Bengal

History:
The Bengal cat is a relatively new short-haired cat breed.

Since he looks like a leopard he is a very striking appearance among the other breeds. In the early sixties the first crossings took place between the Asian Leopard Cat (Felis Bengalensis) and the domesticated cat by Jean Mill and others. In the eighties she started 2 new blood lines and she developed the breed standard together with other people. In 1990 the Bengal was acknowledged in the    TICA shows 

There was a distinction between the Foundation Cas (the first generations) F1, F2 and F3 and the fourth and later generations (SBT).

The Bengal is a breed which is still developing. A number of very good breeders in the Netherlands have been developing this breed for over 10 years; they also make sure that the breed remains healthy by importing service cats regularly, and ensuring new different lines in this way.

Appearance:
The first thing which strikes is his beautiful wild catlike pattern. The soft-yellow or orange-like background must have a large contrast with the brown/ink-black spots. The spots must have a horizontal or random pattern on the fur, no vertical stripes.

Some Bengals have glitter, a golden gleam over their fur. The fur feels soft, like a fleece. Rosettes are desired. The head is small compared to the body. The eyes are oval, almost round. Around the eyes there are clear black “mascara” lines. The whiskers are prominent, a straight profile, a strong chin and their ears are not too large.

The tail may not be too long, rather thick with a black tip and rings at the end of the tail. The stomach is lighter with small black spots. The soles are black. The body is muscled; tomcats are more robust and heavier than female cats.

The hind legs are a bit higher than the forepaws, which give the Bengal that special “cool” walk, his feet are round and solid. A number of patterns and colors are distinguished: Spotted, like described above, marbled with a horizontal preferable tricolored “marbled” pattern and the colors brown tabby (the most occurring color), seal sepia tabby, seal mink tabby, seal lynx point tabby. Sometimes other colors occur in a nest, like blue or black but these colors have not been acknowledged.

If you wish to read more about the Bengal Breed Standard (2001) check the TICA site then.

Character
The Bengal is an intelligent, active cat. You don’t have to be bored if you have a Bengal in your house. Bengals like company, are attached and remain active long. They can play well, also together with other pets.    

   Bengals love to sit on high spots and they are able to jump on it. You can get surprised by your Bengal when he suddenly jumps on your shoulder.

The Bengal wants to be involved in everything; unpacking your bag, sitting on your computer…..he usually follows you through the house. He only sits on your lap if he really wants to, but you usually wake up finding the Bengal in your bed. Bengals like water. They play with their water bowl, come near you in the shower or join you in your bath; some of them even jump in the bath.
Fishing in the pond is something he also loves to do. A Bengal cat can stay inside if there are enough playing possibilities available and if he isn’t alone too often. Usually a second Bengal will soon join you, once you start loving them.

A Bengal can be taught to walk with a safety belt; in this way you can also take them outside. I have learnt that if you teach this to them from childhood, you can also take them on a journey with you. Since they are very curious, they aren’t afraid in new surroundings. A run in the garden is also very nice for them.      

Kittens:
If you start looking for kittens you’d better consider first which type of Bengal you want. A spotted, with little spots or large spots, with rosettes or marbled?

The breeds’ association can supply you with reliable addresses. You can also look on shows. A Bengal will have an average of 4 kittens and there aren’t usually many problems. Bengal mothers are very careful. Often, other Bengal family members help taking care of the kittens. It is important that the kittens are socialized well by the breeder, are held a lot and played with a lot. A kitten must be able to develop himself actively during his first months.

Thanks to  Bengaal cattery  Dolce e Macchiato for the pictures & breed information  http://www.artcats.nl