The breed

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With the Bengal cat you have the best of both worlds: the majestic appearance of the leopard and the gentle, loving character of the domestic cat. The Bengal cat is very affectionate and does not hold back any aggressiveness from its ancestors. Active and playful, he needs human company and lots of distractions.

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Origins of the Bengal cat

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The Bengal cat was born from a cross between the Felis bengalensis , a small Asian feline also called the Bengal leopard cat, and a domestic cat. This cross was made by geneticist Jean S. Mills, who mated her black American Shorthair cat with a female Felis bengalensis. She wanted to create the first hybrid cat, which would have both the appearance of a leopard and the gentle, loving character of a domestic cat.

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A few years later, Jean was contacted by the University of Davis who offered him eight females born from crosses between Felis bengalensis and domestic cats, such as Maus Egyptians, Burmeses and Siamese. From there began the breeding of the Bengal cat in California. In 1983, the TICA ( The International Cat Association ) accepted the breed in the “New Breeds and Colors” section under the Bengal name, in honor of its ancestors.

In 1985, the Bengal cat participated for the first time in a cat show. From the cross between a domestic cat and a wild cat, hybrids of different generations are born.

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If we go back to the very first mating between a leopard cat and a domestic cat, we get the “F1” hybrids, ie the first generation. The second generation, the “F2” hybrids, are considered half-wild cats. This goes on until the fifth generation “F5”. Bengal cats considered "domestic" belong at least to the fourth generation. These can then be sold to individuals.

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