanistic). These cats can be very beautiful and may be
shown in the new color assessment class (in the past NBC).
See our gallery page for some examples.
The
highly distinctive and unique spotted and marble patterns
are just a start. The Bengal's coat is short to medium in
length but is soft and silky to the touch. When this texture
reaches its maximum potential it is called a pelt. Once
you have touched a pelted cat you cannot mistake it for
anything else. The background color of the Bengal varies
from almost white (in the snows) through all the browns
from light to dark and even highly rufoused coats that appear
almost red. The spots also vary in color, from light brown
to black. Some spots even have two or more colors, usually
a lighter center that is outlined by a darker color. These
are called rosettes and are highly desirable. Rosetting
also occurs in marbles. This appears when the inside of
the pattern is outlined by a darker color. Once again this
is a highly desirable pattern. The difference in appearance
between the spot color and the background color is called
contrast. The more contrast between the two, the more striking
the appearance of the coat. Larger spots with large areas
in between (sometimes called acreage) are given preference
over smaller spots with less distance in between. Rosettes
and spots are given equal preference. In the marble patterns
the wider patterns are given preference over the narrower
patterns. A horizontal "flow", for both spotted
and marble patterns, is given preference over either vertical
or classic tabby bulls' eye patterns.
