history, colors AND GLITTER
The Bengal's story begins in 1963 in Arizona, when Jean Mill, a young geneticist with a passion for cats, obtained a small hybrid female named Kin-Kin from a mating between a leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) and a domestic cat. A few years later, the University of California, Davis, offered Jean eight female cats born from this same cross. These eight cats, bred primarily with Egyptian Maus, Abyssinians, and Burmese cats, founded the Bengal breed. After extensive work on wild coat patterns, breeders are now focused on achieving a physical type as close as possible to the leopard cat. The first Bengal was imported into France in 1989.
Le standard selon le LOOF
To find out the Bengal breed standard according to the LOOF, the only official body in France, you can click on this link:
https://loof.asso.fr/les-races-de-chat/bengal
The Bengal is a very athletic cat. The expression on its head should be as different as possible from that of a domestic cat. The body is long with powerful musculature and a robust bone structure. The tail, thick at the base, tapers only slightly to a rounded tip. The fur is thick, lying close to the body, and exceptionally soft and silky to the touch. One of the Bengal's main characteristics is its coat. Two types of patterns are accepted, both with extreme contrast. In the first, called spotted, the markings are either dots or rosettes arranged randomly on the body. The rosettes are more or less round spots, open or closed, with a dark outline and a fawn interior. In the second pattern, called marble, the rosettes are elongated, creating patterns similar to those of the clouded leopard.
Jean Mills, créatrice de la race Bengal.
Colors and patterns
The Bengal is a dream come true. Not only is it beautiful, but it's a domestic cat with a look that mimics the big cats found in the wild. There's a wide range of colors, shades, and patterns within the Bengal breed. Depending on the genetic makeup of both parents, kittens in the same litter can be very different from one another. Fortunately, feline genome mapping has made it possible to study and identify the genes that control a cat's coat, color, and patterns through DNA testing. Genetic testing allows breeders to predict the likely outcome of a future litter and can prevent diseases from becoming part of a breed. Strictly speaking, there are only three basic colors accepted by the breed: Brown, Silver, and Snow (Seal Lynx, Seal Sepia, and Seal Mink). Within each color category, there are two accepted pattern types: spotted/rosetted and martel. With so many variations, you might not know where to begin when searching for your dream cat. That's why we've created this illustrated guide to Bengal cat colors. We'll focus more on the coat pattern we work with at Bengal Wild Cat.
There are two families of patterns: spotted and marbled. We will focus on the first, which concerns us and therefore interests you.
The coat is covered in random spots, aligned diagonally or horizontally on the torso, belly, and legs. Large, dark spots on a light background are generally preferred. Of course, there are variations within the spotting category, and a single Bengal cat can have many different types of spots.
Single-spotted means the spots are monochrome. They are simply solid patches on a contrasting background, similar to those of wild cats like cheetahs or non-hybrid spotted cats (Ocicat, Egyptian Mau, Spotted Shorthair, or Australian Mist). Spots are called rosettes when they are two distinct, contrasting colors against the background. The Bengal cat is the only domestic cat to exhibit rosette-like spots! Bengal rosettes only began to appear in the early 2000s when some breeders crossed shaded spots. The rosette pattern developed rapidly. When you look at the evolution of the breed over the years, it's astonishing to see the progress some breeders have made with rosetting in just a few decades. The three most important rosette types are: Arrowhead, Paw Print, and Donut.
ARROW TIPS
Arrowheads can be solid and monochrome in the single-spot group, or they can be adorned with rosettes of varying colors that fade into the background. Well-defined arrowhead rosettes are rare and sought after by Bengal cat owners and breeders. While not the most common, the arrowhead rosette is probably the easiest to identify. Arrowhead rosettes have a triangular shape resembling the tip of an arrow or a teardrop, with all the points facing the cat's back. Asian leopard cats have many coat types, but the arrowhead pattern is one of the most visually striking. The arrowhead-shaped spots provide excellent camouflage in the dappled light of a forest habitat. With such a coat, a cat remaining perfectly still in the trees or among the leaf litter can be very difficult to spot.
DONUT ROSETTES
Donut rosettes are patches darker than the background coat color and surrounded by an even darker color. Inspired by the jaguar's coat, the donut rosette gets its name from its almost complete dark outline around a lighter center. It took years of selective breeding to develop donut rosettes, but they are now one of the most popular rosette patterns.
Rosettes with paw prints
Paw print rosettes are shaded patches open on one side with smaller, darker patches around the edge. A paw print rosette is never completely surrounded by the darker surrounding color. Inspired by the leopard's coat, paw print rosettes are aptly named because they often resemble small paw prints on a cat's fur.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE COLORS?
Now that we've looked at coat types, let's examine their colors. Like other cat breeds, Bengals come in a variety of colors. We'll only show you the ones we select and work with. But of course, the complex beauty of the Bengal cat isn't limited to just one color. Regardless of the color or shade, a Bengal cat's pattern should produce a high degree of contrast.
The Bengal Brown (color genes C, C) is the most popular Bengal color and was also the first to be recognized by TICA in 1983. Traditional brown Bengals have gold to green eyes. The base color can range from a grayish-fawn tone to a bright orange-gold. The color of the spots, rosettes, or marbling can vary from black and light brown to darker or reddish brown. Brown comes in a variety of shades such as gold, cream, fawn, honey, taupe, beige, caramel, and cinnamon. All shades of brown are accepted, but an orangey-brown is preferred for the base color. As you can see, virtually every shade of brown is available for the Bengal breed.
Le Glitter
Glitter is the icing on the cake. While the Bengal was the first domestic cat to have gold glitter, not all Bengals possess it. You can see this glitter thanks to the shimmering, sparkling effect on their coat. Even in low light, you can see the sparkle of the Bengal's glitter. It's a characteristic we love to cultivate at Bengal Wild Cat.
Le Fuzzy
The Fuzzy is a characteristic inherited from wild ancestors - ALC or Asian leopard cats.
The fuzzy stage is a process that almost all Bengal kittens go through between one and four months of age. The Bengal kitten is completely free of fuzz at around eight months. And sometimes, this change isn't finished until after a year and a half. The kittens are covered in grayish or pale whitish fur. If this fuzz isn't very pronounced, the kitten's pattern appears slightly shaded and indistinct. With a thick fuzz coat, it's almost impossible to see the kitten's pattern.
Depending on its lineage, the fuzzy phase has its own characteristics:
The first generation F1 and F2 Bengals have a well-defined and longer fuzzy sound.
Kittens with glitter have fuzzy fur that falls out more quickly than those whose fur does not have glitter.
Bengal kittens sometimes have so much fuzz, the brilliance of their color is difficult to discern, and it is determined solely by the undercoat.