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| Companion Guide to Bengals: Your basic quickie guide to everything you need to know. |
- The bengal is the result of a breeding between an Asian Leopard Cat and a domestic cat. This cat was originally a siamese or absyddian, but now are bred with SBT (standard Breeding Tabby) bengals.
- Bengals are not wild cats, however much they may look like them. They are considered domestic and if properally socialized (see Companion Guide to living with and raising bengals) are very sweet and wonderful. They form strong bonds with people and are quite intelligent.
- As domestic cats they have no special dietary needs nor are they more likely to get sick than other breeds. They demand a decent amount of attention, but will give that attention back to you.
- Bengals are a recognized breed by TICA (The international Cat Association) and TIBCA (The international Bengal Cat Association) and can be shown and are elligible for champion status. (For more on this see Companion Guide to breeding bengals and companion guide to showing bengals.)
- The intent of bengal breeders is to get a cat that looks like a mini leopard with the temprement of a housecat, while still having the charm of a wild cat's attitude. This is why they are such popular cats, as with everything being tamed around us, we still want a small bit of that wild cat.
- Bengals are divided mainly by generation and coat color. The offspring of an Asian Leopard Cat and a domestic is called an F1 (1st level foundation cat.) An F2 is the mix between an F1 and a domestic and so on until F3 when it becomes an SBT (Standard Breeding Tabby.)
- Bengals divided by coat color are a little more complicated. There are the official show divisions (TICA Standards,) the common names for the cats and the variations-colors that are not quite accepted by TICA but add texture and variety to the breed.
- There are 8 show divisions of bengals. They are Brown Spotted Tabby, Seal Sepia Spotted Tabby, Seal Mink Spotted Tabby, Seal Spotted Lynx Point, Brown Marbled Tabby, Seal Sepia Marbled Tabby, Seal Mink Marbled Tabby, and Seal Marbled Lynx Point.
- These are more commonly called the "marble," the "snow" and the "spotted."
- In addition to this, there are color like silver, black, red, and blue that are not considered official colors by TICA but are still considered quite beautiful cats, and add something more to the breed.
- Bengals are not for someone who wants a couch pillow cat, or just a decorative cat. Expect them to play, and play hard. Bengals also tend to play a lot. And many love water (I have to turn the faucet on for Thea and Alex every morning while I get ready for school, so they can take a quick bath.) We have a few who will even play fetch.
- Bengals are increbibly intelligent, and can learn many tricks. Most of our cats come when i call them, a few fetch, several fish, and black even jumps into my arms when i signal him too.
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