If you are new to the Bengal, you may have heard stories about their nature and what they may or may not do. Let us reassure you that the Bengal, raised properly, is one of the most interactive cats that love to be with you. But let’s start at the beginning.

In the 1960s, some people thought it would be nice to have a domestic cat that looked like a small jungle cat. This was done in a time people could import wild cats without restrictions. The wild cat chosen was the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) and the plan was to breed the ALC to various domestic cats to develop a domestic cross. Competent people got involved and planned a private breeding program to develop this domestic wild cat. It did not happen overnight. Many years were spent in this development. Separately, working with The International Cat Association, a registration program was developed.

An ALC Cat

All Bengal Cats originate from an ALC. Now, be careful, I did not say all Bengal Cats are sired by an ALC, because they are not necessarily. This is one area of misunderstanding. So, let’s look at how a Bengal Cat is created. The first mating of an ALC to a domestic cat is termed an F1 litter. All individuals from a litter with either the sire or dam is an ALC and the other mate a domestic cat are each identified as F1s. Mating an F1 to a domestic cat creates an F2; mating an F2 to a domestic cat creates an F3; mating an F3 to a domestic cat creates an F4 which is the first generation that can be registered by TICA as a Stud Book Traditional (SBT) registration. The SBT label is how TICA identifies domestic cat registrations.

Now, let me introduce some complications. That first mating to an ALC, the domestic cat could be an SBT Bengal Cat. In fact, Bengal Cats many times removed from the ALC are bred to ALCs, but the litter is still termed an F1, F2, F3, etc. And by SBT Bengal Cat, I mean F4 and beyond. It could be an F15 or further away from the ALC! And with many people breeding Bengal Cat to Bengal Cat, the domestication becomes stronger.

Now, back in the 1960’s there were no Bengal Cats, so various domestic breeds were used. They crossed Abyssinians, Ocicats, Egyptian Mau, to name a few, with various ALCs to develop the Bengal Cat. As they crossed F4s with other F4s and F5’s, etc. they found the cross was stable breeding Bengal to Bengal.

Fast forward to today we have over 50 years of breeding all combinations and permutations of Bengal to Bengal with the ALC far, far removed, but an ALC did originate each and every Bengal Cat as each pedigree, if taken far enough will start with an ALC at some point. The problem is people think we create Bengals by breeding directly to an ALC, which is a very big mistake. Most Bengal Cats today are many, many generations away from the ALC that initiated that particular Bengal. Additionally, realizing how the Bengal originated, there are other domestic breeds at some point in pedigrees that can be traced back to the 1960s making the wild cat genes even more dilute.

Along about the mid-2000’s, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) began to confiscate some Bengal Cats being exported out of the United States. This caused a state of panic among Bengal Breeders as not much was known as to why such action was being taken. It was learned that breeders were shipping Bengals as DSH (Domestic Shorthairs) and this was viewed by USFWS as attempting to avoid the inspection. To attempt to mitigate this action, The International Bengal Cat Society (TIBCS) worked closely with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to solidify a policy that Bengal breeders can depend on when importing or exporting Bengal Cats.

A Summermist^TM Bengal Cat

The USFWS considers the Bengal Cat to be a hybrid. Hybrids are regulated by CITES and, thus, the USFWS will continue to require CITES for our domestic Bengal cats requiring Declarations to be filed at ports of entry for any Bengal being exported from or imported into the United States. Along with the Declaration, Bengal breeders will have to arrange a USFWS inspection and pay a fee for that inspection which also requires a TICA five-generation pedigree be presented at the time of inspection. The purpose of the pedigree is to demonstrate the absence of an ALC in the pedigree of five generations. This applies to companion Bengals as well. So, if a Bengal owner has to leave the US for something like a job, and the owner wants to take his sterilized Bengal as well, the owner will have to depart at a USFWS port of entry to arrange the inspection, show the 5-generation pedigree and pay a fee (although the fee for exporting or importing a companion Bengal is less that for an intact Bengal).

Let’s look at this Hybrid label CITES & USFWS has placed on the Bengal. The USFWS accepts the Bengal as a Hybrid, they do not evaluate the genetics. As any biologist or geneticist knows, even the first mating of two species may not produce true hybrids, that is 50% of the paternal genes and 50% of the maternal genes. The reason for this is found in the process known as meiosis. "The segregation of homologous chromosomes in meiosis is random, that is, the maternal and paternal members of each pair segregate independently." (Molecular Cell Biology, 2nd edition, p158). So, each time we breed F1, then F2, then F3, then F4, the chromosomes are scrambled between the parents’ chromosomes such that each sperm carries some of each parent in that haploid set of chromosomes. So, with all the domestic cats in any given Bengal Cat pedigree and the fact that generations of Bengal to Bengal breedings have occurred, no one can determine the content of the ALC after such extreme dilution and mixing of chromosomes. And, even though the USFWS say even one drop of ALC blood constitutes a hybrid, is more like one micro-drop of ALC blood or even less. We can’t win this argument because it has become policy under government control. All we can do is advertise how minor this really is.

At this point, I take a turn toward the animal rights (ARs) groups who have sparked some false rumors about Bengal Cats and have even gone so far as to try to force Bengals to be licensed due to their "wild" nature. This situation is infuriating as they attempt to label Bengals as "dangerous". Any cat, domestic or wild, can be dangerous! Just watch a few episodes of Jackson Galaxy’s show "My Cat From Hell". You will quickly learn that ANY domestic cat can become your worst nightmare. From time to time, the ARs attempt to fire up the public in an effort to justify what they do and they attempt to use the Bengal as one of their "torches." They are full of BS. Any cat can become dangerous by poor care by a human. I have seen plain, domestic cats on Jackson Galaxy’s shows bite, scratch and attempt to scratch the eyes out of humans. I have never seen this behavior with a Bengal. Even when Jackson had a client with a Bengal the issue was simply providing sufficient exercise, but the Bengal never tried to harm his owner. One time the ARs attempted to get the California Fish and Wildlife Service to ban or license Bengals in California by attempting to brand them as dangerous. This fired up the Bengal breeders and we were able to counter this with facts as I have presented in this article. There is no better feline companions than a Bengal Cat.

Cats were made to kill for their food. Period. So, having cats as companions requires the human to provide the things cats inherently need to live a normal life. They hunt, kill and eat their prey. So, each day must include a hunting experience along with a kill. No, not other animals, but toys. Cats can develop behaviors that make their way to Jackson Galaxy’s shows. But, he solves every one of them by understanding the nature of the feline. The first rule is one NEVER uses one’s hands to play with a cat. Your hands can quickly become a cat’s piñata! Cat’s have nails and teeth to accomplish the hunt and kill and you do not want to be the prey.

This opens another subject area that we here at Summermist^TM forbid and that is declawing and devocalizing. There is no valid reason to declaw a cat. Cat’s have a nature to do the things they need for survival including getting away from predators. Taking away their claws takes away their ability to protect themselves and to get away when necessary. If one is worried about things like scratching furniture, one is ignorant. Two things are required: periodic nail clipping and use of scratching posts. There is never a reason to declaw a cat as these two things completely solve the concern. The only other concern is being scratched, but that is solved by keeping your cat exercised and periodic nail clipping. Bengals tend to be more vocal than other breeds, so do not put them in a situation where a Bengal voice is cause for eviction. And do not ever devocalize or declaw a Bengal, that is pure cruelty.

Bengals need more exercise than other domestic cats. Perhaps this is inherited from the ALC? Today, there are a variety of cat exercise wheels readily available that allows the Bengal to self-exercise and self-exercise they will! Here at Summermist Bengal Cats, we have 10 exercise wheels and our Bengals use them day and night. Anyone desiring a Bengal Cat needs to invest in an exercise wheel. They are not that expensive.

Summermist^TM Purrrcy having fun on the exercise wheel.

Another area of importance is vaccines. Young animals (and young people as well) have immature immune systems. It is dangerous to load up a kitten with an onslaught of vaccines – some of which may not even be necessary. Vaccines contain chemicals that can cause tumors, auto immune problems, seizures and many other latent diseases that may depend on the genetic composition of certain cats which can be avoided by managing your veterinarian. Veterinarians make part of their annual income by asking you to participate in a frequent vaccine program that is totally unnecessary. Summermist^TM provides a limited vaccine regime to keep your Bengal healthy for an extended life.

Finally, feeding a Bengal Cat needs top quality food part of which must be raw. Cats are carnivorous. In the wild, they eat rodents, birds and other opportunistic prey. So, the domestic Bengal still needs the nutrition the wild cat needs, but your Bengal will have daily feed while the wild cat must eat when he can. Sometimes wild cats go hungry for weeks. So, what is raw all about? Should you buy a Bengal from Summermist, we furnish a complete Care and Feeding Guideline Package. In the package is our Raw Food Guide. Cats all need taurine in their daily diet. Taurine is present in raw meat; not so much in cooked meat.

Commercial feed MUST add taurine to the product to meet AAFCO feed requirements for cats. At Summermist^TM, we show you what canned products are best for Bengals and how to feed raw. Summermist^TM is committed to feeding the best food available and passing that on to our clients.

We hope you have learned from this article that Bengal Cats are friendly, loving, interactive felines that enjoy being with their owner. They will follow you from room to room and wait patiently for the next journey. Our Care & Feeding Guide Package and Vaccine Regime will help guide you to a long healthy Bengal life of love and fun.

Sheila & John Fowler
(760) 744-7886 / Fax (760) 591-9662
Email: bengals4u@sbcglobal.net

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