Thor: The Bengal Cat With Beautiful Fur

Bengal cats have "wild-looking" markings, such as large spots, rosettes, and a light/white belly, and a body structure reminiscent of the leopard cat. A Bengal's rosette spots occur only on the back and sides, with stripes elsewhere.

The breed typically also features "mascara" (horizontal striping alongside the eyes), and foreleg striping. The eyes of a Bengal cat are relatively large and are usually bright blue or green.

The International Cat Association recognizes several Bengal colors (brown, seal lynx point, mink, sepia, silver) and patterns (spotted and marbled) for competition and shows. In the New Traits class, other colors may be shown, as well as longhairs.

Alongside other hybrid cat breeds such as the Savannah, Bengal cats are typically larger than the average house cat. Males on average weigh between 10-15 lbs (4.5 – 6.8 kg) and females 8–12 lbs (3.6 – 5.4 kg)

After three generations from the original crossing, the breed usually acquires a gentle domestic cat temperament; however, for the typical pet owner, a Bengal cat kept as a pet should be at least four generations (F4) removed from the leopard cat.

The so-called foundation cats from the first three filial generations of breeding (F1–F3) are usually reserved for breeding purposes or the specialty pet home environment.

Bengals are known for liking water and require a large amount of attention to keep them happy. Bengals also enjoy playing and have been recorded jumping over 4 feet from the ground.

A novel autosomal recessive disorder was described in Bengals in 2011, decades after the breed's development. This disease appears to be an early-onset primary photoreceptor disorder, leading to blindness within the first year of age, in cats that possess the anomaly.

As well as being desired for their appearance, they are also known for being a breed that sheds very little. Many claim that the Bengal is a hypoallergenic breed, but this is purely anecdotal evidence, and while some people may not react, others will still have an allergic reaction to them.

Bengals are extremely efficient self-groomers, therefore they require little grooming. However, vets do recommend grooming once a week to limit shedding and keep their coat healthy.

Some long-haired Bengals have occurred since the beginning of the Bengal breeding program, as longer-haired domestic cats were among those used in crosses with the wild Asian leopard cat to produce the breed.

Some current F4 and later purebred Bengals carry the recessive long-haired genes and when they are mated with each other, they can produce long-haired Bengals. Such offspring were usually spayed or neutered until ongoing intentional development of the long-hair variety, as they did not then qualify as Bengal breeding stock due to their non-conforming long or semi-long coats.

On August 21, 2013, long-haired Bengals were granted "preliminary" breed status in the New Zealand Cat Fancy registry under the breed name Cashmere, at the behest of a breeder named Damian Vaughan. They are currently not recognized by any other cat registries.

The Cheetoh cat is an ongoing program to crossbreed two existing breeds of spotted domestic cats with defined characteristics (the Bengal and the Ocicat) and develop the result into a third standardized breed that is distinct from both of the foundation breeds.

They were initially recognized by only a single minor and permissive breed registry, the United Feline Organization (UFO), starting in November 2004, but have been granted "experimental breed" status.

According to bengalcatworld.com, “A great place to meet Bengal cats and their breeders is at a cat show. You can find out when and where they’re being held by looking at the GCCF (UK) or TICA (International) websites.”

“If you’ll be leaving your Bengal cat alone for long periods each day, you need to decide quite early on whether you should buy two kittens so they can keep each other company.”

“Once you know how many kittens you’d like, telephone a few breeders and get an idea of prices.  Then, arrange some appointments to go and see different breeders and litters.”