About Bengal Cats
Humans have created the Bengal Cat by breeding domestic cats with the Asian Leopard Cat. For those of us who always wanted a leopard cat but knew they were way too wild, here is what we like to call the 'tame' or 'living room leopard.' They have a wild side, but that is part of their beauty as well as personality. The vastly higher price people are willing to pay for Bengals with beautiful spotting has lead to rapid progress in spotting over the last few years.
Of the 37 species of wild cats worldwide, small wild cats make up 30 of those 37. The "Felis bengalensis", or leopard cat species, is very common in areas such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and eastern and southern Asia. The wild leopard cat, while still quite numerous, is being forced to live in ever smaller areas due to growing human population and land development encroaching upon their natural habitats. There have been over 10 subspecies (plus certain individual ALC's that were captive bred) used in the Bengal breeding program, each contributing many different and unique characteristics. The Domestic Bengal received its name from the scientific Latin name "Prionaliurus bengalensis" for Asian Leopard Cat. Domestic Bengals are no different than any other domestic cat when it comes to care and feeding. Female Bengals average from 7 to 11 pounds at maturity, while the more heavily muscled males can average from 11 to 18 pounds at maturity. Bengal owners delight in the intelligence, playfulness, and affectionate natures of their companions, and also love to talk about their athleticism, leaping ability and the dexterity with which they use their paws. Many Bengals also have an instinctive love of water, and have been known to climb in the shower or bathtub with their humans!!
Types, of Bengal Cat's :
Leopard and sorrel colored kittens go through many stages before they develop their true color. Often they do not attain their full rich color until they reach maturity at twelve to sixteen months. It takes a great deal of experience for a breeder to know what to expect from these kittens, as they go through their grey fuzzy stages. Often, just when the kitten is ready to go to its new home, it is at its absolute worst stage. As a rule, the blacker the spots, the slower the ground color is to come in. So these kittens, who look rather plain as infants, can be the most striking as adults with jet black spots upon a warm rich background.
Sorrels tend to be very brightly colored at birth, and make very striking kittens. The light sorrels however, especially out of a sorrel-to-sorrel mating, can fade with maturity.
Lynx point snow babies are born almost solid white, with ghost pattern gradually developing as they mature. So at 8 or 10 weeks, the pattern of spots may be very faint. It may take up to a year for the blue-eyed snow to develop its full colored markings. The mink and sepia snow babies are born with a very distinct patterns and markings.
Palu'e at 12 months old. Still not fully grown or to his full leopard coat. He is starting to show some "silver" in his coat as well. He is not even to his full color potential yet. He has bright BLUE eyes. Palu'e is a lover. He is full of life, but in so different then Nala. They are almost complete opposites.
see his blue eyes..
His leopard spots are starting the be more visable. But he still has a few months to go before
they are to their full leopard potential.
The Bengal Cat is in many ways similar to a domestic cat, while at the same time being very different. It is a cross between the Asian Leopard, and our household domestic cat, so what more would you expect? Bengal cats are bigger then your regular domestic cat, but instead of getting fat, the Bengal is more lean, but muscular. In fact the male Bengal cat, can reach 17lbs. My Palu'e is 2 years old, and has reached 12lbs already. He is very strong! The Bengal is a very active and loving cat that gets along well with almost any other type of animal, if they are introduced young. By the time they are four generations removed from the Asian Leopard Cat , they are legally and genetically considered to be domestic cats and need identical food, litter box, vet, etc., as a normal cat.
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Nala is a Brown Marble Bengal
mother of kittens available
The classic tabby gene creates the marble bengal and represents a change of pattern from spotted to swirled or marbleized. This dramatic pattern is comprised of swirls of brown spotted colors flowing in a horizontal fashion instead of traditional spots. Preference is given to the more horizontal, flowing and "ocellot-like" patterns. The "marble" pattern can also occur in the snow colors, creating the "snow marbles
Nala , born on October 31st. Not only her birth sign (Scorpio) shows off her personality, it is also her breed. She is laid back, not at all mean, but she "talks" a lot like she is a wild cat. When we first introduced her to Pal'ue, she was in no mood for any intruders. If we did not know better, and we just heard her, we could swear she was a wild cougar, with her growl. In time, she got over it, and now loves him. She loves attention, WHEN she wants it. If she is not in the mood, and you pick her up, she will "talk" her talk letting you know she has better things to do, but has never been aggressive in any negative way. We pick her up sometimes, just to have a little "chat" with her. It is almost as if she talks back. Her personality is our favorite, although we love Palu'e too. They are so different in some ways, but so much the same in others. As for Palu'es loving ways, it is hard to chose a favorite, he is actually starting to "talk" too. Nala stands her ground, but really is more talk then anything.
Photo of Nala & Palu'e as kittens. Palu'e was just around 5 months old, his spots still were not very visible.
Nala & Palu'e
Out hanging by the pool, their favorite place to be.
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