Cat Lovers who admired the beauty of wild, spotted cats tried to breed a type of dosmetic cat with a wild-cat coat. In North America in the 1960’s, the first planned breeding took place between a short-haired domestic cat and an Asian Leopard Cat. The mating was successful and fertile offspring were produced, but it was not until the 1980’s that a concerted breeding program was put in place.
Size is big, full-grown male Bengals can weigh up to 9kg. It is sleek and muscular. Sports a beautiful spotted or marbled coat. Show-quality Bengals display very clear and distinct spotting or marbling, while pet-quality ones may show more ticking. Coat is rich and smooth in texture, and appears almost to glitter from certain angles. Hindquarters are rather taller than the front half.
Friendly, loving, alert, curious, intelligent, charming. Affectionate and very much enjoy being part of the family, but their athleticism and high activity levels can be challenging to cope with!
Various colors, most with “leopard-spot” or marbled markings on a background of brown or white. Depsite its wild and exotic looks, the Bengal is very much a domestic cat. It was bred with only the appearance of the Asian Leopard Cat in mind; its personality is all kitty-cat.
