|
FUZZIES
Found in Bengal kittens only. Around the age of 4 1/2 weeks to 7 weeks old Bengal kittens begin to have longer hairs protruding from their coat. Many consider it a stage of being an "ugly duckling" where the Bengal is about to begin a great transformation. The kitten looses contrast and its coat takes on a dull appearance. The coat will then usually 'de-fuzz' as they get older. This can takes weeks and sometimes months.
GLITTER
Individual hair shafts that are gold in color and shimmer like gold. Some say 'glitter' is like a dusting of gold. This feature is not necessary for showing but obviously very appealing to the eye. In silvers 'glitter' is white in color.
PELTED
Pelted, or pelting is a buzz word among breeders, "pelted" is a term many breeders throw around loosely. Originating from the obvious, many wild animals have soft coats and have a 'pelt'. Bengals have a very plush and soft coat if they are 'pelted'. Pelting usually goes hand in hand with Bengals that show sharp contrast in markings. If you see sharp contrast of markings in a photo it's a safe bet that the Bengal is 'pelted'.
RIB BARS or BARRING
Usually found on the torso behind the front legs, they are stripes or spotson a Bengal cat which are vertically aligned and are touching each other. Rib Bars are acceptable in "pet quality" Bengal cats, but lose points in a show ring. The less barring the better. Even legs should be spotted and not 'barred'.
ROSETTES
A shape (pawprint, arrowhead, donut) of one color with a different colored center. In show quality Bengal cats the spots should not display vertical alignment. This is better understood as you would recognize the spots chained together creating a 'stripe' effect. Rosetting differs greatly from small rosettes to donut to large 'pancake' or blotchy looking rosettes.
RUFUSED or RUFINISM
Refers to the backgound or ground color. Reddish in tone, auburn undercoat. There is no good or bad about rufinism, it just is.
SBT
Stands for Stud Book Tradition. A term designated by TICA, The International Cat Association. SBT indicates that the Bengal is pedigreed (yes an oxymoron because a Bengal is a hybrid) and must be at least 4 generations removed from the Asian Leopard Cat. To be an SBT there must only be Bengal to Bengal breeding. No longer does the Bengal standard allow outcrosses.
WHITE TUMMY
Down the chest, neck along the stomach and down the inside of the legs - not just white but a bright t-shirt white. It is a hard trait to get and keep but more and more Bengals are possessing this.
SORREL
Essentially any other forground (spot) color other than black. If the spots are not black you would refer to the cat as a sorrel.
TICKING
Refers to the several bands of colour on a single hair e.g. on Abyssinian cats, or in the pale areas of a tabby cat.
TYPE or TYPEY
A buzz word among breeders to describe a Bengal that the is of the correct "type", that it fits the standard closely especially as regards to body structure. Conformation is basically the same thing, the body structure, including head, ear set, eye set, tail set, straigtness of legs, width of chest, length of neck, etc,
WILD - HEAD / WILD - FACE / WILD - LOOKING
The head 'conformation' that resembles their wild ancestor. Large round eyes, small wide round ears, puffy whisker pads, white spectacles around the eyes, wide nose etc.
T.I.B.C.S.
Acronym for The International Bengal Cat Society. Pronounced "tibbs". Founded by Gene Ducote of Gogees whom is considered by many, the top breeder of Bengal cats for years.
ASIAN LEOPARD CAT or ALC
Bengals wouldn't be Bengals without the Asian Leopard Cat. Its ORDER is Carnivore. Its FAMILY is Felidae. Its Genus is Felis. They are nocturnal loners, so they don't travel in a pride or pack. Noted to be shy they have never been recorded as being kept as pet's successfully in the US. Asian Leopard Cats are found naturally in Islands of Malaysia and Thailand extending to the mainland of Asia. They live near streams and for this reason they hunt near water and have no fear of water. Because Asian Leopard Cats are genetically compatible with domestic cats, we now have what we call the Bengal cat. Relatively small, approximately 16 pounds. The ALC's in the southern climates have the darkest coat colors and their clear unticked coats display sharp contrast of spots. Unpreferred for breeding are the ticked variety found in the cooler northern and mainland areas such as the Amur Leopard Cat. As for spots, some have rosetting, some have solid one color spots. Some spots are round, some are arrowhead in shape.
BENGAL
A hybrid, a man made breed. Cross bred from an Asian Leopard cat and a domestic short haired tabby. Only Bengals 4 generations removed may be eligible for show and are regarded as SBT's. Ancestors prior to 4 generations removed are regarded as Filal or foundations. They are usually domestic in nature depending on the effort the breeder puts into socialization. Some breeders speculate non-skitish nature / domestic nature is a genetic trait as well.
FILIAL
Designates the generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation. Filial, in Bengalese, indicates the hybrid generations, 1-3. Specifically referred to as: F1, F2, and F3. TICA has their own term for *filial adding to the confusion. *See FOUNDATION below.
FOUNDATION
A confusing term due misinterpretation. Generally a many 'new' breeders description of a foundational Bengals is being F1 through F3. Yet to the informed breeder foundation relates to "foundation breeding stock", in any breed, regardless of generation or ancestry. A foundation stock Bengal could be an ALC, F1, F2, F3, or SBT. However, TICA registers the filial Bengals as Foundation Bengals. Consequently TICA refers to filial only as foundation this is where confusion can set in. Breeders that have been around awhile and bred other cats commonly refer to cats in their initial breeding as "foundation stock". From this two-word description we gain a clear perspective between filial and foundation.
|
