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like. Perhaps it’s their name that might get some people wondering about them and where they come from. After all, the name does sound a little intimidating. This post will help you understand who these cats are and how to identify a Bengal cat when you see one. In this post we will cover:
If you are not sure what a Bengal cat is, let us briefly explain their origin for you. Bengal cats were originally created by the cross breeding of the domestic cat with the Asian Leopard cat. This is a small wild cat. The reason they were bred was so they could have a cat that had the temperament of a domesticated cat but the beautiful and somewhat wild markings of the wild Asian Leopard.
The first generation of these cats were continually bred together through a number of generations. They eventually added some more domestic lines of cats and the result is the Bengal cat we see today. An extremely beautiful, very intelligent, and sometimes quite quirky cat. Bengals are now recognized as a true breed and are shown at cat shows in all of the 50 states.
Since Bengals are immensely varied when it comes to their looks, it can sometimes be difficult for people to identify them. This is what helps to make them so interesting to have as a pet.
They come in a lot of different colors, they have different patterns on their coats, different eye colors and their weight can even vary greatly from one Bengal to another. Even with all of these differences, they manage to maintain a prominent distinction in the world of cats.
One major distinction is they are one of the bulkiest breeds of cats when it comes to overall muscle mass. The males especially have very thick and big muscles that you can see rippling under their beautiful shimmering coats.
Probably their best and most unique feature would be their elegant coat. Many people think of the spots they have when they hear the words Bengal cat, but they don’t just have spots, many are marbled as well as rosetted.
When a cat is rosette, it will make some of the spots look more like doughnuts and not dots. Marbling is horizontal striping on the coat and it often swishes and swirls along their sides and on their backs. The swirling almost looks like cinnamon rolls and they look gorgeous on their coats.
When it comes to color, Bengals come in a variety of different color combinations:
You may also come across a blue-ish color on occasion but the blue color is not recognized by any cat clubs at this time.
The color of their eyes can be a deep copper gold color, minty green, bright yellow or a beautiful icy blue. The color of their eyes all depends on the different breeds that were used in their ancestry and if those breeders concentrated on improving the color of their eyes or not.
Bengal cats are very intelligent creatures and they can and usually will form very strong bonds with their people. They really enjoy interacting with their human counterparts and they are always ready and willing to join in all family activities.
They tend to have an extremely high activity level and even as adults they enjoy playing, leaping and running around. Since they are extremely good jumpers and climbers they really enjoy having their own play area that should include a “cat tree” for them to climb on. This play center will give them hours of fun time and will keep them from getting bored.
They can be considered to be somewhat mischievous and can demand a lot of attention, even so, their antics will keep you extremely entertained for hours. They definitely are not boring cats that just lay around doing nothing.
Because of their extreme intelligence they are easily trained and they can learn just about any trick that a dog can learn! Sometimes they even seem to have a “dog like” kind of personality. Bengals often can be trained to walk on a leash and taken for walks, just like a dog. Check out the video here to see what we mean:
They tend to find toilets fascinating as well and can teach themselves how to flush it so they can play with the swirling water as it goes rushing down the toilet.
They have a very good temperament and do make for fun and affectionate pets and tend to get along extremely well with kids, other cats, dogs and even pets like ferrets. If you’d like more intensive information on Bengal cats you might want to visit Belle Ami Bengals.
So, what do you think? Did this post help you visualize better what Bengals look like? Let us know by commenting below.
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