Bengal Cats Bengal, Bengali

Family: Felidae

Common Name(s)

    Bengal, Bengali

Background

     The creation of the Bengal breed began in 1963, when Jean Sugden, an American geneticist of Yuma, Arizona, crossed her female Asian Leopard Cat with a black short-haired domestic male in hopes of combining the wild physical characteristics of the Leopard Cat with the friendly disposition of the domestic cat. Though matings between domestic and wild cats usually produce only infertile offspring, the females from this cross were fertile. A female of this litter, named Kinkin, was bred with her father, and produced a litter of both plain and spotted kittens. This breeding project could have been the beginning of the Bengal breed, but it was abandoned after the second mating, when Mrs. Sugden was widowed. However, later in1973, another geneticist, Dr. Willard Centerwall of California, began a new breeding project with Leopard Cats and short-haired domestic cats in order to determine the Leapord Cat's resistance to feline leukemia. He gave eight females to Jean Sugden, now Jean Mill, after her remarriage, and she used them to start a new breeding program. 

    In 1983 the International Cat Association (TICA) accepted the first Bengal for registry. His name was "Millwood Finally Found". The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) currently does not recognize the Bengal. 

This breed's name was derived from the Asian Leopard Cat's scientific name, Felis bengalensis. It has no affiliation with the commonly known Bengal Tiger. Many different domestic breeds have been used in breeding programs for the Bengal, including the Siamese, Burmese, Egyptian Mau, Ocicat, Abyssinian, Bombay, and British Shorthair.

Care and Feeding

    The Bengal requires no special diet.