Alice White
The domestic Bengal cat inherited from its ancestors not only the name and leopard color but also the stunning shine of the coat. The path from Felis bengalensis – wild leopard cats to the real breed was long and thorny, but thanks to the diligence and dedication of felinologist breeder Jane Mill, we can admire a domestic predator with wild color and wonderful friendly character.
It is impossible not to notice the external features of an exotic cat. Even being very small, the baby Bengal looks like a leopard. An adult Bengal cat is honored with the highest reviews and, according to one verbal description, is truly handsome.
The head is a wedge with a massive chin and thickened pads. Due to this structural feature, the animal’s muzzle resembles a tiger’s mouth. This similarity is even more noticeable during yawning, meowing, or growling.
The ears are short and set high on the head. At the base, they are wide, and their tips are rounded. The nose is large, curved, and moderately wide. The eyes are almond-shaped and very beautiful. Eye color – clear green or golden.
The head is on a thick and strong neck, which is in ideal proportions concerning the head and to the body. A cat of this breed is the owner of a large body and strong muscles. Bengal runs around the house on round, large and powerful paws. As usual, the length of the hind legs exceeds the length of the front legs. The medium-sized tail does not fluff, dense to the touch. There are spots or rings on the tail of a domestic leopard.
Bengals are short-haired creatures with a soft silky coat.
The breed represents a wealth of colors. The popular color is spotted striped. This variety has shades of gray, white, or red. The most common and characteristic color of the “leopardette” breed makes the cat look like a leopard. A sign of the marble variety is spots of a peculiar, not leopard-like shape.
The characteristic weight of pedigree cats is 3.5-5.5 kg. An adult male is more massive than a female and weighs 5-8 kg. Animals of both genders are larger and smaller than the declared weight, but this is not common. If the cat seems very large and its weight is high enough, this does not mean that obesity has appeared: Bengals are nimble and energetic creatures, and, most likely, their body weight is due to the excellent physical shape of the pet and well-developed muscles. The body length of an adult handsome leopard is about 90 cm, and the height at the withers is 40-41 cm.
The character of the cat is bright, memorable: the combination of the natural mind of a predator merges together with the soft playfulness and sociability of domestic ancestors.
Cats welcome the company of their beloved household members and are very talkative, but you should not squeeze animals. Cats are also liveable with other domestic animals, they can make friends with dogs. Bengal is well socialized, but they do not approve of communication with strangers – they need time to understand whether a person entered the house with good intentions. The animal catches the mood of the owners very accurately, they are sensitive to changes in the tone of voice, they remember the words addressed to them. The upbringing of a cat should start as early as possible. Bengalis are very socialized, by the voice of a person they learn to understand and get to know the world. Besides, these cats, like dogs, memorize words and can follow commands.
