Bengal Cat History
The Bengal Cat originates from a domestic cat (Abyssinian, American Shorthair, Burmese or Egyptian Mau) and a Asian Leopard Cat (ALC).
During the 1960's researchers such as California's Jean Sugden (now Jean Mills) were studying cat related diseases such as Feline Leukaemia and other cancer related viruses.It was noted that wild cat types such as the lion and tiger were immune to some of these diseases.The wild Asian Leopard Cat was bred to the common house cat in an effort to study the immune defences of the wild cat family to these diseases.
In 1963 Jean Sugden (Mills) crossed a female ALC and a male black domestic cat, the result were a mixture of solid and spotted kittens.One of the spotted female offspring was mated back to the father and the resulting litter had spotted kittens. This was the beginning of the Bengal, but didn't progress as Jean Sugden had become a widow.
In the 1970s Jean Sugden acquired 8 female ALC x Domestic offspring from the University Of California. The cats were a result of a project to investigate the ALC's natural immunity to Feline Leukaemia. It was from this moment on that the Bengal Bred was finally registered with the TICA (The International Cat Association) in 1983, with the first to be shown in 1985 in the New Breed /Colour Class. The Bengal is a unique breed of cat in that it is the only spotted breed which is directly descended from a wild ancestor. This gorgeous ancestor is the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC). The domestic Bengal Cat gets its name from the Asian Leopard Cat's scientific name (Felis bengalensis). The goal in producing the Bengal is to recreate the look of its wild ancestor the ALC in a domestic cat.
Leopard cats are small wild cats found in southern and eastern Asia. All leopard cats are on the endangered species list.
Leopard cats often get mistaken for being the same as an Asian Leopard.
This is not the case as they are not big and range from 5lbs. to 15lbs. They do appear larger than the domestic cat due to their longer body.
They have a variable background colour depending on what sub-species and where they originate from, but typically it is a tawny brown or golden brown.The belly is typically a very stark white with spots (one of the hardest traits to carry over into the latter generations of Bengal's). The tail is normally spotted with the spots forming rings towards the tip. Rosettes are not found in all sub -species of leopard cats, many just have small solid spots. The leopard head is small compared to the rest of the body, with small rounded ears. The leopard cat is extremely shy and reclusive, not aggressive as many think and are very shy around strangers, they would back off and hide instead of attacking.
The F refers to Foundation Generation which is the cross between ALC & Domestic. The F number is used for quick reference.
F1-is the first generation cross, meaning one parent is an ALC with 50% or higher wild blood .
F2- is the second generation there will be a grand parent who is an ALC . males are usually sterile.
F3-is the third generation, some males are fertile.
F4- is the last generation before a cat is recognised as a true Bengal Both sexes are usually fertile.
Colours & Patterns.
These are the main colours of the Bengal:-
Brown Spotted - Also known as Leopards Spotted.
Seal Sepia Snow Bengal's - These are green or gold coloured eyes.
Mink - As above but with a very light brown coat.
Seal Lynx - This is for all the blue eyed (BLU-E) Snow Bengal's.
Black - These are black markings on a black background, some breeders call them " Pantherettes".
Silver - Silver background with black/ brown spots ( a silver Bengal is not a colour but caused by the inhibitor gene).
In our country the main colours are brown or snow. Then you have two coat patterns:-
Spotted - As the name suggests the coat is covered in spots. They must be random, or horizontally aligned. There must be spots on the torso, tummy and legs.It is desirable to have rosettes (showing two distinct colours) a little like a donut one colour on the outside and an inner circle with a lighter colour. Also desirable are spots shaped like arrowheads or paws. None of these are essential in showing your kitten.
Marble - Is as the name suggests. Horizontal markings, swirls down the side of the cat. The pattern should be random. Vertical striping is undesirable. Belly once again must be spotted.
Bengal's do not have fur, more of a pelt coat., this is a lovely soft coat that has come from their wild ancestors. At around seven weeks the kittens will begin to get what is called the fuzzies, this is something else that is passed down from their ancestors providing them with a camouflage in the wild . The fuzzies is when a kitten begins to grow longer guard hairs which disguise the spots from a front view, but the beautiful markings can still be seen from behind. New para Glitter Coat--Most Bengal's are bred with a glitter coat which looks just like someone has got a handful of gold glitter and sprinkled it over. The glitter gene is said to have come from a foundation cat called "Millwood Tory Of Delhi" which Jean Mills found in India.The same effect appears on snow Bengal's looking more like pearl dust.
