About
The Bengal cat breed is a fairly new registered breed with TICA, since the 1980s, and has evolved from breeding a domestic shorthair cat to an Asian Leopard Cat. Generations of breeding between the two cats have led to Bengal coats ranging in color from orange, tan, light brown, or silver, and coats are usually accented with bold glitter, spots, or rosettes.
Rosettes are markings that have two distinct colors or shades in them and are formed by a darker outline around a lighter center, and are usually shaped in the form of an arrowhead, donut, or half donut. Rosettes are a unique Bengal trait that is not seen in other breeds. Bengal kittens will also have a white underbelly that contains spots.
Bengal kittens are born with beautiful markings, which give an indication of what the kittens will look like as adults. As early as three weeks of age, Bengal kittens go through a stage known as the Ugly Fuzzies. Like their wild counterparts, Bengal kittens develop a coat that is meant to camouflage their markings with white-tipped guard hairs in order to help hide the kittens from danger. Between five and nine months, the beautiful adult coat begins to appear and highlights the beautiful markings unique to Bengal cats.
