Bengal cat breed – Facts and traits

Bengal cats are athletes! Lively, agile and graceful with a strong, muscular body. A cat who looks like she belongs in the jungle. Their heads are a modified wedge shape, longer than it is wide, with rounded contours. They have medium to small sized ears that are relatively short.They have a long, muscular neck and the front legs are slightly shorter than the back legs, which gives an arch to the back when standing in a certain position. A thick, medium length tail tapers at the end and is tipped in black. When a Bengal rolls over, you see another characteristic – a spotted belly.

The first thing most people notice about the Bengal cat is the wonderful coat! Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it feels luxuriously soft and silky. Some Bengals have a coat that is described as ‘glittered’. The fur shimmers in the light; iridescent as if it were dipped with gold dust.

Brown, snow, silver and blue are the most common colours. With this distinctive spotted coat and being large in size, the Bengal looks like a wild cat. Although their ancestors are a small wild Asian Leopard cat, the Bengal is domestic through and through.

Bengal cats are very popular, which is no surprise with that exquisite beauty. Bengal cats have become so sought after that a British woman once paid over $50,000 (R750,000) for her cat in 1990 – dubbing them the ‘Rolls Royce’ of feline companions.

The Bengal is highly active and highly intelligent, making them fun to live with, but at times rather challenging as well. The Bengal is a very alert, confident and friendly cat and loves to talk! They like to play games like fetching and they learn tricks very easily. Their paws – with their quick, light movements – are almost as good as hands, and it’s a good thing they don’t have thumbs or they would probably rule the world.

Bengals also love to climb. Never scared of a new adventure, they can sometimes be found perching at the highest point they can reach in the home. Bored Bengal cats can also develop some slightly destructive habits because they need active stimulation to keep their clever minds occupied.

The active and social Bengal is a perfect choice for families with children and cat-friendly dogs. She can play fetch as well as any retriever and loves the attention from children who treat her politely and with respect. She’s smart enough to get out of the way of toddlers, but loves school-age children as they are a match for her energy level and curiosity. Their intelligence means they are easy to train and many react well to training. It’s not uncommon for Bengal owners to train their cats to go for a walk on a harness and leash.