About

The Bengal Cat...

Bengals are a relatively new hybrid breed of cats. They were created by carefully crossing and selecting asian leopard cats with domestic tabbies, egyptian maus, and other breeds. They are a high energy, intelligent, and playful breed of cat. Bengals are a short haired cat with a very soft coat. Some breeders refer to this as 'pelted'. They should display very clear patterns and a subtle shimmer known as 'glitter.' Ticking, or the closely banded hairs that make up some coats, is selected against to produce clearer coats.

They are found in a wide range of colors. Acceptable colors are brown, snow, and silver, however blue, black (melanistic), chocolate, and cinnamon are sometimes seen as well. Beware breeders trying to sell 'rare colored bengals' at extravagant prices. These colors are not accepted for showing and are selected against which is why they are seldom seen. Striking wild faces and muscular but lean bodies accentuate their wild heritage and make them the most exotic of house cats.

Kittens are born with bold patterns but undergo fuzzy gray stage between 6-16 weeks like the camouflage stage wild cubs go through. It may take up to a year for their true color to fully develop especially in the snow variations. By studying parents and other family, you should be able to have a good idea of what your baby will look like.

Bengal temperment is like no other cat. They are smart, affectionate, and inquisitive creatures.They are very athletic, love climbing, running and playing with water. They use the litter box like any other domestic cat and basically have the same needs. These cats are especially trainable provided you start at a young age. My male knows 'sit' and the sound of the refrigerator door.