Bengal Cat Personality, Breed and Origin

The Bengal cat is a large to medium cat of foreign type, sleek and muscular with a thick tail which is carried low. The females may be smaller than the males.

The Bengal’s wild appearance is enhanced by its distinctive rosetted and spotted or marbled tabby coat which should be thick and luxurious.

Origins and History

The name Bengal comes from the Latin name for the Asian Leopard Cat Felis Bengalensis. More it was developed from crosses between Asian Leopard Cats and domestic/pedigree cats.

Under normal circumstances Asian Leopard Cats will not breed with domestic cats. but they may cross mate if they have been raised with domestic cats.

The original crosses between the two species were first carried out intentionally in America in the 1980s. As part of a University research programming to investigate whether it would be possible to transfer the Asian Leopard Cat’s plain natural immunity to Feline Leukaemia to domestic cats.

It was found that there was a slightly increased resistance to Feline Leukaemia but the research came to an end. When the Feline Leukaemia vaccine became available.

Although the Asian Leopard Cat has the same number of chromosomes as the domestic cat. All F1 males were found to be sterile and were, so, excluded from the breeding programmer.

Females generally have limited fertility but some may not be fertile at all and have small litters. Although a small number of third generation. Males were found to be fertile, this was very often intermittent or transitory. More recently, second generation , third generation and some fourth generation males have been found to be sterile.

Some of the first generation females bred for the research programmes were placed with an interested breeder who attempted to breed on with them.

Initially, due to these issues, there were not very many cats available and some of the early litters produced were entirely male so progress was very slow.

However, kittens from successful mating’s were used in the breeding programme and became the foundation cats of the Bengal breeding programmes that have produced the cats that have been imported into the UK since 1991.

Several close mating’s were done in the early generations. This was done from necessity rather than from choice due to the small number of cats available.

However, the original cats that had been used to establish the breed were from very diverse backgrounds so it was thought to be within acceptable limits.

American Domestic Short Hairs were used together with a male and a female of Egyptian Mau type that had been imported from India. American bred Egyptian Maus were also used in the early breeding programme to widen the gene pool and to strengthen the breed.

These early close mating’s served to reduce the genetic heterogeneity and to stabilise the pattern of the Bengal Breed. However, It became clear that it would be necessary to widen the Bengal gene pool and also to reinforce the wild type ‘look’ of the Bengal.

Another Asian Leopard Cat had been mated to American bred Egyptian Maus and these lines were then integrated into the original Bengal lines. There are now a considerable number of Asian Leopard Cats in Bengal pedigrees some of which are in the pedigrees of Bengals into the UK.

The foundation cats used in the Bengal cat breeding programming were mainly Brown Spotted cats.

The cats that were produced were originally described as Brown “Leopard” Spotted Bengal cat although this description was discontinued when Bengals were given Preliminary recognition by the GCCF in 1997.

The spots were very large with a horizontal alignment and were sometimes arrow-shaped. Rosettes, which are formed by a part circle of spots around a distinctly lighter centre, were also sometimes produced enhancing the wild appearance.

The Bengals had a distinctive ultra soft, silky coat with a “pelt-like” quality. That had not been seen in other domestic breeds of cat and had either green or gold coloured eyes.

Within a few generations, Bengal cat with a modified Classic Tabby pattern were produced. These were described as a Brown Marbled Bengals.

The pattern was asymmetrical with a horizontal alignment that was more clear when the cat was stretched out.

It has been suggested that the presence of Marbled Bengal cat in the pedigree increases the incidence of rosettes in the spotted pattern.

Also, Spotted Bengal cat with very large spots occur in otherwise normally spotted litters. The very large spotting sometimes resembles a marbled pattern that has been cut up. Even the smaller spots sometimes follow what appear to be marbled pattern outlines.

The true history of the Bengal cat is as mysterious as they are various wild cat hybrids have been circulating for thousands of years. But it is hard to determine which are myths and which have substance.

For example, legend has it that the ancient Egyptians hybridized from their native African wild cat and that the offspring were the forefathers of the pedigree Egyptian Mau.

And according to another legend, it was the King of Siam who first hybridized from the leopard cat. Then used the offspring to guard his temples and palaces and apparently. Their descendants are the Siamese cats of today. But even ignoring the myths, it is certain that for centuries these wild creatures came into contact with. It would sometimes mate domestic cats.

Characteristics and Temperament

Bengal cats are alert, friendly and affectionate cats and should be in excellent physical condition with a dependable temperament. Due to the ‘wildcat’ origins of the Bengal, good temperament is of paramount importance in the breed. The Asian Leopard Cat is essentially a timid cat that is more likely to run away than to attack.

However due to their background they do not exhibit a domesticated phenotype. For this reason, breeders have selected breeding cats with good temperament. That right from the start of the Bengal breeding programmer to produce the loving dependable cats. That we have today.

The practice of selecting for good temperament continues to be of paramount importance in current Bengal breeding programmes.

Forever refusing to conform to normal domestic cat rules, Bengal cat adore water and readily swim in ponds, pools or even in baths, just as the leopard cat does in rivers. Some of ours can even turn taps on!

Bengal cat play in a different way to other domestic cats; they hunt their toys (or even their siblings) rather than merely playing with them, and they can be very protective over what they catch!

Even their highly expressive voices are different to the meow of a domestic; it’s more the cry of a wild cat, but this is a trait that’s more noticeable in the earlier generations.

All Bengal generations have also inherited astounding intelligence from the leopard cat. Because their wild ancestors need to rely on their brains to survive in their hostile natural habitat.

This enables Bengals to interact with humans on a higher level compared to other domestics. Then, it makes them more social, more loving, quicker witted and easier to train than other breeds.

Genetic Make-up

The origins of most pedigree breeds lie with Felis silvestris or Felis lybica, a mackerel tabby ancestor from the north of Africa. Many centuries of evolution and genetic mutations along the way have led to development of the many diverse cat breeds. which we see around us today.

The Bengal, in common with all domestic cats, has 38 chromosomes. Which hold all the genes necessary for determining the size, shape, colour, and pattern and hair length of each individual.

There are thousands of genes involved, the majority of which are unknown. However, breeders are able to predict the outcome of the majority of mating’s via their knowledge of a small group of genes.

Over many hundreds of years, genetic mutations have taken place that has resulted in new colours, patterns and hair structure giving rise to the distinct differences between the cat breeds we recognize today.

In the case of the Bengal cat, the key genes influencing color, pattern and hair length within the breed are as for other breeds.

Appearance

The Bengal cat is a large to medium cat of foreign type, sleek and muscular with a thick tail which is carried low. The females may be smaller than the males. The Bengal’s wild appearance is enhanced by its distinctive rosetted / spotted or marbled tabby coat which should be thick and luxurious.

Short to medium in length, very dense, luxurious and unusually soft to the touch. Allowance should be made for a slightly longer coat in kittens.

Long, sleek and muscular. Large to medium and robust with the hindquarters slightly higher than the shoulders, showing depth of flank. Tail of medium length, thick and even, with a rounded tip; may be tapered towards the end. Brown (Black) spotted, silver spotted &Marbled; tail tip should be black. Snow spotted / marbled; tail tip should be dark brown or charcoal.

Most Popular Colors of the Bengal Cat

Brown Spotted (Leopard):

This color mimics the coat of the leopard cat more than any other kind. There is a wide variance of color intensity, with background colors that range from a silvery pearlescent grey to a sandy buff or a bright gold.

Good quality coats have large rosettes and dark backward arrow shaped spots resembling thumbprints, covering their bodies. Their coats should have a lacquered sheen and their chests and bellies should be light coloured.

Brown Marbles:

This colour was first bred by Jean Mill in 1987 and is named after the wild marbled cat. Their entire bodies should be covered with rosettes and horizontally flowing patterns and should have streaks of gold, black and pearlescent. Again, they should have a glossy sheen and their chests and bellies should be light. This pattern produces very majestic looking Bengals, and they’re one of my favourites. Some people feel they look like tabby cats, but they don’t.

Snow Spotted (Leopard):

This colour is a white variety of the brown spotted and they should have pearlescent white backgrounds (including their chests and bellies). Which are embellished with dark backward arrow shaped spots and rosettes.

And although snow Bengal cat tend to be born pure white or with very faint markings, they develop their dark spots over a period of time (a process that can continue until they are 18 months old).

There are three colours of the snow Bengal cat ; seal lynx point, seal sepia and seal mink. Snow Marbles: They are a white variety of brown marbles and should have pearlescent backgrounds (including their chests and bellies) covered with dark rosettes and swirling patterns.

For a long time, they were the rarest and most sought after breeding cat as they are the only variety that carries all the main colors of the Bengal cat.

As with the snow spotted, they develop their markings with age, and the variety comes in the same three colors listed under snow spotted.

Breeding from the Bengal Cat

The Bengal cat is a naturally robust and healthy cat due to the strong genes passed down by their recent wild ancestors.

The few problems that exist within the breed have been brought in by outcrossing to other domestic pedigrees such as Burmese and Abyssinian.

They have introduced flat chests, patella luxation and cleft palates as well as more superficial faults such as ticking.

However, such traits are being bred out by using cats with known healthy backgrounds, by less inbreeding and by using top quality cats.

Finally, We can say that With their sleek grace and astonishing spotted beauty. They could have stalked straight out of a steamy jungle. But Bengals, the mixed offspring of the domestic cat and the wild leopard cat. They are perfectly at home prowling amongst garden roses and petunias.