History of the Domestic Bengal Cat
Leopard-like in appearance and domestic in character, Bengals are one of the newest breeds to be developed. Bengals are stunning to look at, “living art”, as many Bengal owners can attest. They are affectionate, intelligent and athletic family pets.
The Bengal’s name is derived from the species name of its wild ancestor, Felis bengalensis, an Asian Leopard Cat, not from the more popular Bengal Tiger. Its appearance and many of its habits are similar to the Asian Leopard Cat, but its temperament is fully domestic. The Bengal is a hybrid which originated from a cross between a domestic cat and the wild Asian leopard cat in the 1960’s by Jean Mill, but it wasn’t until the mid 1980’s that Mill began aggressively breeding Bengals. Some of the earlier felines used to breed the Bengal were Egyptian and Indian Maus, Burmese and Abyssinian.
Today, Bengal breeders focus on producing Bengals that have dependable, sociable personalities with all of the wild, majestic beauty of the leopard cat.
The Asian Leopard Cat
Asian Leopard Cats are wild animals with many of the traits associated with other wild felines. They are similar in size to domestic house cats with proportionately longer legs and a longer back, though some sub-species are a bit larger. They have a relatively smaller head, with a short and narrow muzzle, small, rounded ears, large nocturnal eyes, thick tail and heavy musculature in their hindquarters.
The intensity of their coat color relates to their geographic location, with darker coat colors in warmer regions and lighter colors in cooler climates. Background coat colors vary from light, blue-gray or tan to dark brown or dark gray with horizontally aligned or random contrasting spots, which are characteristic to the species. Some have spots that resemble rosettes, others have solid colored spots. Other prevalent markings include ocelli, (noticeable white spot on the back of their dark colored ears), black tail tip, spotted, light-colored bellies, black and white stripes on their faces and stripes running down the back of the head.
The leopard cat has one of the widest spread ranges of the Asian wild cats. Their habitat stretches throughout Asia, parts of Russia, Japan and Indonesia. Because of their widespread nature, some of the leopard cat varieties have their own descriptive names that are related to the particular region in which they occur, such as the "Javan cat", “the fishing cat,” and the “Chinese or money cat” so named because of their spots resembling Chinese coins.
Because of its wide range, the species is found in a variety of habitats such as: forests, jungles, brush country and plains, and are often found near water. Their excellent swimming abilities have allowed them to populate a number of small, off-shore islands, which other wild cat species have failed to colonize. Interestingly, the very first Leopard Cat caught was found swimming in the Bay of Bengal - which explains why the Leopard Cat's specific name is bengalensis. Asian Leopard Cats are also agile climbers and as such, they are known to also hunt some of their prey in trees. Among their natural prey are rodents, bats, birds, fish and occasionally small mammals such as young deer.
Some leopard cats have been known to thrive in agricultural areas such as coffee plantations. They are believed to be nocturnal, though diurnal activity has been observed. They are solitary and prefer to sleep in small caves or hollow trees.
Two of the eleven known subspecies of leopard cat are listed as endangered: The Iriomote cat, found only on the Japanese island of Iriomote, and the Indian leopard cat, found in India, Bangladesh, and throughout the southeastern Asian mainland. The main cause of decline is hunting for its fur.
