Sound Asleep

Kilo (Bengal) sleeping quietly

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Bengal cats are a hybrid breed developed over several generations through a program of selectively crossbreeding domestic cats, possessing desired features, with Asian Leopard Cats and ALC hybrids. In the first three generations, males are almost always infertile, though there have been the occasional, but rare F3 studs capable of reproduction. Early generation females are typically fertile, and responsible for continuing the genetic contributions of the ALC to the next generation.

The Bengal has been welcomed as a pedigreed breed by several cat associations - most notably, The International Cat Association (TICA) - but has been refused acceptance by the more traditional Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) of the USA, the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. The CFA is reluctant to accept wild/domestic hybrids, as stated in its position

The Bengal is a relatively new hybrid breed of cat developed to have a gentle and friendly temperament, while exhibiting the markings (such as spots, rosettes, and a light/white belly), and body structure reminiscent of the wild Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). In other words, a Bengal cat has a desirable "wild" appearance with a gentle domestic cat temperament.

The name Bengal was derived from the taxonomic name of the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC), as shown above, and not from the more widely known Bengal Tiger species