Bengal Cat

Bengal cat, showing spotting patterns and rosetting of spots typical of the Bengal breed.
Photograph by Seduisant. License: Public Domain.

The Bengal is a large, robust cat with a firm, muscular build. As with most cats, their hind legs are a little longer than their front legs, and their heads are well proportioned to the body and wedge shaped. The Bengal's head is slightly longer than it is wide, and it has almond shaped eyes which are rimmed with black. The Bengal's coat is extremely thick and soft and comes in two patterns: Spotted and Marbled. The Bengal's tail tapers down to a black point, and its stomach should be white with darker spots.
The Spotted Bengal should be spotted all over, with the spots being splotches, rosettes or arrow shaped. Their legs should be spotted or striped and the spots should have random placement or be aligned horizontally.
The Marbled Bengal should have drastically contrasting swirls on its sides. The contrast must be huge.
There are also Bengal cats known to have the 'glitter' gene, which makes them appear as if they have had gold glitter sprinkled on their fur. The gene is recessive.

Size

Large

Colours

Brown spotted, brown marbled, seal sepia spotted tabby, seal spotted marbled tabby, seal mink spotted tabby, seal mink marbled tabby.

Temperament

Bengals are active, energetic, inquisitive and love water. They are very vocal and love to climb and meet new people.

Suitable for

Bengal cats are suitable for anyone.

History

In 1963, Jean Sudgen bought an Asian Leopard Cat from a local pet store. It mated with a domestic cat and produced two kittens, one of which survived. The kitten was then mated with her father and produced two more kittens, one of which was a spotted male. Jean got in contact with a geneticist who was breeding domestic cats with Leopard cats, and obtained several hybrid kittens, and mated them with a male cat that resembled a Leopard cat that she had very recently brought back from India. The breed was recognised officially in 1984.

More Bengal Cat Pictures

Photograph by Gabel leBonne. License: Public Domain.