The origin of the breed, the standard of the appearance of the Bengal cat, the nature and description of health, advice on care, features of selection. Price when buying a kitten. The Bengal cat is a magnificent, strong, stately animal, bred in America with short hair and leopard print. The word "Bengal" alone immediately evokes associations associated with wild and dangerous Bengal panthers or tigers. Well, the Bengal cat, is not far from its wild counterparts, except that it disappointed in size. She is truly half-savage, with strong hunting instincts and the demeanor of a kindly domesticated leopard.
The origin of the Bengal cat breed
The history of the Bengal breed began in 1961 in the United States, when the American Jean Mill, a genetic biologist by education, brought from her business trip to Thailand, a local kitten of a wild Bengal species with a leopard print (another name for this species is the Far Eastern cat).
The little savage got a sonorous name - Malaysia. And although Malaysia was growing up in normal home conditions, the character of a small wild predator still declared itself. She behaved distrustfully, alone, not at all striving for affection and communication with the owner, choosing places to relax further and higher from people. And although she did not show aggression towards the hostess, she did not become truly homely.
However, in 1963, Jean Mill was able to breed Malaysia with a black domestic cat and got the first hybrid female with a maternal spotted pattern on the coat. They called this beauty rather amusingly and in an Asian manner - Kin-Kin. After some time, Kin-Kin was mated again with the same black cat (there were simply no other options).
But here the history of breeding the Bengal breed is interrupted for as much as 15 years. Due to the death of her husband, genetic biologist Jean Mill had to stop working on the creation of a new cat breed. The Malaysia cat was sent to the zoo, and Kin-Kin died of pneumonia.
Only after 15 long years, the aforementioned geneticist was able to return to direct work on her old dream - getting a completely domestic cat with strong immunity and the appearance of a wild animal.
In the same years, scientists at the University of California conducted comparative laboratory studies of the immune systems of domestic and wild cats, during which it was found that the immunity of some species of wild cats is able to cope with the feline leukemia virus, which regularly mows the rows of pets. To comprehensively test whether such immunity is innate or acquired as a result of living in the wild, genetic scientists have mated wild leopard cats with domestic cats.
Upon learning of these studies, Jean Mill turned to the project leaders with a request to provide her with several specimens of the hybrid cats obtained for further interspecies crossing, with the provision of the necessary information regarding genetics to scientists at the University of California. By agreement, 9 hybrid females of the first hybrid generation (F1) were handed over to Jin. From that moment on, a truly serious and painstaking work began to transform the wild Bengal cat into its domesticated version.
To this end, Californian hybrid females were crossed with Burmese and Egyptian Mau cats. And in 1984 - also with a wonderful golden-red spotted cat named Delhi, accidentally discovered and brought by Jean from a zoo in India. For mating, Delhi was registered with the CFA as an Experimental Mau. Well, it was necessary somehow to name Jin in a noble way, who has no pedigree, but such a unique handsome groom with a missing tail (rhinos were squashed at the zoo!).
The kittens born from Delhi were simply amazing, spotted, beautiful color, with shining hair - the effect is called by experts - "glitter" ("shine"). This effect was subsequently consolidated in all subsequent generations of the new breed.
One of the difficulties that Mrs. Mill faced in her breeding experiments is that the cats of the first three generations (F1 – F3) were completely sterile, unlike the cats of the same generations. The creators of the magnificent expensive Savannah breed, where the wild African serval cat was crossed with domestic representatives of the Oriental, Siamese and Bengal breeds, will also face the same snag in the future.
In addition, Jean Mill did not immediately manage to obtain a consistently inherited leopard print on the fur of born kittens. I had to crossbreed my hybrid cats over and over again with wild cats imported from India. Finally, a stable result was obtained, and in 1991 the newly developed breed of Bengal domestic cats was introduced to the world and became a participant in the championship organized by TICA (USA).
At the moment, the breed of Bengal cats is recognized by all felinological organizations in the world. Biologist Jean Mill's many years of work did not go to waste.
Bengal external standard
The Bengal cat is a very beautiful, superbly built flexible animal with a strong skeleton and excellent musculature of a wild animal. The sizes of this domestic cat range from medium to large (body weight reaches 7.5 kg or more), it all depends on the specific selection.
- Head in Bengal cats, it is often small (in relation to body proportions), but sometimes it is more massive. In shape, it resembles a rather wide, peculiarly elongated wedge with rounded outlines. The muzzle is rounded with strong jaws. The nose is straight, wide, with a pronounced lobe. The neck is strong, muscular and rather long.
- Ears range from small to medium in size, broad at the base, set wide apart, with rounded tips, alert. Lynx brushes by standard are not desirable.
- Eyes representatives of the Bengal breed are large, oval, deep-set, with a wide set. The color of the eyes of the animal, in general, does not depend on the color of the coat. Any saturated bright color is allowed, except for blue and ultramarine. These two eye colors are permitted by the standard only in Lynx Point and Seal Lynx cats.
- Body type lithe, distinctly muscular, but not heavy. The body is strong, elongated, with a fairly pronounced chest and the back line slightly raised to the pelvis. The limbs are of medium length, strong and slender. The hind legs are slightly longer than the front ones. Large toes are collected in neat oval-shaped cams.
- Tail Bengal cat is medium in length, rather thick, gradually tapering to a rounded tip, completely covered with dense short fur. Wool is acceptable by the standard either short or shorter than average length (in kittens it may be slightly longer than in adults). In terms of quality, it is dense, very thick, well-fitting to the body of the cat, soft-silky to the touch.
The pattern on the fur of Bengal cats has two acceptable options: spotted (a variation is acceptable - rosetted or marbled).
- Spotted the pattern provides for either horizontal or arbitrary arrangement of "leopard" spots. Vertical directions of grouping of spots are excluded. The spots on the sides of the animal must be strictly symmetrical. "Rosettes" are preferred over plain spots. The color of the spots ranges from bay (cinnamon) to dark brown and black. The contrast of the spots with the main coat color should be as clear as possible.
- Marbled drawing on the coat it is a pattern with complex stains, spots of varying size (from small to large), as well as in the spotted version, placed horizontally along the body of the animal. When evaluating, preference is given to a picture having three shades of color: the background, the picture itself (preferably darker than the background) and the dark border of the picture. Bullseye patterns or circular streaks on the coat are a serious drawback.
In addition, on the head of a Bengal cat must be inscribed in the shape of the letter "M", and even better - "scarab". On the cat's face there is a thin mesh pattern, and on the shoulders and nape there is a pattern resembling a butterfly. Throughout the body of the animal there are three parallel dark lines (from the nape to the tail). On the neck and chest, the divorces are a set of unbroken "necklaces", and the paws are decorated with multiple "bracelets". The tail is also elegantly dressed with rings, the tip of the tail is dark. The coat color of Bengal cats has the following approved standards:
- brown tabby spotted (brown / black spotted tabby) - in the main color of the coat, the whole range of brown is acceptable, the color of the spots of the pattern is from bay to black;
- brown tabby marbled - the color scheme is similar to the previous version, the only difference is in the pattern;
- seal sepia spotted tabby - the main color of wool from ivory to cream and light brown, spots - in dark brown tones;
- seal sepia marbled tabby - the color scheme is similar to the previous version, but with a marble pattern on the wool;
- seal mink spotted tabby - the main color is ivory and cream, the spots are distinctly brown;
- seal mink marbled tabby - the colors of the color are similar to the previous version, adjusted for the marble pattern;
- seal spotted lynx-point - the so-called "snow leopard" color, the main color of the wool - from ivory to cream, spots from light brown to dark brown;
- seal marbled lynx-point - marble analogue of the previous color.
Bengal cat personality
This representative of the feline is an animal, though domesticated, but possessing a rather complicated character with manifestations of "savage" grips inherited from their wild ancestors. Therefore, it is better to start Bengals for people who already have a certain experience of living together with such semi-wild animals.
A real thoroughbred Bengal is not an affectionate, homely harmless purr, but an energetic, strong and dexterous cat, capable not only to stand up for itself perfectly, but also to easily "deal" with all the other animals living in your house. Especially with feathered pets, aquarium fish (even if you keep piranhas) and house rodents. Therefore, before deciding on a domestic leopard, you need to think about how to protect the rest of the pets from the hunting habits of the novice cat.
However, Bengal cats are loving and loyal animals, affectionate towards caring owners. With an independent character, they try to build long-term relationships with people and follow the established rules of behavior.
They are quite talkative animals, but their language is built on a combination of postures, gestures and sounds that differ from the behavior and language of ordinary domestic purrs. It is not uncommon for them to emit a growl that has nothing to do with aggressiveness. These are just words and nothing more.
Bengals are very smart, easy to train, and quite playful. Favorite game is hunting. In all its forms. Including hunting fish in a stream, in a shallow body of water, or worse, in a home aquarium. Representatives of the Bengal breed are great lovers of water and will not miss the opportunity to fish or at least wet their paws.
Bengalis are cats worthy of respect and admiration. They are excellent pets for a person who loves energetic cats with character.
Bengal cat health
The health indicators of a miniature leopard are strong enough with good "wild" immunity, making it easy to overcome standard feline ailments.
The main health problems of these spotted beauties, which breeders are now fighting over, are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle that leads to heart failure) and flat chest syndrome, which comes from the hybridity of the breed (incompatibility of the genetic systems of representatives of different species).
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects about a third of all individuals of the species, and flat chest syndrome (due to closely related mating) takes the lives of many kittens who die from compression of the sternum of the lungs and heart. Let's hope that scientists will find the right solution in the near future.
In general, the Bengal breed is a breed with a fairly good health, allowing representatives of this group to live up to 14-16 years (which is not so little for cats of medium and large size).
Bengal cat grooming tips
Tight-fitting, smooth with a shimmer, the spotted coat of Bengalis does not need any special care. For her excellent condition, it is quite enough to do with the weekly combing of their fur coats with a special rubber brush, completing the combing procedure by wiping the animal's fur with a special piece of suede or silk fabric, which gives an additional shine to the wool.
Often there is no need to bathe the Bengal, only when it is heavily soiled or on the eve of an exhibition does this make sense. However, the Bengal cat herself will often find a way to get into the water, she is very much not indifferent to her.
It is necessary to regularly check the condition of your pet's teeth and gums, which is not so easy. This procedure is not the most beloved for a Bengali. As well as the necessary trimming of his claws. Now, regarding the order of feeding and the diet. Adult representatives of the Bengal breed are fed no more than 2 times a day (usually in the morning and in the evening).
The best option for the owner is to feed the pet with quality industrial food from a reputable manufacturer. You can completely switch to feeding the animal with natural products, which is always problematic for the owner (it is not always possible to choose the right menu) due to the increased sensitivity of the stomach of Bengal cats. Also, for this reason, it is undesirable to mix types of feeding and even more so to give food from the table.
Bengal kittens
Due to the peculiarities of selection and genetic diseases of the breed, only the most "advanced" nurseries can breed these beauties of Bengal. At home, it will not work to get offspring from Bengal cats (or they will not be Bengal cats at all).
Therefore, it is preferable to purchase already vaccinated three-month-old kittens in well-proven nurseries.
Price when buying a Bengal kitten
The breed of Bengal cats is quite rare, and not only in Russia. There are also few nurseries in other countries that can cope with the complexities of breeding this breed. Therefore, the price range of the sale is very high. The Bengal breed is one of the most expensive cat breeds in the world.
Therefore, when you come across advertisements for the sale of purebred Bengal kittens for a ridiculous amount of 10,000 rubles or even 50,000 rubles, just bypass these sellers. A true representative of the Bengal breed must have at least 12% "wild" blood, and these are completely different prices.
Adequate price for a true purebred Bengal cat ranges from $ 1,000 to $ 4,000 depending on its size, color, coat pattern and gender.
Description of the breed of Bengal cats:
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