Bengal(cat)

July 25th, 2008 | by admin |

The Bengal is descended from crosses between wild Asian Leopard Cats and domestic shorthairs. The first Bengal breeding program began in 1963 and the breed was first accepted for championship status in TICA in 1984. It is a large Cat with a short glossy coat.

The Bengal is a relatively new cat breeds which was first bred in the U.S.A and was originally created by crossing an Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic Cat. The domestic Bengal derives its name from the Latin name of its wild ancestor, Felis Bengalensis (Asian Leopard Cat). Whilst the domestic Bengal is similar in appearance to the Asian Leopard Cat, and its genetic makeup contains a contribution from that wild Cat species, its temperament however is purely domestic.

The Bengal is a large, sleek and very muscular Cat with its hind-quarters slightly higher than its shoulders with a thick tail that is carried low. The Bengal should be alert and affectionate and its wild appearance is enhanced by its distinctive spotted or marbled coat. The different coat patterns are either leopard spotted or marbled, on a background colour of brown, or sometimes white.

The goal in developing the domestic Bengal cat breeds was to preserve a strong physical resemblance to its beautiful wild ancestor and at the same time the new domestic breed was designed to be a pleasant and trustworthy family companion. Therefore, the conformation of the Bengal is definitely reminiscent of its ancestors.

There is no other breed of cat which displays the gold or pearl dusting effect (glitter) of the Bengal. Its pelt has a rich smooth feel of satin or silk. Even the voice of the Bengal is different from that of other domestic cats. They can coo and chirp, and like to jump and somersault. They also love to play with water!

While most commonly seen in the brown spotted tabby pattern, they may also be found in the marbled pattern (classic tabby). Glittering refers to an effect on the coat that makes it looks as if the coat was sprinkled with glitter; rosetted refers to the spots forming distinct patterns, preferably with more than one color tone within the spot. Seal sepia, seal lynx, and seal mink, color patterns with a pale white or cream background, are popularly referred to as “snow” Bengals.

Well-bred Bengals are active, intelligent companions. Buyers should ask how many generations removed Bengal kittens are from wild blood; the best companion cats are at least four generations removed. Most pet Bengals are wild only in looks, not in personality.

The Bengal Breed was created by geneticist Jean S. Mill who wanted to produce a “tame toy leopard”. She started by hybridizing Asian Leopard cats from as early as 1963 but, modern Bengal cat originated from Jean’s breeding programme of 1975. The first Bengal cat was registered with The International Cat Association (TICA) in 1983.[1] The Bengal has been welcomed as a pedigreed breed by several Cat associations — most notably TICA, Fédération Internationale Féline and the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy — but has been refused acceptance by the more traditional Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) of the USA, the world’s largest registry of pedigreed Cats. The CFA is reluctant to accept wild/domestic hybrids, as stated in its position on its website. [2] American registries which accepts the Bengal includes the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) and the American Association of Cat Enthusiasts (AACE).

There are currently three varieties of domestic Cat being developed from the Bengal:

The Serengeti Cat - developed from crosses with Oriental or Siamese with the aim to produce a domestic Cat mimicking the appearance of an African Serval, without actually incorporating Serval genes by hybridization.

The Toyger - developed from crosses with domestic Cats with the aim to produce a striped ‘toy Tiger.’

The Cheetoh - an attempt to blend two existing domestic breeds of spotted Cats with defined characteristics (Bengal and Ocicat), into a third.