Goal

The goal of the Bengal breeding program is to as nearly as possible replicate the appearance of the wild Asian Leopard Cat while maintaining the dependable temperament of the domestic cat.

Temperament

The Bengal cat is an intelligent, affectionate, playful, extremely friendly and social cat that craves human companionship. Curious, entertaining and mischievous they enjoy playing in water - the sink or bathtub being their favourite hangouts - and watch the seat on the toilet!!! Bengals are brave and playful and get along well with children and other animals. They are easy to leash train and because of their bravery and curiosity love going for walks.

For a walk on the wild side with an affectionate companion, you can't go wrong with a Bengal.

But do be warned! Bengals also retain a love of heights and climbing as well as a keen social need - which means if you cannot tolerate a cat that jumps on the counters, climbs the Christmas tree and takes an avid interest in everything you do, eat or drink this may not be the breed for you!

Look

These are medium to large cats that can reach the size of 18 lbs or more! Females tend to be smaller than males with an average weight being 7-11 pounds. They are sleek and very muscular, a well built cat. They should have large round feet, large round eyes and small, wide and rounded ears. An egg-shaped head characterizes the breed with a substantial back skull on a long neck. The face should be contoured like an hourglass having a wide bridge with a thick nose leather and prominent whisker pads. Tails should be untapering and thick with a blunt end.

Breeding

Bengals although bred with real wild cats have a temperament equal or better than that of a regular housecat. Because the Bengal breed is derived from a "wild cat", breeders selectively choose the most friendly and most outgoing offspring to be used in their breeding programs. Yet they have retained some of the peculiar wild animal behaviour such as tree climbing and what I like to call "chittering" a unique noise the Bengal can make when excited - mine seem to "chitter" the most at bugs and laser pointers!

The Bengal combines the exotic look and feel of the small wild Asian leopard cats they descend from with the dependability and loving temperament of the domestic cat. The perfect cat in my opinion!


Coat

The Bengal has an extremely soft short coat and comes in various colours and patterns. Coat colours come in various shades of brown, silver and snow. The spots or rosettes can be horizontal flowing or sporadic on a contrasting lighter background. Bengals can also come in a marble pattern in any of the colours. Rosetting is the effect of two to three colours, other than the background colour, coming together to make a spot and is highly desirable. The coat should be clear, or free from ticking. The coat may also be "glittered" which is amazing site to see - glittered coats look like they have been sprinkled with glitter and shimmer in the light. Glitter is also a trait exclusive to the Bengal cat.

Health

Exercise, nutritional and and litter box requirements are the same as for all domestic household cats.