Bengal

Bengals are intelligent, active, energetic cats. Bengals have a love of water. They are agile, love to climb & can be vocal with a distinctive voice. They get along well with other pets & people. Bengals enjoy high places & are enthusiastic climbers. Many Bengal owners have trained their cat to walk on a harness, so they can enjoy the great outdoors in safety.

Bengal Cats have an athletic appearance with well-defined muscles, creating a lean, balanced appearance. They feature high cheekbones, dark markings around the eyes and the ears are small and pointed but round at the tips. Their coats have a unique, plush feel unlike any other cat breed.

12 to 16 years

There are three different coat colours of the Bengal: Traditional Tabby colours: Brown Spotted & Brown Marbled. Sepia Tabby Colours: Seal Sepia Spotted Tabby & Seal Sepia Marbled Tabby. Mink Colours: Seal Mink Spotted Tabby & Seal Mink Marbled Tabby.

A Bengal is fairly low maintenance. She won’t shed much and is an efficient self-groomer.

Although responsible breeders make every effort to avoid health complications and genetic disorders in their felines, there are some conditions you should be aware of.

Bengals may suffer from distal neuropathy and flat-chested kitten syndrome, both of which typically resolve on their own as the kitties mature. As they age, Bengals may develop other problems like hip dysplasia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, patellar luxation and progressive retinal atrophy.

Bengals are a large cat and requires approximately 80 Kcals of food per kg of bodyweight per day. Although this is a large cat it must not be obese and a careful watch must be kept on the diet.

The Bengal Cat is a hybrid of a domestic cat with the wild Asian Leopard Cat. The first crossbreed was performed by Jean Mill in 1963, but the hybrid wasn’t perfected until the mid-1980s. Today, Bengals are bred only with each other.

The Bengal Cat’s name comes from the scientific name for the Asian Leopard Cat, Prionailurus bengalensis.

Bengals are the only domestic cat with rosettes that resemble the markings on leopards, jaguars and ocelots.

The International Cat Association (TICA) accepted the Bengal for championship status in 1991 and the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) accepted the breed shortly thereafter.

The ACFA rescinded their acceptance after second-generation felines reportedly caused problems at cat shows. The Bengal was reinstated to ACFA in 1997 with the caveat that any cats shown had to be fifth generation.