TICA's GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The goal of the Bengal breeding program is to create a domestic cat which has physical features distinctive to the small forest-dwelling wildcats, and with the loving, dependable temperament of the domestic cat. Keeping this goal in mind, judges shall give special merit to those characteristics in the appearance of the Bengal which are distinct from those found in other domestic cat breeds.
A Bengal cat is an athletic animal, alert to its surroundings; a friendly, curious, confident cat with strength, agility, balance and grace. It is a medium to
large cat which exhibits a very muscular and solid build. Its wide nose with prominent whisker pads and large oval, almost round eyes in a slightly small
head enhance the wild appearance and expressive nocturnal look. Its very slight, to nearly straight, concave profile
and relatively short ears with wide base and rounded tips add to the Bengal’s distinctive and unique appearance.
The short, dense coat has a uniquely soft and silky feel. The coat may be glittered or not glittered, with neither type to be given preference. A thick, low-set,
medium-length tail adds balance to the cat.
The Bengal Cat is still considered a relatively new breed of cat by today's cat fanciers. They are a unique breed derived from a crossing of the Asian Leopard Cat and a domestic cat. In the breeds early beginnings, Egyptian and Indian Maus, Domestic Shorthairs, Ocicats, Bombays and non-pedigreed tabby cats were all used to form the original lines that founded our breed. Each contributed different features found in the gene pool of today. A good example of this is Tory of Delhi. Tory (also seen on pedigrees as "Toby") was an Indian Mau brought back from the New Delhi zoo in 1982. Jean Mill incorporated Tory into her lines and managed to bring glitter to the Bengal breed.
Some believe that there have been matings between the wild Leopard Cat and feral domestic cats in parts of Asia throughout history. However there appears to be no documented proof of these hybrid breedings. The first recorded breeding took place in 1963 when Jean Sugden(now Jean Mill), used her pet-shop bought female Asian Leopard Cat "Malasia" (back in the 60's and early '70's, many wild cats could be purchased in pet shops around the country) and mated her with a melanistic domestic shorthair male. The result was a female kitten named KinKin. While this was almost the start of the Bengal breed, Jean had to abandon her dreams when her husband passed away.
Dr. Willard Centerwall, a geneticist working at the Loma Linda University in the late 1970's, began a hybrid program, much the same as Jean had previously. His research was part of a study regarding Feline Leukemia as the Asian Leopard Cat appeared to be immune to this deadly disease(and there were no vaccinations at this time). In 1981, Jean Mill acquired some of his hybrid females to use as her foundation cats for this up-and-coming Bengal Breed.
The Bengal Cats were first accepted into championship competition in 1991.
It wasn't until 1994 when both the marbled patterns and the snow colours
were also allowed to compete against their spotted cousins in TICA.
Present...
The Bengal of today is a fast changing, exciting breed. We are seeing some magnificent kittens in the show rings. Rosettes of all shapes and sizes, lighter to whiter undersides, long exotic bodies with tail carriage, wild head type...all reminiscent of the Bengal Ancestor cat, the Asian Leopard Cat.
Bengals must be friendly, playful outgoing cats. To make sure that breeders strive for this exceptional temperament, our current TICA breed standard explicitly states "Temperament must be unchallenging...Bengals should be confident, alert, curious and friendly cats".
Adding a bengal into your home means adding a family member. Bengals form
a tremendous bond with family members and act as any domestic cat
does...they purr, sleep with you in bed and are faithful litter box users.
They tend to be high energy cats, they love toys, cat trees and feather
teasers. Many bengals even fetch a small toy! Don't be too surprised if
your bengal wants to jump in the shower with you either...they love water!
Future...
With the rapid changes forthcoming in our breed, you will never see 2
bengals exactly alike. Large dark spots are becoming beautiful rosettes,
light tummies are changing to white, small creamy smudges on the backs of
the ears are turning to the white thumb prints known on wild cats as
ocelli. It is very exciting to be involved with such an intriguing,
beautiful fast-changing breed. With dedication and vision, the breeders of
today are looking towards the future for the ideal pet, the Bengal Cat.
Select breeders are putting hard work into our foundation cats which
through diligent work, will become the Bengal Cats of tomorrow.