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Because Bengal cats are different from your typical house cat and fairly new to the scene, there are many questions that people ask about them including do Bengal cats have long tails?
You’ve come to the right place. We’re going to answer that question for you, and provide you with other valuable information about Bengal cats and their tails, which requires a more complicated answer than a simple yes or no.
In this post, we’re going to cover the following:
Before we continue, here’s a super cute video of a Bengal cat chasing his tail:
Tails are very important to cats. Here are a few of the things that cats use their tails for.
Cats use their tail like a counterbalance when they’re walking on a narrow space like a tree branch, fence, or shelf. Their tails also help them stay balanced as they run, jump, and climb. Think about the way a cheetah’s tail waves back and forth as they sprint after prey and you’ll have an idea of how Bengal cats also use their tails while hunting.
If you’ve ever seen a Bengal cat fall from any height, you’ve probably seen them land on their feet. This is because cats instinctively use their tails and bodies to twist themselves around in the air so that they land on their feet to help them avoid injury.
Here’s a video showing exactly how this works (so you don’t have to experiment with your own cat):
This is another way that cats use their tails, since they primarily rely on body language to communicate with other cats and humans. Every tail position and movement has a meaning, and learning them is important to understanding when your Bengal cat is happy, upset, or playful.
Cats have scent glands near the base of their tails, so if you see your cat rubbing up against something with their back end, they’re likely marking it with their scent to let other cats know it belongs to them. That includes their owners, as Bengal cats frequently rub up against people they like, too!
According to the official breed standards, a Bengal cat’s tail should be “Thick, tapered at the end with rounded tip. Medium in length, in proportion to body.” However, because Bengals are mixed with different cats and bred for different purposes, they don’t all have the same length of tail. Some may have longer, thinner tails while others are shorter and thicker.
One of the reasons for these differences in tail length goes back to the breeder and what they breed for. Some breeders focus primarily on coat color and type which means things like tail length and thickness are less important and might not meet breed standards. Other breeders may focus on the physical traits such as tail length, ear shape, and head size, so these Bengals are more likely to reflect the breed standards more closely.
When compared to other cats, a Bengal cat may have a longer or shorter tail, depending on the other cat and the Bengal in question. Manx cats, for example, are essentially tailless which means Bengal cats will certainly have a longer tail than these. Abyssinians, on the other hand, are known for their long tails and likely have longer tails than the average Bengals.
Most cats will have between 19 and 23 vertebrae in their tails, although breeds that naturally have shorter tails like the Manx and American Bobtail will have less. Along with vertebrae, a cat’s tail also has a number of muscles, ligaments, and tendons that work together to help the cat’s tail move flexibly and fluidly as needed.
Because Bengal cats can have different tail lengths, it’s impossible to identify them by their tail alone. It’s also difficult because they should have a medium-length tail, so their tail will likely look the same length as other cats’ tails. What should be looked at more when trying to identify a Bengal cat is the cat as a whole, including their coat, head, and ears along with the tail.
If you are planning on getting a Bengal cat for breeding or showing purposes, you should consider tail length when choosing a cat to make sure you’re doing what you can to meet the breed standards as much as possible. If you’re getting a Bengal cat to enjoy as a pet, then you don’t have to worry as much about the length of the tail and should instead make sure you find yourself a Bengal cat with a wonderful personality that will fit in well with your family.
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