Bengal Cats are adorable, there is no doubt about that. They are also a relatively new as a domestic breed. They are a hybrid breed, formed by cross breeding a Domestic Cat to an Asian Leopard Cat. The name Bengal, is not from the Bengal Tiger, but from the scientific name for the Asian Leopard Cat. These cats were bred to have a wild appearance, whilst preserving the household cat personality. There are several other attempts being made to produce different varieties of breeds, developed from the Bengal Cat, these include:
-Serengeti Cat This cat is developed from crossing an Oriental Shorthair or Siamese with a Bengal. The aim is to produce a domestic cat that mimics the appearance of an African Serval, but not actually combining the Serval gene into the hybridization.
-Savannah Cat This cat has several genes into .
the DNA.
-Toyger Cat This cat is developed by crossing domestic cats & a Bengal to produce a striped "Toy Tiger"
-Cheetoh Cat This is an attempt to blend 2 existing domestic cat breed with spots that have defined characteristics to make a 3rd breed. (ex: Bengal & Ocicat).
Markings Bengals have "wild-looking" markings, like large spots, rosettes, & a light/white belly. They have a body shaped like a mini-leopard. The Bengal's rosetted spots only appear on the back & sides, there are stripes everywhere else. This breed's typical appearance also features "Mascara" (a horizontal stripe along the eye) foreleg stripes.
Colors The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) only recognize the colors Brown-Spotted & Snow-Spotted, but there are more colors.
The International Cat Association (ICA) recognized the colors: Brown, Seal Lynx Point, Mink, Sepia, & Silver. The patterns recognized for both the GCCG & the ICA are spotted or marbled. They also list the Snow Bengal further divided into 2 MORE categories as Blue-eyed or Any Other Color (AOC) eyes.
Personality -They are gentle & relaxed
-They tend to develop attachments to their owners.
-They love socialization.
-They move around a lot.
-They tend to birth more kitten (quantity wise, in 1 litter) then the average domestic cat.
-They adapt well to small spaces.
-They are extremely intelligent, & can even learn some tricks such as retrieve, fetch, & "tremble" hand with a little bit of encouragement.
-They prefer the floor/ground rather then jumping, unlike the average domestic cat.
-They need minimal grooming. Asking for only a brush through every other day.
Health There were no health issues listed that were specific to this breed, but like I said in the last blog, that doesn't mean your cat will never get sick. It just means that there is nothing specific to watch for. Always use common sense & good judgement when it comes to caring for your pet.
By @Astra Moon
@cat000
