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About The Bengal Cat
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This cat is a
unique breed originating from a cross between a domestic cat and an Asian
Leopard Cat (ALC). "Bengal" is derived from Felis Bengalensis, the Latin
name of the ALC. The ALC is a timid, solitary, forest dwelling cat. In the
early 20th century these stunningly beautiful spotted kittens were
imported as pets, but temperament and wild nature rendered them unsuitable
for domestication. Hybridization efforts began in the 1960's by Jean
Sugden (Jean Mill) (Millwood). It is Jeans vision, and her commitment to
that vision that gives us the incredible cats that we enjoy today. |
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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.
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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!!!) |
| There are several colors and patterns available
in the Bengal Breed. The "Leopards" have dark spots on a lighter
base color, ranging from grey, to golden red. The "Marble" pattern is
comprised of swirls of color over a lighter background. 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.
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A bit about
Bengal Genetics
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"
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