The Bengal is a medium to large cat with a sturdy build, the males being slightly heavier boned than the females. The head is relatively small, with large eyes, a broad nose with prominent whisker pads, and short rounded ears. The tail is medium in length, thick and carried low, balancing the overall look of the cat. The coat is the Bengal's glory. Short and dense, displaying either a randomly spotted, or a marbled pattern, it is unusually soft and silky to touch. Commonly referred to as "pelt-like", it is totally unique to the Bengal.

Qualities from the Bengal's wild ancestry include: Acute hearing, Keen vision, Agility, Leopard like Pelts, and, a love for water.

YES!!!

Bengals really do like water!!! While not all Bengals share the affinity that my good friend Sammy has, most are pretty quick to at least sit on the side of the tub and observe, if not just jump in!!!

(I suggest keeping the toilet seat down!!!)

Bengal Kittens will get along with most household pets, but they do need to be introduced into their new environment slowly, and with love, and affection. Bengal Kittens mature slowly, and go through a "fuzzy" stage from, three weeks, to six months. The coat does not fully develop for one, to two years. Therefore, your kitten is but a suggestion of the mature cat he, or she, will become.

Pelt:

We hear that term a lot with the Bengals. In fact, it is one of the few pelted domestic cats today. A pelted coat has a definite grain to it. It grows in one direction, towards the back of the cat. So that when it is stroked, the hair-coat lies flat and close to the hide. The pelt is generally shorter and so offers a nicer, thicker, more velvety plush feel to the touch. Not unlike the mink!

Glitter:

Or the "Icing on the cake", so to speak! Glitter is caused by a clear, hollow hair shaft. It offers a shiny reflection in the coat as the light prisms into and back out. In appearance it resembles gold and copper metal flake of glitter! It lends, in effect, a silky, glossy, polished appearance. Much like an ice-storm leaves a glassy sparkle on the trees.

                A Locus: Agouti Banding

          Agouti = (A)  Dominant - Pattern is visible.
          Non Agouti = (a)   Recessive -  No pattern is visible, a cat can carry the gene and not display the pattern, or color.

This gene determines if the pattern will display or not. Almost all  Bengals are Agouti/A - the pattern is displayed giving us the awesome markings that make the Bengal so unique,  with the exception of an all black Bengal, or Melanistic, which is Non Agouti. In this case the pattern is not displayed and the cat appears black, often the pattern is visible in certain lighting as "black on black" thought to be the result of different textures in the hair. Non-agouti is recessive and a cat must receive the gene from both parents. This gene may not be seen for several generations and are usually a "surprise".

 

                B Locus: Primary Color

          Black = (B)   Dominant - if a cat receives this gene from one of it's parents, the cat's primary color is black.
         Chocolate = (b)   Recessive to B
         Cinnamon =( bl)   Recessive to B, b

Most Bengals have black as their primary color. The colors Chocolate and Cinnamon are recessive. A cat can carry for Chocolate / Cinnamon without exhibiting the color. If two cats are bred that carry for Chocolate, there is a chance of the kittens being Chocolate. If two cats are bred that carry for Cinnamon, there is a chance of the kittens being Cinnamon.

               C Locus: Color Exhibition /The Full Color Locus

        C = Full Color - Dominant
        cs = Colorpoint Siamese (the gene that causes Seal Lynx Point) - Recessive to C
        cb = Colorpoint Burmese (the gene that causes Seal Sepia) - Recessive to C, incompletely dominant to cs
        ca = Blue eyed Albino - Recessive to C, cs, and cb
        c    = Pink eyed Albino - Recessive to C, cs, and cb

There is no single gene for Seal Mink. Seal Mink is caused by the combination of cs and cb genes. A Seal Mink receives Seal Lynx Point from one parent and Seal Sepia from the other.

                Mc Locus: Pattern Flow

          Mackerel Tabby = Mc - Vertical Flow
          Classic Tabby = mc - Circular Flow

A Mackerel Tabby pattern means the flow of the cats pattern is vertical, up and down, commonly known as "rib bars". The Classic Tabby pattern means the flow of the pattern is circular on the body of the cat resembling a "bulls eye".

               Sp Locus: Pattern Interruption

         Interrupted Pattern = Sp - Dominant - Spotted or rosetted
         Uninterupted Pattern = sp - Recessive - Marble

This is what produces our spotted and marbled patterns.

                T Locus: Ticking Locus

          Ticked = T - Dominant - Agouti Band covers all but the base of the shaft
          Not Ticked = Ta - Recessive - Agouti band pushed off the shaft of the hair

Ticking contributes to the intensity and contrast of the pattern by determining how much of the shaft is the base color . A very Ticked cat will have a narrow Agouti yellow band at the base of the hair shaft.  A cat that is TaTa will not show the Agouti pattern because the primary color is pushed off the shaft.

                Wide Band Locus: Agouti Banding Variable

          Wide Band = Wb - Dominant
          Not Wide Band = wb - Recessive

Wb means that the agouti banding is made wider, thus more uniform making the coat appear more "clear".

                I Locus: Inhibitor /Silver gene

         Color Inhibited = I - Dominant (incompletely dominant to i)
         Color Not Inhibited = i - Recessive

This gene suppresses the yellow pigment on the Agouti banding, leaving shades of grey/black.   This gene is dominant, only one parent needs to carry the gene for it to be expressed.

                D Locus: Color Density

          Dense Color = D - Dominant
          Diluted Color = d - Recessive

This gene affects how the color cells in the shaft of the hair are dispersed. Normally the color cells are evenly distributed along the shaft of the hair, this is Dense Color and it is what we see in most Bengals.

                Mi Locus: Mica Glitter

         Non-glittered = Mi - Dominant
          Glittered = mi - Recessive

This gene affects the tips of the hair shaft. In the recessive form (mi), when the hair shaft is examined under a microscope we see what look likesmall flecks of Mica, a very reflective mineral, in the tip of the hair shaft. This gene was introduced by Jean Mill from a domestic cat.

                Sa Locus: Satin Glitter

          Sa = Non-Satin - Dominant
          sa = Satin - Recessive

The satin gene creates little bubbles of air in a sheath that surrounds the full length of the hair follicle. These air bubbles catch and refract the light giving the coat a glittered effect which is similar in ways to the Mica Glitter.  This gene also makes the shaft of the hair very smooth and makes the coat very silky and soft. The more satin shafts present, the silkier and softer the coat.

                 L Locus: Hair Length

           L = Short Hair- Dominant
            l = Long Hair- Recessive

Bengals are intended to be short haired, and we do occasionally see a long haired kitten!

We are proud to have some of our cats & kittens featured in

"Bengal Cats,  A Complete Pet Owner's Manual"