Asian
Leopard Cat (Felis Bengalensis)
The Bengal is a domestic cat breed originating
from crosses between domestic cats (mainly
the Egyptian Mau) and the Asian
Leopard Cat(ALC). The ALC is
a small wild feline inhabiting Southeastern Asia which preys on birds,
rodents, fish and reptiles. It's an intelligent, elusive little cat and
not much is known about its life in the wild other than it is solitary
and mostly nocturnal. Because the female ALC must hunt during pregnancy,
the average ALC litter is small, two or three, and usually born in Spring.
They grow to be about the same size as the domestic cat. So if you
saw an ALC in the wild, you might think you were looking at a regular domestic
cat that had acquired the spots of a leopard.
"Cover Girl" (Kabuki ALC F1)
British zoologists colonizing the Indian subcontinent documented crosses between domestic cats and ALCs living in captivity as early as the 1800's. It's believed that the ALC came about very early in the phylogeny of felines. In other words, all felines, big and small, evolved from a species of cat very similar to the ALC. Today, the ALC is aggressively hunted for its fur and faces eventual extinction in its natural habitat. The Bengal was developed to preserve the beauty of the wild and the temperament of the domestic house cat.
Bengal Lingo and Breed Develpment
Most Bengals breed currently are from Bengal to
Bengal crosses. But knowing some genetics terminology helps in understanding
how the Bengal breed was developed. The offspring from the first
filial cross between any two separate species is called the F1 generation.
Mules, Ligers and Zorses are all F1's that cannot breed. In the Bengal
breed, however, at this generation females are usually fertile. Therefore,
F1 females are bred to produce the F2 generation and beyond. F1
Bengals are usually not good pets. Wild behaviors can lay dormant
and sometimes manifest themselves unexpectedly in adulthood. Therefore,
even if handleable and sweet as kittens, F1's tend to become aloof and
unmanageable as adults and often are not completely faithful to the litter
box. These behavior traits are genetic and undesirable and therefore
avoided in subsequent selective breeding.
Wildesides
Walkabout Qismet (Phantom ALC F2)
Depending on their breeding, F2's
can sometimes make good pets. This is usually the generation
where bad temperament is weeded out to a large degree. Cases of fertile
F2 males have been documented, however only for short periods of time spanning
a few weeks or months. Therefore, males in the F2 generation are
usually considered sterile, and F2 females, usually fertile, are used to
breed the F3 generation. F1's, F2's and F3's are all termed
Foundation
Bengals.
Wildesides All That Jazz (F3)
The F3 generation is different from the preceding
generations in that F3 males have a higher degree of fertility. F3's
are usually good pets. But, at the fourth filial generation
(F4), males are almost always fertile and also at this point, the Bengal
are considered to be domestic cats. F4's bred
conscientiously will display a friendly stable temperaments.
At the F4 generation and beyond (F5, F6, etc), Bengals are categorized
as SBT's and can compete for championship status in The International
Cat Association (TICA) and more recently the American Cat Fanciers Association
(ACFA) and other organizations.
Wildesides
Riptide (SBT at 3 months)
Temperament
Bengals are active, intelligent and very affectionate
toward their owners and other animals. They display an engaging temperament,
and many observe that they act something like dogs in their desire for
attention and companionship. Fascinated by people, the Bengal thrives
on human affection. Many are attracted to the breed
by an exotic, wild look but are pleasantly
surprised by the uniquely Bengal temperament.
Coat & Color
Bengals have an unusually soft coat which sheds
considerably less than other breeds. They come in several varieties.
We primarily breed black spotted leopards. This color is described
as brown spotted tabby (BST) by TICA in order to conform to domestic
genetic classification standards. BSTs have inky black spots on a
variety of background colors ranging from light champagne to a rusty orange.
Patterns should be sharply defined and highly contrasted.
Some Bengals express recessive ALC traits such as ocelli and rosettes. These markings are major goals for the Bengal breed and make them unique from all other domestic cat breeds. The term ocelli refers to small whitish patches on the backs of the ears of some wild feline species (e.g. leopards, tigers, leopard cat etc. See ocelli in the ALC and F1 pics above).
A rosetted spot consists of a redish-brown color either in front or inside of a black spot, outline or cluster. There are a few different types of rosetted spots and a Bengal can display more than one type. Some examples are:
arrow head > >
primordial :> ;)
paw print ;; :;
doughnut O O
Often spots that look solid as a kitten "open up" into rosettes during development. Bengals do change alot in appearance as they grow. They go into a "fluffy phase" at around six weeks similar to Cheetah cubs in the wild. It's often hard to see their patterns distinctly during this period because the combination of their growing hair length and small size results in blurring. At approximately three months, as they grow in size, their coats clear up. The affect is similar to a blurry picture coming into sharp focus.
Also, in general, Bengal coats tend to become continually more reddish in color until they are around two years old. Thus, Bengals with just hints of color in their face, ears and front paws as kittens often grow to be adults with an excellent color/contrast balance as adults. Evaluating a Bengal kitten is often difficult for those new to the breed. It's a good idea to consider the appearance of parents and/or older siblings.
Structure: Full whisker pads, smaller more
rounded ears, relatively shorter front legs and larger paws are some of
the traits that distinguish the Bengal breed. They tend to have a stalking
appearance when the walking. The head of this breed gets special attention
because it is pretty unique. Here are some examples:
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