bengal breedprofile

Personality

At the simplest level, most Bengals, have a lot of personality! In a manner similar to the oriental cat breeds, they are intelligent, lively, interactive cats, with whom you have a very genuine two-way relationship. They are typically neither an ‘aloof’ cat who ignores you haughtily, nor a dull quiet cat. They are very much a dynamic and active part of the family group. Bengals however are not the same as Orientals, nor any other breed, but have various key characteristics which make very special and different.

For 40% of the time at least, Bengals are astounding athletes. They can rush around with great glee, climb doors and cupboards, and leap to huge heights. My Bengal will land on my shoulder in a single leap from a couple of metres away, in order to assist me in any interesting activity such as answering the door, or looking in a cupboard. They will bounce about, roll around, switch lights on and off (!) and even do full somersaults whilst in high spirits. Kittens in particular can be all over the place, in a veritable stampede of spotty fluff

When excited, they often tremble and twitch their tails, or fluff them up into a massive ‘racoon-tail’. The character displayed during these antics is often rather similar to that of ‘Tigger’ in the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ books - inquisitive, hyper-active, over-the-top, but very loveable with a heart of gold.

But fear not - there is some peace to be had! Perhaps fortunately, the flip side of Bengal behaviour is that for much of the time, Bengals go to the other extreme, and become total softies. They flop over and roll on their backs in ecstasy, come up to you and nuzzle your face, purring wildly, then finally curl up into happy little balls and fall fast asleep. They genuinely crave affection and will spend many happy hours resting piled up on top of you purring. They will wake you in the night, rubbing their head against you and paddling happily on the covers with their paws, then sleep silently with you till morning. They have ridiculous stretchy moods when they roll and writhe around on their backs in a most uninhibited manner. This makes a lovely complement to the Bengal’s energetic moments.

One of the most popular pieces of Bengal ‘folklore’ involves their liking for water. Bengals have sometimes been reported to play happily in quite deep water and, even to like swimming! Well some Bengals may well do this, but if you’re after a swimming cat, you’d be better off with a Turkish Van. Though they aren’t all swimmers, most Bengals are definitely fond of water. When I bought my Bengal, the breeders commented on how he had a ‘swishing’ action he used across his drinking water with his paw before drinking, which appeared to be a development of the action used by the Asian Leopard Cats in nature to clear the surface of ponds before drinking.

So what does a Bengal sound like? Well in truth, they can sound like all sorts of thinks. Perhaps the most obvious noise they make is a melodic but very insistent "YOWWWLLL!!!!" when they want to draw your attention to something. Shades of YOWWWLLL will mean "open that door!", "Hello again", "FOOOD!", "turn the tap on please", and particularly loudly "LET ME OUT OF THIS SHOW CAGE!!!!".

This noise varies in volume from loud to unbelievable, but is easily stopped by either giving them what they want, or making them realise it won’t do them any good.

At the other end of the spectrum, Bengal purrs are laced with all manner of trills and chirrups. And they have much wider vocabulary including "I’ve just seen something to chase" chatters, and even a lovely frustrated short "nya!" grumble when they can’t reach something they are jumping for. I don’t know how widespread this is, but my Bengal always makes a very peculiar "yoolalooolaloooowahhh" call whenever he is going to be sick, which is phenomenally useful, since it allows me to carry him to somewhere easy to clean, and to be there to soothe him if he is distressed! We call this the sofa saving call. Bengals aren’t especially noisy cats. They don’t constantly commentate on your life like some Siamese, but they do have a varied range of outspoken calls which they use when they feel the need.

By Henry Ritson

[ bengalcat.co.uk ]

Welcome to the Bengal Cat breed profile

Bengal Preliminary Standard of Points

General Type Standard
The Bengal should be alert, friendly and affectionate and in excellent physical condition with a dependable temperament. The Bengal’s wild appearance is enhanced by its distinctive spotted or marbled tabby coat which should be thick and luxurious. The Bengal is a large to medium cat, sleek and muscular with a thick tail which is carried low. The female may be smaller than the males.
Head and neck
Broad medium wedge with round contours, slightly longer than it is wide with high cheek bones. The head should be rather small in proportion to the body but not taken to extremes. The profile has a gentle curve from the forehead to the bridge of the nose. The nose is large and broad with a slightly puffed nose leather. The muzzle should be full and broad with a slightly rounded, firm chin and pronounced whisker pads created by the widely set canine teeth. The neck should be thick, muscular and in proportion to the body. Allowance should be made for jowls in adult males.
Ears
Medium to small, rather short with a wide base and rounded tips. Set as much on the side as on the top of the head, following the contour of the face in the front view and pointing forward in profile. Light horizontal furnishings are acceptable, but ear tufts are undesirable.
Eyes
Oval, may be slightly almond shaped, large but not bold. Set on a slight slant towards the base of the ear.
Body
Long, sleek and muscular. Large to medium and robust with the hindquarters slightly higher than the shoulders, showing depth of flank.
Legs and Paws
Legs of medium length, strong and muscular. The hind legs should be a little longer than the front and be more robust. The paws should be large and rounded.
Tail
Medium length, thick and even, with a rounded tip; may be tapered towards the end.
Coat
Short to medium in length, very dense, luxurious and unusually soft to the touch. Allowance should be made for a slightly longer coat in kittens.
Bengal Tabby Descriptions
Spotted Pattern
The spectacles which encircle the eyes should preferably extend into vertical streaks which may be outlined by an "M" marking on the forehead. Broken streaks or spots run over the head on either side of a complex scarab marking, down the neck and onto the shoulders where they may break up into rosettes. Rosettes are formed by a part circle of spots around a distinctly lighter centre. Strong, bold chin strap, mascara markings, distinct broken or unbroken necklet(s) and blotchy horizontal shoulder streaks or spots are desirable. Spots may vary in size or shape but should be generally large, well formed and distributed at random, or in horizontal alignment. Contrast with the ground colour must be extreme, giving a distinct pattern and a sharp outline to the spots. Arrowhead-shaped spots are desirable. Larger spots may be rosetted. This is preferable to single spotting but is not essential. The stomach must be spotted (except in Blue-Eyed Snow kittens). The legs may show broken horizontal lines and/or spots. The tail should have rings, streaks and/or spots along its length, with a solid dark coloured tip. Spots should not run together vertically forming a mackerel tabby pattern.
Marbled Pattern
The spectacles which encircle the eyes should preferably extend into vertical streaks which may be outlined by an "M" marking on the forehead. Broken streaks run over the head on either side of a complex scarab marking, down the neck and onto the shoulders. Strong, bold chin straps, mascara markings, distinct broken or unbroken necklet(s) and blotchy horizontal shoulder streaks or spots are desirable. There should be a distinct pattern with large swirled patches or streaks, clearly defined but not symmetrical, giving the impression of marbled, preferably with a horizontal flow. Contrast must be extreme with distinct shapes and sharp outlines. The stomach must be spotted (except in Blue-Eyed Snow kittens). The legs may show broken horizontal lines and/or spots. The tail may be ringed, marbled and/or spotted along its length, with a solid dark coloured tip. The marbled markings should have as little similarity to the classic tabby as possible. A vertical striped mackerel tabby tendency is also undesirable.

The above is the General Type Standard for all British Bengals,

as defined by the GCCF.

For the individual Standards for each Bengal Type, click on the following links.

Breed Numbering

Breed Number 76

Brown (Black) Spotted	76 30
Brown (Black) Marbled	76 20
Blue-Eyed Snow Spotted	76b 30
Blue-Eyed Snow Marbled	76b 20
AOC-Eyed Snow Spotted	76a 30
AOC-Eyed Snow Marbled	76a 20