The Bengal Cat Breed

The Bengal cat breed has been around since the 1960's where it was started in Arizona in the United States. However the idea of breeding hybrid animals is not a new idea and there are even records stretching as far back as the 1880's suggesting that there was an early attempt at a similar breed of cat.

This is a beautiful cat and one that turns heads whenever you come into contact with them. This makes them a very desirable cat to own, but they are not low maintenance and very careful consideration needs to be made before deciding to have one.

The idea behind the breed is to create a cat that has the looks of a wild leopard cat but that has the temperament of a domesticated cat.

Early attempts were met with some concern as many of the first litters were proven to be unfertile and so could not continue the breed, plus their temperament was unstable and so not suitable for the domestic market. However the modern Bengal is now starting to establish itself and be accepted by the cat associations as a recognised breed.

The breed is very popular due to their adorable looks and so over the years the demand and so the prices for these cats has increased.

The cat has a very striking appearance; it has a long sleek body and is rather muscular. It has smallish pointing forward ears and its fur has a texture more similar to a wild cats pelt rather than the domestic cats fur.

The different coat markings include:

Spotted - A well defined all over spotted coat
Marbled - A distinctive and dramatic marble affect
Snow Spotted - a paler version of the spotted variety.

Coat: The Bengal cat has a short to medium very dense coat. Very soft to the touch and the American varieties are most commonly brown in colour.

Eyes: The cat has large, oval soft eyes. The snow spotted variety has blue eyes to compliment their paler coat colouring.

Temperament: This cat breed is a very active one that is very playful by nature. It will require a lot of space to be able to exercise their very muscular body and the ability to climb will be an important factor. This breed also loves water, which is unusual in the cat and so the provision of a small paddling/swimming area would also be an advantage.