Bengal cats are a hybrid variety of cats which are friendly, very intelligent and alert, but they have a very wild appearance. Their distinct features include markings such as spots and rosettes. This type of cat closely resembles the Asian Leopard Cat and from its taxonomic name the word “Bengal” was derived. Although breeders around the world are attempting to make them look like little tigers, they have no actual relationship with the Bengal Tiger.
Bengals have an average build. Males weigh up to fifteen pounds and females weigh up to ten pounds. The two horizontal lines on the sides of their face, which start from above and below the end of their eyes and go up to the back of their neck, are known as mascara. Their bodies have spotting which is usually rosette in shape, although some have a marbled pattern. Bengals with spots and with more than one colour are the ones which are in greater demand. The colour of spots varies from rust to chocolate brown to cocoa to gray and to black. Their tail, hind legs and fore limbs have symmetrical stripes. Bengal cats win championships in most of the competitions held to award the most exotic pet, because of their looks, intelligence and friendly nature.
Bengals are the result of years of selective crossbreeding techniques. Jean Mill of the United States developed Bengals in the 1970s. They originated by crossing the small Asian Leopard cat with several different types of domestic cats. This gives them the wild and exotic look and the friendly nature. Breeders are still working to develop more qualities in this breed. They are attempting to do this by crossing them with other breeds of domestic cats like the American short-hair, Egyptian maus, Ocicat, Abyssinian and other short-haired cats.
The foundation generations of the filial are the first three generations of Bengals. Most of the males of these generations didn’t have the ability to reproduce. However, the females were able to. The fourth generation produced fertile males and after the fifth generation, they was no need to crossbreed. Instead, breeding was done between two Bengal cats.
Currently there are three kinds of Bengal cats available as pets, the Cheetoh, the Toyger and the Serengeti cat. The Cheetoh is a hybrid cat derived by crossing Ocicat and Bengal, to get a breed of spotted cats. The Toyger is a hybrid cat which is produced by crossing Bengals with domestic cats that have stripes. (The hope here is to develop a cat that resembles a tiger in its markings). The Serengeti cat has been produced by crossing Siamese or Oriental cats to get a cat that looks like an African Serval.
Based on their patterns, Bengals can be named as brown-marbled tabby, brown-spotted tabby, seal mink-marbled tabby, seal mink-spotted tabby, seal sepia-marbled tabby, seal sepia-spotted tabby, seal marbled lynx point and seal spotted lynx point. Other than the aforementioned colours, Bengals also come in blue, grey and black, but these colours are still awaiting worldwide recognition.
Unlike other domestic cats, Bengals are fascinated by running water and are easy to bathe. They are attracted to showers and will instantly jump inside bathtubs.
Bengals are quite vocal so they can “converse” with their owners. They are good at sports and play hide and seek and also learn other games easily. Young ones need human attention and can become bonded to you if you spend at least an hour each morning and evening playing with them. Bengals are attention seekers and always try to be involved in human activities. They will follow you around, but do not like to be placed on laps.
People who have decided to keep Bengals as pets should be aware that they have to spend lots of time with this cat, otherwise it will get bored. And, if the cat gets bored, it can get into a lot of trouble. Bengals have a very high energy level so they need a lot of activity to burn this energy off. Owners who do not have a lot of time to spare should certainly keep Bengals in pairs, so that they can play with each other.
If you do have two Bengals, then ensure that both of them are given equal attention, otherwise the neglected one tends to become jealous of the other and fights can develop.
Until next time,
Teia
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