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Bengal cats are known for their detailed, colorful coats but some are also renowned for their eye color. Bengals eye color is normally gold, bright green, yellow, and occasionally an icy blue. These special Bengal eyes are specific to the “Snow” variety of Bengal coat color. But there’s a lot that goes into this spectacular feline eye color. Let’s take a look into it like this:
Bengal eye color depends on the breed of cats used in its original ancestry. If blue eyes weren’t a genetic trait of the ancestors of Bengals being bred together, then there isn’t a chance of getting a blue-eyed Bengal from a liter.
Pet Helpful also advises that getting a blue-eyed Bengal can also depend on how the breeders cared for the eye color in their cats and if they tried to concentrate on improving it or not. If they didn’t, then the kittens produced would have the usual Bengal eye colors. But when concentrating on blue eyes, the eye color would be prevalent in the kittens produced.
Want to see an example of a blue-eyed Bengal? Check out the video below to see one playing in the shower, after all, Bengal are notorious for liking water.
It can be very difficult to tell the difference between the Seal Minks and the Seal Sepias in person or in photos. There have been genetic tests developed to help breeders clarify which color of Snow Bengal they have. Because of this, the easiest Snow Bengal to identify is the Seal Lynx Point because they always have blue eyes.
The Seal Lynx Point Bengal has a very light cream base color, dark chocolate markings, and commonly slightly darker legs, tails, and ears but with very little difference of the depth of the colors. These patterns may not be as prevalent when the kitten is born but becomes stronger as the cat ages.
The Seal Lynx Point Bengal should also have brick red paw pads and nose leather with a black tipped tail. This variety must have the characteristic clear blue eyes to be considered a Seal Lynx Point Bengal.
King Mark Farms Bengal breeder clarifies the Seal Sepia and the Seal Mink Bengals as having cream or cream/tan base colors and darker chocolate markings. Their eyes are green for Seal Sepias and blue-green or aqua for Seal Minks.
Knowing these differences can go a long way identifying a Bengal cat. Still, all of the Snow Bengal varieties are accepted by TICA and other associations.
The Seal Lynx Point Bengal is the only variety of Bengal that has blue eyes because the domestic cat used when breeding with the Asian Leopard Cat is the Siamese. Siamese naturally have blue eyes so when bred into a Bengal, this admirable trait is reflected in the Bengals produced.
Bengals can have so many interesting traits depending on the domestic cat used in breeding. Because of the potential diversity amongst Bengals, their attributes lead to part of the reason why this breed is so varied and sought after. Two Bengals from different ancestry can be completely different other than their shared Asian Leopard Cat traits.
Blue-eyed Bengals are a highly visual example of the potential variation between Bengals. This eye-catching trait is inherited from the cat’s Siamese ancestor, whether it was the first domestic cat bred with the Asian Leopard Cat or the most recent domestic cat introduced to the filial line.
So if blue-eyed Bengals are bred by including Siamese in the ancestry, why aren’t there more of them available and in the world? The answer may be simple, blue eyes are a recessive gene, but keeping it prevalent in the breeding isn’t as easy.
To breed blue-eyed Bengals, the breeder has to be breeding for it on purpose. They have to keep the intent of establishing the blue-eyed gene in the kittens produced as a major purpose for breeding together the parent cats.
The breeder needs to do this because the recessive gene will fall away if both parents aren’t giving it to the kittens. Without the gene coming from both parents, a dominant gene and eye color will be present in the kittens, thus not producing any blue-eyed Bengals in that liter.
Because of this breeding need, the only way to produce blue-eyed Bengals in a liter is by breeding a male and a female who both possess the blue-eyed recessive gene. The grandparents would also have needed to possess the gene as well, and so on. Blue-eyed Bengals may be a striking cat but they aren’t as easy to produce as a regular Bengal.
The variety in Bengals is deep and colorful. It’s just another reason why Bengals are such an interesting and wonderful breed.
So, what do you think about blue-eyed Bengals? Do you agree with the information stated here? Comment below to let us know!
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