Bengals are one of the fastest growing breeds in popularity and is it any wonder? Their unique wild appearance and rosetted spotting that mimics the Asian Leopard Cat is not seen in any other domestic breed. The breed has grown in demand and awareness and it is now one of the most sought after breeds in the world. It is incredible to watch the changes each kitten makes on it's journey into adulthood.

PERSONALITY
Bengals are very intelligent active cats. They have a love of water and quite frequently you will see them play in your bathtub, water bowls, sinks. Sassy gets in the sink, I think everyday, when I'm doing dishes. They are simply the easiest cat to bathe! They are not aggressive and get along well with other pets and children quite well. They often like to talk to their owners. Breeders and owners have referred to their dog like personality because they are highly trainable smart cats and always like to know what your doing. Bengals also love to be up high, so if your looking for a floor cat, this is probably not the breed for you. I'm still trying to explain that one to my husband because my little loves certainly like to sit on the counter tops and watch me cook. They are also a very athletic breed and have a lot of energy to play, jump, and climb. Kitten and older Bengals alike can demand a lot of attention from their owners.

FOUNDATION BENGALS
Foundation Bengals are the first 4 generations breed from the initial mating of the Asian Leopard Cat. Nowadays that mating usually occurs with another standard domestic Bengal. If you look back into Bella's pedigree you would see an Egyptian Mau used with an ALC for the first pairing. This does still happen sometimes in developing a line.For a pet, you generally want 4-5 generations removed from the ALC for the domestic cat temperament. Foundation cats are a little more wild. However, raising early gens can be very rewarding. If you put in the work, you get the reward. Foundation breeding is not to be taken lightly. Males and females alike can kill their young so breeders will typically bottle feed high generation breedings. In some states owning foundation Bengals is illegal or requires a special license and there are import/export restrictions. Bengals, even lower generations, are considered a Hybrid breed of cat. Check your local and state laws to ensure you can own a Bengal where you live!

HEALTH
Bengals are a pretty healthy hardy breed. However, with every breed, each has it's own set of issues. A growing concern is over HCM or Hypertropic Cardiomyopathy. HCM is a genetic heart issue with causes thickening or thinning of the heart muscles. There is currently no genetic test for HCM. Don't be scared though, it is a very small percentage of Bengals who actually contract HCM and it is monitored as closely as possible by the community. Tips for staying away from this recessive trait are to not buy into inbred lines (mother, brother, sister, father) or too heavily line bred (Grandfather to granddaughter).Bengals also can carry or can have PK Deficiency which is an inherited anemia. However, there is a genetic test for this. Cats can be N/N (No copies of the gene, cat is normal), N/K (1 copy of the gene, cat is normal) or K/K (2 copies of the gene, cat may or will be affected). Ask your breeder if they are a N/N cattery, and if they can provide you genetic test information to show your cat will not carry both copies of the gene. Note that the parents of your kitten are the ones that are tested and not each kitten. Pyrometra is a condition that can occur in unspayed females. If your purchasing a girl to breed, ensure that you have a stud lined up or a stud you are purchasing. It will occur after intense heat cycles in which the cat was not bred. It is caused by the cat's cervix being open while in heat thus allowing bacteria to enter. If your queen in constantly in heat for months on end while your don't have a stud to mate her too, this will dramatically increase the chances of your queen contracting Pyro. Pyro can result in infertility, immediate spay of your queen to control the infection, heavy medications, and in some cases death. Bengals life expectancy ranges from 12-16 years. We encourage that all Bengals be kept inside. There is nothing like letting your cat roam that will shorten it's lifespan greatly. We recommend feeding your cat a high quality food, it's more expensive but not filled with corn and other fillers. Pet companies trick consumers by having chicken or meat listed as the highest quantity ingredient in food when really they are simply using fillers combined to make each a lower percentage. It isn't good for your cat, have you ever seen a tiger eat corn? No. Royal Canin Kitten, Holistic Select, and Orijen are 3 examples of good quality food. Boiled chicken is a wonderful treat and a whole lot cheaper than little baggies of cat treats. Never feed your cat cooked chicken bones.

BREED STANDARD
Bengals have a long muscular body with slightly shorter front legs and longer hind legs and a medium length thick tail. Their coat is a velvety smooth mink like feel with very little shedding. However, the most amazing part about a Bengals pelt is their Glitter! A luminous sheen that comes from clear to gold tipping at the end of each hair is not known to any other breed. Contributing to a Bengals wild look is large nocturnal eyes, puffy whisker pads, and small rounded ear set along with light color and mascara lining around the eye. A show quality kitten should be free of lockets, which are white patches interrupting the color of the cat, have good type, and have extreme contrast.. I would not recommended buying a show/breeder cat from someone who has never shown before.

PATTERNS/COLORS
The recognized color groups of Bengals include Brown, Snow (Lynx Point, Sepia, Mink), and Silver. Brown Bengals, we all know and love, can have either gold or green eyes, can be light brown or rufus or a dark cooler brown. Snow Bengals, we also all know and love, but there are many more variations because there are two genes involved. These genes came from the introduction of the Burmese and Siamese in early breeding programs. What a wonderful thing to have happen though!! I Love, Love, Love Snows. Snow is a recessive gene and thus requires 2 snow genes combined from each parent in order to produce a Snow. Brown Bengals can Crry for Snow without any outward appearance of doing so. Same thing goes for Charcoal and Melanistics or any other recessive gene.Seal Lynx Snows - Cs/Cs Gene Combination (From the Siamese). There is typically almost no pattern visible at birth. Lynx darken up as they age into adulthood. Seal Lynx's have beautiful Blue eyes that will photograph red at certain angles. See Photos Below.Seal Sepia Snows- Cb/Cb Gene Combination (From the Burmese) Darkest of the snows, can be a really creamy light brown. Sepia snows are rare in breeding programs but I plan on producing some! Kittens will have a darker visible pattern at birth. Eye color is independent of coat color except in Lynx Points but eyes should be gold or gold/green. The more richness and depth the better. See Photos Below.Seal Mink- Cs/Cb Gene Combination. They are lighter than Sepias and darker than the Lynx and carry both the Siamese and Burmese Genes. Eye color is independent of coat color except in Lynx Points but should be an aqua blue green. See Photos Below.There are also Melanistic, Smoke, Charcoal, Blue, and Cinnamon Bengals, however these are not eligible for competition at this time but can be entered into new traits section of shows. There are many breeders working on obtaining show status for these colors/genes. Working on getting some photos of these more rarer colors.Marble Bengals are every little bit as impressive as their spotted counterparts. If you thought your little spotted girl/guy changed as they grew, then wait to see how incredible the marble coat pattern changes into adulthood. Marbles can be sheeted or open which just means how much of the background color shows through and comes in every color a spotted does. Often rosetting forms within the swirls of a marble. Open Marbles Bengals in a breeding program will produce small spots with little or no rosetting whereas Sheeted Marbles will produce larger more pancake like rosettes. Note that in an open marble breeding program a Bullseye pattern is not desired. Each has it's own place in a breeding program.