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The Bengal is a fairly new breed of cat developed to have a gentle and friendly temperament, while exhibiting the markings (such as large spots, rosettes, and a light/white belly), and body structure reminiscent of the wild Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). In other words, a Bengal cat has a desirable "wild" appearance with a gentle domestic cat temperament. It is commonly accepted that the breed was developed by Jean Mill of California in the 1970s She crossed an Asian Leopard cat with different short-haired breeds of domestic cats in an effort to develop immunity To FIP. Bengal tigers are in no way related to Bengal cats. Bengal cats were first recognized by the The International Cat Association in 1983. The Bengal has been welcomed as a pedigreed breed by several cat associations—most notably, TICA, but has been refused acceptance by the more traditional Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) of the USA, the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. The CFA is reluctant to accept wild/domestic hybrids, which seems kind of silly since all domestic cats came from a wild one somewhere in their background. In addition, the Bengal cat is one of the most popular cat breeds in the world. Bengals are medium sized cats—a male may weigh as much as 15 lb, and a female commonly weighs between 8 to 10 lb. The face of a typical Bengal features a series of distinct horizontal stripes, popularly known as "mascara", which extend from alongside the eye to the back of the neck. The sides and top of the body are marked with spots, usually rosetted like those of the jaguar. The remainder of the body—including the legs and tail—consists of symmetrical stripes. Bengals are one of the most beautiful cats around. In addition to the following colors and configuration, most Bengals have what is called “glitter.” Glitter comes from some very unique hairs scattered throughout their coat that actually shine in bright light. Brown colored Bengals have a a glitter that looks like they are covered with gold dust and the other seal colors look like they are covered with pearl dust. Silvers are rarely glittered. Bengals can have either spotted or marbled coat patterns. Spots with at least two colors present (rosettes) are particularly desirable. The following colors and patterns are recognized and eligible for competition: Brown Spotted Tabby, Brown Marbled Tabby, Seal Sepia Spotted Tabby, Seal Sepia Marbled Tabby, Seal Mink Spotted Tabby, Seal Mink Marbled Tabby, Seal Spotted Lynx Point and Seal Marbled Lynx Point. Silver was also recently accepted as a color variation eligible for championship status. Blue and Melanistic (black) are additional colors that occur, but are not yet recognized by most associations that accept the Bengal breed. Bengal cats are not adverse to playing in water or even getting into the shower or tub with you. Most Bengal owners have stories about their cat's affection for running water or even jumping in a sink or tub. They like to play games, such as "fetch" and "hide-and-seek." Bengals also vocalize to communicate with their humans. Additionally, they are very high-energy, intelligent, quite athletic and curious, and so are particularly interactive with their human housemates, wanting to be in the middle of whatever the human is engaged in, and often following the human around the house as household chores are performed. However, while friendly and with very distinctive personalities, Bengals aren't really "lap cats" (There are exceptions, but most prefer being petted or played with to being held). The best way to bond with a Bengal kitten is to play with it for at least half an hour every morning and every evening (and they need to be taught what is acceptable play behavior like any young animal). As their activity and play requirements are high, this is not a cat best left to its own devices for long periods of time as they can be quite mischievous and destructive when bored. If an owner is likely to spend much of the day away from the cat, it is an excellent idea to have another high-energy feline companion to occupy the Bengal. Bengal cats are quite capable of jealousy and spitefulness if they feel that another feline is getting more attention, or if they are being ignored.
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Bengals Are:
