Bengal cat breed portrait

The ancestors of Bengal cats are wild cats: the breed is based on the crossing of short-haired domestic cats and the Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), an endangered wild animal, by geneticist Jean Mill in 1963.

The cross resulted in a spotted cat, which was raised by a domestic cat and later mated to her own father. The descendants of this compound had spotted fur.

The aim of this breeding was not primarily to breed a new breed of cat, but to research feline leukosis (FeLV), a leukemia virus in cats. After an interruption, Mill resumed breeding in 1970 with some cats from these lines. She first introduced the breed in 1985 at a show hosted by The International Cat Association (TICA), which brought the breed to prominence.

The origin of the breed and its first four generations are now considered a questionable breeding process, as the mating of a domestic cat with a wild cat is considered torturous breeding. The domestic cat is physically significantly inferior to the wild cat and can suffer from stress and pain during this forced mating. With each generation, fewer genes of the wildcat are inherited, so that the Bengal cat is considered a domestic cat from the 5th generation onwards and has been listed as a separate breed by the breeder's umbrella organisation "Fédération Internationale Féline" (FIFe for short) since 1999. Bengal cats up to the 4th generation are still considered wild cats, which are subject to the Endangered Species Act and whose keeping therefore requires certain conditions. In reputable breeding, only homozygous matings are carried out today, i.e. with Bengal cats from the 5th generation onwards, which can be kept as pets.

Bengal cats are also known as leopardettes due to their appearance. In juveniles, the coat can often be a little longer, but in adult Bengals, the coat is short to medium length and dense with a silky texture and variable base color: brown, golden, silver, orange or blue.

The special coat stands out due to its typical markings:

• with spotted spotted,

• in marble look (marbled) or

• Rosetted.

The fur pattern is reminiscent of leopards with its polka dots and coloration, which is why the Bengal cat is attractive to many cat owners. In general, all Bengal cats have a dark tail tip.

The head shape of the Bengal is small and roundish. The ears are widely spaced and tilted forward. The eyes are large and oval and have a black "eyeliner" emanating from the corners of the eyes.

Keeping and training Bengal cats is demanding, as they require a lot of time and their size as well as temperament can cause problems. They have a strong, self-confident and dominant character, a great urge to move and enormous jumping power, which is why they need a lot of space. Small apartments are therefore less suitable for keeping Bengal cats indoors. Due to their high level of activity, something can break or damage to the furniture during wild romping and playing.

Contrary to the preferences of many conspecifics, Bengal cats love water. With a water bowl in the bathroom or in the garden in summer, you can give your cat great pleasure. In addition, these house cats are almost bursting with intelligence: Bengalis, for example, can learn to open doors or drawers and cupboards.

Since Bengal cats love you, they will follow you wherever you go. They have a playful and just as cuddly nature. They therefore don't like to be left alone, which is why you should give yourself plenty of time for your spotted darling every day.

Bengal cats are also very communicative: they often meow and sometimes even make a kind of "scream" to express their displeasure. If you want a calm velvet paw, the Bengal cat is therefore not the first choice.

A Bengal cat is not a typical domestic cat, but a demanding roommate. It demands a lot of attention from you and needs mental, physical and, above all, varied activities. Therefore, you should provide your Bengal cat with enough cat toys and climbing opportunities, e.g. Provide scratching posts.

You can keep a Bengal cat in a spacious apartment or house as an indoor cat. Ideally, you can allow her to go outside, such as through a secured garden. If you are an experienced owner and would like to offer a new home to a Bengal cat, you can ask at animal shelters where you will receive expert advice on the breed and how to buy it.

The food for your Bengal cat should contain as many nutrients and minerals as possible that match their high activity.

Like most cats, the Bengal cat is very clean, so you don't need to pay much attention to grooming. However, you can pamper your cat by brushing their coat regularly. You can remove knots and hairballs in your velvet paw's fur and detect ticks and other parasites.

Like most cats, the Bengal cat is very clean, so you don't need to pay much attention to grooming. However, you can pamper your cat by brushing their coat regularly. You can remove knots and hairballs in your velvet paw's fur and detect ticks and other parasites.

In general, the leopardettes are healthy. However, you can suffer from various hereditary diseases:

• Patellar luxation (PL): These are congenital deformities of the thigh and lower leg that cause the kneecap to "pop out". This restricts the cat's movement and provides a slightly bouncing gait. In most cases, the adjustment of the kneecap is sufficient for treatment, but in more severe cases, surgery may also be necessary.

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM): This heart muscle disease causes the heart muscle to thicken, which means that the heart is no longer supplied with sufficient blood. In the late stages, there may be fluid retention in the lungs or chest cavity, causing the animals to become short of breath. However, with the administration of medication, affected cats can live a near-normal life.

• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA): In this eye disease, the rods and cones of the retina of young animals slowly die. The first symptom is sudden night blindness. There is no cure for the disease and leads to complete blindness of cats.

• Polycystic kidney disease (PKD): Cysts form in the kidneys of sick cats, limiting their function. Due to the disease, cats drink a lot and have to urinate more. However, the symptoms do not appear until the late stages of the hereditary disease.

• Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PK): This disease is anemia caused by enzyme deficiency. Due to the small amount of the enzyme pyruvate kinase, the affected animals are lethargic, have hardly any appetite, pale mucous membranes and frequent diarrhea. As a result, they lose a lot of weight.

• Persistent pupillary membrane (PPM): The pupillary membrane, which supplies the lens in the embryonic stage, does not regress after birth in sick young animals as usual, before they open their eyes, at about two weeks. A cloudy spot appears on the cornea. Depending on the size and location, this can severely impair vision and even lead to blindness.

"I own a brown spotted Bengal cat and a Snow Bengal cat. Although they differ in gender, they are very similar. When Skadi moved in, I was flabbergasted when I first dropped her off in the living room. She immediately confidently went out and explored the living room (I always let her arrive in one room first and only gradually explore other rooms days later). I was fascinated by how natural it was for them to explore everything everywhere. Since she couldn't really assess herself at the time, she didn't come up everywhere, of course. But even that was not a problem for them. She tried until she had overcome the 'obstacle' or looked for another solution. The main thing is that she gets where she wants to. So far, she has always managed to do that. In the meantime, I can really say that she has already explored all the pieces of furniture from above. The bounce is just amazing.

It was similar with Floki when he moved in, except that he mainly focused on cuddling. That was his main occupation. He wasn't too interested in having to come up everywhere. For him, it was very important that people were always nearby. If you didn't take him with you, they meowed loudly and drew attention to yourself. Something like this: 'Here I am', 'don't forget me', 'take me with you'.

The highlight for both are, of course, the climbing opportunities that are used daily. Before the purchase, I had already dealt with the equipment and the needs of the two. That's how I came across stylecats®. Personally, I just don't like 'standard cat furniture'. And since a simple scratching post is not enough for Bengals, but as many climbing opportunities as possible must be provided, it was important to me that they are simple and modern and fit the apartment. Furthermore, the pieces of furniture are simply robust and strong – no matter what power the two romp with, I know the cat furniture will stay in place and won't fall over. Because with the force with which they sometimes jump onto the furniture, a 'standard piece of furniture' would have fallen over long ago."

Characters and behaviors of Floki and Skadi

Both are very affectionate. When I'm at home, people follow me every step of the way. Sometimes I try to 'sneak away' when they're both asleep, because I always feel guilty about it and think I'm disturbing their sleep. Nevertheless, they are super happy to do without it as soon as I go one floor down, for example.

Bengals love to chat. If they want something, they'll tell you or ask for certain things. Floki, for example, loves snacks that Skadi doesn't like so much. But as soon as Floki gets a snack, Skadi runs up and demands her freeze-dried chicken. She mimics and tries to touch my hand with her paw to make it clear, 'use your hand to give me the snack' or she sits down and waits patiently for her snack. I've already clicked with Skadi and now it works without it. She really knows how to 'sit'. She already knows how to behave in order to get something she wants.

What strikes me a lot is the urge to move. I would say, compared to other cat breeds, leopard cats have their '10 minutes' a day, which are repeated 3-4 times. The two of them run around the apartment like crazy and chase each other or various toys! I've gotten used to it now and I know how to get myself involved in this game. It's actually like we're playing 'catch' – it's really crazy and it's just so much fun!

Of course, if there is a visitor, the two of them greet them immediately at the door. Because they have to show who lives here! They are open-minded and not shy. Floki can be cuddled immediately, because she is a real cuddly cat. Skadi is rather skeptical at first and does not immediately allow himself to be touched by visitors. She only lets me stroke her in the morning and in the evening. She also shows this by expressing herself with an annoyed meow as soon as you want to stroke her directly.

The couple's love of water is incredible. As soon as the bathroom is open, they sit in the bath, shower or sink. Once, I left a bowl of water on the table. A few minutes later, I was reminded by loud splashing that I had left the bowl standing. I'll tell you: it never gets boring!

Short side info: Bengals are hypoallergenic and I, as a cat allergy sufferer, get along great with them!

I just think it's amazing how intelligent these animals are. If I don't want something and shout 'no', my Bengal cats understand it and look at me with wide eyes. Every day simply brings little highlights that don't let it get boring.

So far, Skadi has only had dog experience once in the forest with a husky. Then she had sat on my shoulder and made herself 'big'. With her tail fluffed up, she stood confidently on my shoulder and stared and hissed at the husky. The husky remained friendly on the ground and watched. However, I think if Skadi met dogs more often, they would quickly become friends!"

_In collaboration with Sabrina from @skadi.bengal