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Bengals draw attention for their
fresh-from-the-wild looks. They are about the same size as average pet cats,
but they are decidedly sleek and athletic-looking with long, muscular
bodies, round-tipped ears and longish legs. Most have spotted or marbled
silky coats that give them an appearance resembling exotic zoo cats.
Their personalities and quirks
are equally distinctive. Fans of Bengals say they're vocal, self-assured
cats, exceptionally smart and easily trained. They're also water lovers and
avid climbers, and they love a raucous game of fetch.
They aren't passive couch cats.
Bengals require a lot of attention and stimulation from their owners, says
Krieger. If that's missing, they often become mischief-makers.
The breed was first developed in
the 1960s by California breeder Jean Mill, who crossed an Asian leopard cat
she had as a pet with a domestic cat. But it wasn't until the mid-1980s,
when she acquired another Asian leopard cat, that Mill started an aggressive
Bengal breeding program.
There was "some opposition" from
cat folks who "totally disapproved," she acknowledges, so only a handful of
breeders got into Bengals for several years.
Still, Bengals eventually caught
on, and a popularity surge that began about five years ago is intensifying.
More than 60,000 Bengals now are registered with the International Cat
Association, the nation's second-largest registry, surpassing its
registration numbers for even the popular Ragdoll and Maine Coon breeds. And
cat experts believe thousands more Bengal pets are not registered.
The breed is not recognized by
the nation's biggest registry, the Cat Fanciers' Association.
"Our policy is that only cats
with totally domestic backgrounds" can be registered, says Allene Tartaglia,
the association's executive director.
While acknowledging Bengals "are
beautiful," Tartaglia adds, "our concern is temperament. If it's registered
with CFA, it's entitled to go to a show," and there are worries about
unpredictability and possible injuries, she says.
Bengal fanciers say the cats are
now sufficiently removed from their wild feline ancestors — four to eight
generations in most cases — and any early temperament issues have been bred
out.
Still, there remain some cat
people who believe Bengals are not appropriate pets and suggest behavioral
traits are prompting many disappointed owners to give them up.
Ridiculous, Krieger says. She
polled rescue groups for four different breeds last year, she says, and
found "Bengals are actually one of the least-often surrendered because of
behavior."
Bengals, Mill adds, "want to
please people. Most cats don't give a damn what you want."
That said, they're not for
everyone.
Too many people buy them only
for their looks, imagining they're getting a gorgeous lap cat, Krieger says.
They aren't prepared for Bengals' high energy, strong personality and need
for stimulation.
"People who buy them as a
decorative item," she says, "would be better off with a stuffed animal."
Posted 2007 |
Bengal
Cats Leap Into Owners' Hearts