The Bengal Cat
 The
Bengal cat makes a loving, intelligent housecat. Curious and
entertaining, some even enjoy playing in water and bathing with their
owners. They enjoy the companionship of both adults and children and
usually adapt to other family pets. Some owners regularly walk their
Bengals on leashes. Exercise, nutritional and immunization requirements
are the same as for all domestic household cats. The domestic Bengal
(four generations or more from the
Asian Leopard Cat)
has normal litter box habits, is recognized in several cat fancy
registries and currently makes up the largest number of cats competing
in The International Cat Association (TICA). Also recognized by
registries such as AACE, ACF, ACFA, CCA, FIFE, GCCF, FIFE, NZCF and
QICC, this entertaining and affectionate cat is finding its way into
more and more living rooms.
Colours and Patterns
The first registry to recognize the
Bengal, The International Cat Association (TICA) recognizes several
colours (brown, seal lynx point, mink, sepia, silver) and patterns
(spotted and marbled) for Championship competition. In the New Traits
class, any other colour may be shown, as well as longhair Bengals.
Brown Spotted Tabby Bengals
The brown spotted tabby
(leopard spotted) Bengals have dark spots on a lighter ground colour
ranging from grey or tawny to sorrel to golden, very rufused (bright
orange) and to a rich mahogany. Note: The Asian Leopard Cat is
considered a brown spotted tabby in the cat fancy and ranges somewhat in
colour.
 
Brown includes variations of tawny,
sorrel, golden, hot rufus and mahogany.
Seal Lynx Point, Sepia and Mink
Spotted Tabby Bengals
The seal lynx point
(blue-eyed) and seal sepia (gold or green-eyed) spotted tabbies (fondly
referred to by breeders as two of the "snow" leopard spotteds) have
ivory backgrounds with contrasting spots. The seal mink (aqua or
green-eyed) spotted is a combination of one each of the above pointed
Siamese and the Burmese sepia genes. Extreme contrast between the
markings and the ground colour is desirable in each spotted colour.
Spotted Seal Lynx Point Bengal
Spots of all colours
and patterns vary in colour, size, rosetting and intensity but
preference is given to random and horizontal pattern alignment with wide
spacing or "acreage".
Marbled Bengals
The classic tabby gene
creates the marbled Bengal and represents a change of pattern from
spotted to swirled or marbleized. This dramatic pattern is comprised of
swirls of brown spotted colours flowing in a horizontal fashion instead
of traditional spots. Preference is given to the more horizontal,
flowing and "ocelot-like" patterns. The "marbled" pattern can also occur
in lynx, sepia and mink colour/patterns (see above).
A Brown Marbled Tabby and a Seal Lynx
Point Marbled Tabby
Other Colours & Characteristics
"Glitter,"
the high shine (usually on a clear, non-ticked coat) that has been
discovered and developed in the Bengal is a welcome addition to the
breed.
 "Rosettes,"
the dark outlining of coat markings (both in the spotted and marbled)
that are around a third rich colour, are found in many Asian Leopard
Cats and other wild cat species. Rosettes showing two distinct colours
or shades, such as paw print shaped, arrowhead shaped, doughnut or
half-doughnut shaped or clustered are preferred to single spotting but
not required.
Some Bengal kittens go
through what is referred to as the "fuzzy
uglies". A beautifully clear kitten at three weeks old may
begin to acquire a ticked kitten coat at four to five weeks old. This
coat begins to clear again to higher contrast at about 12 weeks and is
again breathtaking by 6 months.
Please Note: There are
a variety of other colours (such as blue, black, tortie, etc.) and
characteristics (long hair, flat face, etc.) of the Bengal cat which are
derived from the domestic genes that DO NOT meet the Bengal standard in
TICA... but which may be quite beautiful and shown in UFO and
other registries.
Conformation
Bengals are
relatively large-boned, shorthaired cats with males averaging from 10 to
15 pounds and females usually smaller. The
face
should have a distinctly non-domestic expression, with small, rounded
ears and intense facial markings. Careful selection ensures Bengal cats
that are friendly, loving domestic cats that bear a strong physical
resemblance to their Asian Leopard Cat ancestors. Please click on
face to
read an article about the Bengal's head and face.
Evaluation
 Kittens
are categorized as to their quality when compared to the accepted
TICA Bengal Standard.
The Standard for the Bengal cat describes the ideal. Kittens are sold
either as pets to be altered, breeders and/or show quality cats. Show
quality is the best of the best. Breeder quality is a good cat that has
something lovely to offer the breed and no faults or perhaps one or two
less desirable traits that can bred out in a generation. Pet quality is
a cat that for some reason the breeder feels does not qualify to be
offered as a breeder or show cat. This might be due to a visual
undesirable trait such as a spot of white colour on the throat or groin
(referred to as a locket) or a genetic defect that might put offspring
at risk for ill health.
Note:
Bengal standards as accepted by other cat registries in other countries
may vary somewhat.
Thank you to The International
Bengal Cat Society, where all of this information has been sourced at
the following link
http://www.tibcs.com/aboutbengals/bengal.aspx please be sure to
visit their website for more information.
Proud Member of The
International Bengal Cat Society TIBCS |
