The provenance of Bengal cats began in the USA in 1961. The creator of the Bengal breed was the biologist Jean Mill. While still a student, she addressed the issue of breeding cats. One day she went to Southeast Asia. The Nature of this region was a natural habitat for wild «Felis Bengalensis» or Asian Leopard Cat (ALC), similar in size to domestic cats. Then seeing little unfortunate kitten in a basket from a dealer, Jean could not remain indifferent. She bought a kitten, called it Malaysia and brought it to the US. Malaysia was raised at home, but still had the essence of a wild animal (it was distrustful and cautious, tried affection, did not go to persons, preferred solitude , but it did not show any aggression) . It slept somewhere higher to be out of reach. And during the oestrous cycle Malaysia was tied with a black domestic cat. The result was a healthy hybrid cat with spotted coat color, which she inherited from her mother. She was named Kin Kin, however, eventually she died. Gene temporarily had to interrupt her work to create a special cat and thus, Malaysia was given to the zoo. 15 years have passed. Jean heard about a study conducted at the University of California and she turned to the group leader Willard Centerwall to transmit her a few female first-generation hybrids (F1) to create a cat of her dreams. Since that time, Jean has resumed her work. In operation, the F1 females mated with domestic cats of different breeds. In 1982, Jean bought a small wild cat at the zoo in India with spotty, golden- orange color, which was not seen at domestic cats ever before. The first three hybrid generations were not a success in 70-80% of the cases. Nowadays, breeding Bengal breeds is only allowed with animals SBT, meaning no crossbreeds in 4-5 generations from the wild ancestors and not having ALC crossbreeds in three generations. The first three generations following the wild ALC is F1, F2, F3 are not allowed on the show. A generation F4 can freely participate in exhibition. Today the breed " Bengal " is recognized almost in all feline organizations. And the breed has already won many hearts of its fans!
The admiration towards Bengals is understandable. They attract with their wild color, saturated patches of black or brown on a golden orange background. The coat of Bengal cat feels like expensive fur - thick, short and incredibly soft. A strong and muscular body, stretched long and strong bones, small eyes on a large head, powerful legs (the hind legs are longer than at the front) and no long thick tail. Those cats are very elegant, slender and graceful , and weigh from 3 to 5 kg. The males of the breed " Bengal " are stronger and more muscular - they weigh up to 7 kg. The whole appearance they resemble reminds us of wild leopards. Nevertheless, they are affectionate purr pets. They love kindness, but do not always allow yourself to keep a hand on them. They are also very intelligent, curious and playful. Love to play with water and some even love taking baths.
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