Bengal cat

(Prionailurus bengalensis) is an animal of an exotic look but friendly nature. It came into existence by the crossbreeding of a wild and domesticated cats and it still holds some of their wild ancestor‘s attributes. Bengal is a middle-sized cat with a lithe and muscular body and it’s an ideal partner for everyone who wishes for some fun in their life.

Origin

The Bengal breed was created by the crossing of a wild bengal (Asian leopard cat) with a domestic breed in USA about 1950. It’s unique for its spotted fur which makes it look like a wild carnivore.

The first breeding was related to a scientific research of a cat leukaemia virus and didn’t try to create a new breed at all. But later some of the breeders decided to breed a cat with a dramatic spotted fur and to achieve this, they crossed Prionailurus bengalensis with Abyssinian, Siamese, Burmese and even a non-thorough-bred domestic cat. During this process they had to face couple of problems like infertillity of some individuals or a fact that some of those cats were too wild-natured – just like their ancestors.  But these problems were eliminated in the fourth generation and ever since then, Bengal is told to be trully domesticated; nowadays Bengals are temperament but also cuddly and beautiful.

Character

Bengals are very curious and active cats who love big space. They don’t need an outside run but they also shouldn’t be locked in just one room. They need a plenty of toys and „playing“ facilities and they should always have a big scratching post. The individuals can differ a lot in their character – considering their wild origin, they still keep their persistence and wildness (for example they’re great hunters) – but as we‘ve said before, they are very cuddly, playful and social as well. If you spend a lot of time away from your home, make sure your cat doesn’t stay alone but has a company. They get along well with another cats or dogs.

Bengal cats are also unique in that these cats actually love and enjoy water. They will play for hours with a slightly running tap and will delight children and adults alike with its playful antics with water.

Care

Bengal’s fur doesn’t need any special care. Combing is told to be even bad for it. If you cut your cat’s claws time to time and you clean her ears in case of need, that’s enough.

Parameters

Body

Bengal’s got a long and muscular body with heavy bones. Back legs are longer than the front ones and paws are big and round. The tail is middle-lengthy, firm and it’s got rounded top.

Head

Head is quite small considering the big body and wider than long. Ears are small, rounded and aimed to the front. They are set quite far away from each other and they musn’t have verricules. Nose profile is long and wide and slightly deflected. Eyes are big and almond-like or rounded.  Bengals should have intense facial markings and pronounced whisker pads.

Fur

Fur is very thick, slick, soft and silky. It’s supposed to be short but kitten are alowed to have longer hairs than adults. Bengals can have two different patterns – dotted od marbled. Very important is a dark top of a tail. The fur can have golden glitter which means that it’s like sparkling.

Pattern

For both the dotted and the marbled fur is very important to have a clear contrast. The dotted one should have dotts even on the belly, then clear M on a forehead and circles around the tail.

The marbled one is similar to oriental short-hair cat’s pattern but instead of being circle-like, it should be oval.

Colors

This breed has got following varieties which differ in a basic color shade and a color of patterns. Each variety is also told to have different color of eyes.

• brown tabby – black marbled/spotted
• seal sepia marbled/spotted (burmese tink)
• seal mink marbled/spotted
• snow marbled/spotted

For the snow cats is typical to have very light color. The vague pattern shows up after a few months of life and before it gets its final coloring, it can take even more than a year.