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Bengal Cats are one of the most
intriguing cats available in the
domestic world today! The Bengal Cat is a medium to large domestic
cat that originated from crossing the small
Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) to the domestic cat in an
attempt to create a companion with the
"exotic" look of the ALC with a domestic cat temperament.
The first, second and third
out-crossings are considered foundation cats or filials. After four
or five generations of Bengal to Bengal breedings, the breed is
recognized as a domestic cat and accepted for champion competition
by most international domestic cat associations, including TICA,
ACFA, GCCF, and AACE.
The
Bengal Cat comes in many color variations. The brown
spotted Bengal comes in shades varying from gray to tawny or sorrel
to golden. The spotting comes in several different forms from
arrow-heads, as displayed on the F-1 Bengal in the bottom left
picture, to paw-print rosettes with a lighter color surrounded by a
darker outline. Bengals also come in lighter colors such as silver,
seal lynx point and mink. Colors such as blue and black are
currently accepted for evaluation competition.
The other recognized pattern is
the
Marble.
The Marble has a combination of swirls and rosettes flowing in a
horizontal fashion, making them a striking variation of this
fascinating breed. Many breeders use the
Clouded Leopard and the King
Cheetah as their "ideals"
for this pattern. |
