Types of Bengals

The Bengal is a hybrid breed of domestic cat renowned for its "wild" patterning, catering to pet-owners who want an exotic-looking cat that behaves like a domesticated animal. It is a somewhat unusual breed. There are several different types of Bengal cats each has a different appearance.

  1. Bengals

    • Bengals are the result of breeding a small Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic cat. The goal was to produce a new breed that combined the exotic look of a "wild" cat with the domestic temperament of a house cat. Several generations of Bengal-to-Bengal breeding has led to the breed becoming recognized for championship competition by most international cat associations. There are many varieties of Bengal cats, but they generally fall within one of three primary types.

    Classic Bengals

    • The fur of the so-called "classic" Bengal is typically a spotted rosette pattern, similar to that of a leopard. This spotting normally occurs on the back and sides, with stripes occurring on other parts of the body. The base color can range from silver-grey to a sandy buff color. Sometimes this can even be a brown-orange rust color, which is known as the classic Bengal color. A classic Bengal will have gold or green eyes, with spotting that can range from dark black to light brown.

    Marbled Bengals

    • Another pattern is known as marble, which is different from the rosette pattern. Marbling is created from the combination of the Asian Leopard Cat's rosettes and the coloring of the domestic tabby. This mix produces a "marbleized" look in which the pattern colors swirl into the base colors. Bengal aficionados and those who judge the cats at competitions prefer marble patterns that flow horizontally rather than vertically, although both types are common in marbled Bengals.

    Snow Bengals

    • In early Bengal breeding experiments, a litter would occasionally contain a white kitten with blue eyes, which would develop spotted patterns as it grew older. These were the forerunners of what came to be called the snow Bengal, also called the "Seal Lynxpoint." Snow Bengals all derived from the albino gene that shows up in most species of mammals, causing pink eyes and white hair, although snow Bengals will often have blue eyes. Further breeding experiments resulted in other types of snow Bengals such as the "Seal Mink" and "Seal Sepia" snow Bengals.