- Bengals are athletic cats. They are not "couch potato" cats and will appreciate a cat tree or something else they can climb and pounce from.
- Bengals are highly intelligent. On the one hand, this means that they can figure out how to open doors and drawers, etc.; on the other hand, they are easy to train.
- Bengals are domestic cats, not "wild cats." They get along well with children and other pets. They like to be involved in the activities in their home and will want to "lend a paw" to whatever you are doing.
- Bengals have a short dense fur that does not shed much. They require no grooming (other than claw clipping), and you may never have to bathe your bengal during its whole life. Some people who are "allergic to cats" are not as allergic to bengals. However, bengals are not completely hypoallergenic.
- Bengals thrive on premium commercial brands of cat food. They do not need to be fed raw meat or a special diet.
- Some, but not all, bengals like to play in water.
- Some, but not all, enjoy being leash-trained and going for walks with people.
About Bengals
A Bengal is a domestic cat that is wild-looking but has a sweet housecat temperament. Bengals are descended from the Asian Leopard Cat, which is a small, tree-dwelling, nocturnal wild cat found throughout Asia. (Look at the
Asian Leopard Cats that our cats are descended from.)
But remember that the Asian Leopard Cat is the wild ancestor of the Bengal. It is NOT the same thing as a Bengal.
History of the Breed
The bengal cat was first developed by Jean Mill in the 1980s by crossing Asian Leopard Cats with domestic cats, and it is thanks to her vision and dedication that the bengal breed exists today. She wrote the first book about the breed.
Appearance
There are two "patterns" of markings in the bengal breed. A bengal can have either a spotted pattern (like Leopardy or Velvet) or a marble pattern (like Rennie or Zel).
Three basic colors of bengals are currently accepted by TICA. One is the "brown" color (also known as a "classic" or "traditional" color). The second is the "snow" color. There are several flavors of snow, including lynx point, sepia, and mink. The third is the "silver" color. At PrinceRoyal we specialize in the traditional brown bengal, although we do occasionally have a snow.
There are other colors of bengals...blue and black, to name a few. At PrinceRoyal we breed to the TICA Bengal Standard, which does not accept those colors, and we will not breed any cat that we discover to be carrying those color genes.
Bengal Traits
These are some of the more notable bengal purrsonality traits. However, remember that every cat is an individual, and that generalizations about a breed as a whole may or may not apply to a specific cat.
Additional Bengal Information
Please see our links of interest to bengal lovers and our recommended books about bengals and cats in general.