A lap leopard, exactly as intended
Everything you need to know about the breed before falling in love with one of ours.
The History of the Bengal
The Bengal began with a dream: Jean Mills wanted to invent a lap leopard. She bred the small, wild Asian Leopard Cat with domestic cats, adding three pedigree breeds along the way, the Abyssinian, the Ocicat and the Egyptian Mau. From the Asian Leopard Cat we inherited the magic: the unique rosetted pattern, the charcoals, the unmistakable wild look. From the three pedigree breeds came our warm, reddy browns, but they also quietly carried recessive traits: snow (seal lynx and seal sepia), cinnamon, blue (dilute) and chocolate. Then Jean's daughter decided the breed needed a silver, so the American Shorthair joined the family tree, gifting us not only silver, but marble.
For years, Bengal meant brown or silver. But in time, two carriers of these recessive genes would meet, and suddenly there were snow Bengals, blue Bengals, charcoal Bengals, and even incredibly long-haired Bengals (the long-hair gene being recessive in the Abyssinian, of all places). The truth is, Bengals are so much more than the brown Bengals they're famous for. Every five years or so a new colour or pattern is recognised and starts to be bred more widely, and we find this part of the breed absolutely fascinating. It's why we deliberately curate different colour lines, to celebrate the full glory of the Bengal.
Why This Breed
We honestly thought we didn't like cats. But our daughter begged, and begged, and we found ourselves researching breeds, looking for one cat that could hold its own in a busy, bouncy household. And then we found the Bengal: confident, almost dog-like, and dressed like the cheetahs we'd fallen for on our honeymoon. One kitten later, we were besotted. The Bengal gave us everything we hoped for and more, and these days we can't imagine home without several of them zooming through it, polishing off unattended dinners and gently reminding everyone who runs the house.
What We Wish More People Understood
How active and curious they are. Bengals need to play, run and climb, a Bengal home is a home with climbing spaces, tunnels and a family willing to join in. But active is not difficult, and chatty is not aggressive. Much has been made of the Bengal's temperament tracing back to the Asian Leopard Cat, but breeders have focused on temperament in this breed more than almost any other, and Bengals are fully domesticated cats with loving, curious personalities. They're chatty and active because they're energetic, not because of any temperament issue. Just like an active, energetic toddler, they need to be stimulated and entertained. If you don't have the time or desire for that, there's zero judgement, but a Bengal probably isn't for you.
Temperament, Day To Day
They want to be with you, doing whatever you're doing. Working from home? Expect a Bengal joining your video calls, sitting on your keyboard "helping", and sleeping on your head at night. Whatever the household is doing, they're in the middle of it, supervising, contributing and taking full credit. And they love water. Properly love it. Many Bengals are delighted by water fountains, and plenty learn to turn the taps on just for funsies. If you've never seen a cat happily play in the sink until the water is everywhere, a Bengal will happily educate you.
Constant Companion
Supervising video calls, helping on keyboards, and sleeping on your head at night.
Water Lovers
Delighted by water fountains, sinks, and taps — fascinated by water play.
Stimulation
There's very little to do for a Bengal's coat. Their minds and bodies are another matter. Bengals need to play, run and climb, so a Bengal home is a home with tunnels, climbing posts and a family willing to join in. Like an active, energetic toddler, they need to be stimulated and entertained. Ours have exercise wheels, tunnels and plenty of human playtime, and many are delighted by water, from fountains to taps they've learned to turn on themselves. If you don't have the time or desire for that, there's zero judgement, but a Bengal probably isn't for you.
Health Considerations
We DNA test for PRA-b (progressive retinal atrophy) and PK-def (pyruvate kinase deficiency), and kittens are clear for both through parentage. HCM isn't currently able to be genetically tested in Bengals, so we have a feline cardiologist run an HCM screening on our cats before breeding, and repeat every two years for studs.
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