The Asian Leopard Cat

The Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) is from the Latin name Felis Bengalensis.

They are a small exotic feline that reside in many parts of the world. Other than South Asia they are known to habit in Sumatra, Borneo, Bali and the Phillipines to name just a few.

The ALC is a nocturnal feline which explains their large marble like eyes. Their pelt is soft to touch, with a striking pattern. They are similar to the domestic cat and are not much bigger, the have muscular bodies and the male ALC is generally bigger than the female (although not always). They are reclusive not aggressive, (as commonly perceived) and would shy away from human contact.

They are also very agile; they make excellent fishers which show itself in the domestic Bengal in their playful approach to water!!

From ALC to Bengal

The Bengal breed was originally established by Jean Mill in the U.S. There are several stages you need to go through before getting the domestic Bengal, this is explained below:

F1, is the breeding of an ALC with a domestic feline (usually a Bengal)
F2, is the breeding of a second generation ALC.
F3, is the breeding of a third generation ALC
F4, is the fourth and final stage before reaching the Bengal.

The F stands for Foundation Generation.

In basic terms there must be four generation between for it to be a recognised Bengal, anything before this would not be able to be shown.

The Bengal Cat

There are many variations of Bengal’s which are seen by the pattern and colouring of their coat.

Brown   - This is the most commonly seen Bengal
Seal Lynx   - Snow Bengal’s that have beautiful blue eyes
Seal Sepia   - Snow Bengal’s with eyes any other colour (AOC)
Seal Mink   - Like the Sepia but with a light brown coat.
Silver   - Silver background with dark spots.

There are also two different forms of patterning:

Spotted
Spots can vary in size or shape; they are distributed at random, or in horizontal alignment. The base coat colour should be distinctive from the spots, giving a clear pattern and a sharp outline to the spots. Spots can be arrow head and dark or two toned arrow head. Spots can also be rosetted like donuts (my personal favourite) with a distinct contrast in colour. There should be little or no rib bars.

Marble
The pattern on the marble should be equally as distinctive as spotted with large swirled patches or streaks, clearly defined but not symmetrical, giving the impression of marbled. Contrast must be extreme with distinct shapes and sharp outlines; marble is usually tri-coloured. 

Temperament

The Bengal is an incredibly loyal and loving cat. They just love to play so much. They love to play with water, so be careful not to leave the toilet seat up!!! They will happily join you in the bath or play with the running tap (or drink from it!)

Because the Bengal is very agile they like to run around and be kept occupied with toys and scratch post etc. It is very easy for hours to pass whilst you laugh at the way the play with a string toy.