Bengal Cats

The Bengal cat breed is one of the relatively new hybrid cat breeds. The most distinguishable physical characteristic of the cat breed is the remarkable coat patterns. With the resemblance of this cat breed to wild cats, it is easy to see where this breed gets its name.

The Bengal cats are bred to have the characteristics of the Asian Leopard cat. The origin of this cat breed is said to be the pairing of an Asian Leopard cat with a domestic cat. Several cat organizations and registries recognize the Bengal cat breed. Bengal cats compete in cat shows sponsored by The International Cat Association (TICA).

According to the TICA cat breed standard for Bengal cats, the hair of a Bengal cat is short to medium in length and lies close to the body. The desired texture is described as dense, silky, and soft. For championship competitions by the TICA, Bengal cats can be brown, seal lynx points, silver, mink, and sepia. Patterns of markings on Bengals can be spotted or marbled. The body coloring should be distinctly different from the color of the markings. For spots, the ideal is to have spots that are rosettes or contain an inner color and darker border color rather than spots of a solid color.

Bengals have small to medium sized ears and rounded oval eyes. Unlike many cat breeds, Bengal cats often enjoy playing in water. Bengals are athletic and muscular. Bengal cats are a medium to large size cat breed. They tend to be active and very playful. Bengal cats are intelligent and inquisitive.

Male Bengal cats typically weigh ten to fifteen pounds. Female Bengals can weigh less and be slightly smaller. The coat coloring of Bengal kittens can go through transitions until the Bengal kitten reaches six months of age. The markings on a Bengal kitten may become somewhat blurred or not as sharp at around four weeks of age. The coat pattern and coloring usually begins to change and become more distinct when the Bengal kitten is twelve weeks old. The hair of Bengal kittens may be slightly longer than a mature Bengal cat.