Bengal (breed of cats)

Bengal cat
Bengal cat, brown tabby spotted
Fur length:	Shorthair cat
Weight:	Male: Ø 5.5 kg female: Ø 4 kg
generally recognized colors:	at FIFe: black (brown, seal, snow), at TICA: black also with silver (brown, seal, brown silver, seal silver)
permitted coat pattern:	for FIFe and TICA: marbled (classic or blotched), spotted (spotted in different variants), with or without: sepia (Burmese Point), mink (Tonkanesen Point), snow or lynx (Siamesen Point)
Breeding standards:	not recognized by the CFA FIFé standard Standard of the TICA Standard of the WCF Standard of the GCCF Standard of the WACC
List of cat breeds

The Bengal cat (English bengal or cat bengal ; old German name also Leopardette ) is a purebred cat resulting from the crossroads of the Asian leopard cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ) - with a short-haired - a wildcat domestic cat emerged. This makes the Bengal cat one of the hybrids .

origin

The geneticist Jean Mill (at that time she was still called Jean Sugden) mated a female Asian leopard cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ) with a black house tomcat in 1963 in order to combine the spotted fur and the supple body structure of the wild cat with the characteristics of the domestic cat. The second generation (F2) consisted of the backcrossing of a female of the first cross generation ( F1) with the sire. She interrupted this breeding project after the death of her husband. It wasn't until 1972 that Sugden continued breeding when she took over eight female hybrids from Willard Centerwall, a geneticist at the University of California . While researching the disease Feline Leukosis ( FeLV ), he also crossed Asian leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) with domesticated short-haired domestic cats.

Essence

Today's Bengal is bred exclusively true-breeding, which means the animals may only be paired with each other. When the breed emerged, other breeds such as Egyptian Mau , Abyssinian , spotted Oriental Shorthair and American Shorthair were paired. Bengali are extremely playful and active well into old age. They are very curious and able to retrieve objects. Due to their intelligent nature and their activity, this cat breed needs a lot of activity, otherwise it could be prone to behavioral problems. She likes to talk to her people, be it with almost intrusive cuddling and purring or vocally with cooing and meowing. In its way it is partly reminiscent of a small dog that follows its human through the whole apartment. Bengali have enormous jumping power and many love the water; both are inherited from their wild relative, the Asiatic Bengal cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ).

Fur drawings

Permitted colors are black (brown) tabbies, seal points (snow, sepia, mink), silver and blue. Through cross-breeding of various races in the early years of the Bengal, recessive genes were also passed on, which come into play as follows: Blue (blue); Melanistic (black Bengal, the markings of which can only be seen in sunlight); Charcoal (pure black drawing on a rather gray background); Long-haired - there are efforts to have the long-haired variant of the Bengal Cashmere Bengal recognized. Some independent associations have already recognized them as a new breed - Pardinos.

It is the responsibility of every breeder of unrecognized color and hair variants to indicate these recessive genes - if known - especially if an animal is to be sold for breeding so that the future owner can adjust his breeding plan if necessary.

There are only two basic patterns in the drawings ( tabby ): marbled and spotted . Genetically speaking, the marbled type known from the house cat is brindle ( classic or blotched ). Marble is inherited recessively. The drawing should remind as little of a house cat as possible.

Spotted comes in different forms, with single-colored dots, which actually means spotted , or with two-colored dots, which is then referred to as rosetted . A striped drawing like that of the tabby ( mackerel ) house cat is at least undesirable if it does not lead to disqualification at exhibitions. Sparbled is the name given to the drawing of the fur that is neither marbled nor spotted (rosetted). However, this is not a recognized variety.

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  Black Tabby Spotted

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  Two male bengal cats

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  Rosetted bengal cat

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  Marbled Bengal tomcat

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  In close-up

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  Striking face of a three-year-old Bengal male (not neutered)

Web links

Commons : Leopardette  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• TIBCS- The International Bengal Cat Society (site in English) Int. Association of Bengal Cat Breeders
• Bengal World (information website from Bengal breeders in German-speaking countries)
• Housing conditions for a Bengal (information for cat owners)