About the CATS
WHAT IS A BENGAL CAT?
The Bengal breed first originated from deliberate crossings of a leopard cat and house cats (rather like crossing a horse and a donkey to make a mule) by Jean Mill, who began an extensive breeding program that was picked up by numerous other breeders giving us today's Bengal breed. The first time cross with one leopard cat parent and one house cat parent is called the F1 generation. An F2 is the offspring of an F1, and F3 is the offspring of an F2, etc. After 3 generations of Bengal to Bengal breeding, we use the designation SBT and the Bengal is then allowed into the showring. The Bengal cat is now accepted, and shown for championship designation, in several domestic cat associations. The Bengal breed is different from other spotted breeds in that the spotting pattern is derived from a naturally spotted species of cat (the leopard cat), and therefore the look is more distinct and wild appearing than that found in other breeds.
WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?
Of course the original purpose in breeding Bengal cats was to try to
approximate the look of the exotic, spotted leopard cat, and the spotted
pattern is still the most common. There are numerous accepted colors for
both the background color of the cat and the spots. Although the background
color of the leopard cat is quite variable, the colors of the Bengal are
even more so. These range from golden brown, rust, and orange, to a sand,
buff, or even ivory. But it's the spots on the Bengal cat that make it
stand out in a crowd. Until recently, such spots were found only on wild
species of cats. Bengal spots also vary in color, from chocolate brown
to charcoal to inky black. And, a real sign of the leopard cat heritage,
some spots may show the coveted rosetting, a two-toned colored spot rather
than a solid color. The other pattern found in the Bengal cat came as a
surprise to breeders and is less common than the spots. By a strange genetic
quirk, the combination of wild and domestic genes sometimes produces a
pattern called marble - which looks just like it sounds. One color is swirled
into another, giving a marbleized look to the coat. And as far as size,
the Bengal cat is considered a medium to large house cat with females averaging
between 8-10 pounds and males 12-15 pounds. It is important to remember
that the Bengal cat was crossed with the 10 pound leopard cat, a small
but long, lean cat built to climb trees and catch small prey, so "heaviness"
comes in from the domestic cat. Since my personal interest in the Bengal
breed is in creating a graceful, athletic cat more similar to the look
of the small wild cats, that's what I strive for, rather than a heavy,
musclebound look.
SO WHAT IS PELT AND GLITTER?
No description of Bengal coats and colors would be complete without mentioning the extremely plush look and feel of the Bengal pelt. You should be able to tell a Bengal with your eyes closed, just by feeling the lush and silky soft fur of it's ancestors. Another odd characteristic that you'll hear mentioned is glitter. Some Bengals have an abundance of gold flecks throughout their pelt, looking as if someone threw a handful of gold dust in their fur. Not all Bengals have it (in fact it came from domestic cats, not the leopard cat), nor is it a required attribute of the Bengal breed. It's just another of those extras that shows up in what is already an extraordinary breed!
HOW ARE BENGAL CATS DIFFERENT
FROM OTHER BREEDS OF CATS?
One of the questions I get asked is "Are Bengals mean?" And my answer is a resounding, "NO, they certainly are not!". Because of the initial wild heritage of the Bengal cat, responsible breeders have been more than ordinarily careful of selecting and breeding for Bengal cats with loving and gentle house cat temperaments. Even our breed standard mentions that a Bengal cat cannot be aggressive. Although Bengals are just as loving and friendly as any other house cat, every breed has it's differences and their jungle heritage can be seen in their activities and pleasures. Like their wild forebearers, they are active cats that love to climb and romp. However, instead of jungle trees and plants, Bengal cats make do with what they find in your house. Mine love to climb up high where they perch and peer down at the world below. And, in the jungle home of the leopard cat, water is abundant and the behavior of the Bengal often reflects this. None of my aquariums are safe without lids since my Bengals adore playing in water and "fish" for anything they can reach. (We finally had to get rid of goldfish in an indoor pond because the cats were fishing for them!).
Another, sometimes frustrating, Bengal difference is the stage we breeders
call the "ugly grey fuzzies". About the time they're being weaned,
some species of wild spotted kittens go through a phase where lots of grayish
fuzzy fur grows in, muddying the pattern and disguising the spots. In the
wild, this probably acts as a camouflage to make the kittens less vulnerable
to predation. Because of their leopard cat heritage, many Bengals have
inherited this trait and at about 6 to 10 weeks of age, Bengal kittens
often go through these "ugly gray fuzzies" which, as one breeder
friend put it, "makes my kittens look like yuk." Thankfully,
the kittens gradually grow out of it and their beautiful colors and patterns
return.
Breakfast at Cheetahsden with an F1.
Phone/Fax: (406) 202-2377
Townsend, Montana
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