Sophie Cat

The cutest cat in the World!

All about Bengals........

The Bengal is a relatively new breed of cat which was first bred in the U.S.A and was originally created by crossing an Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic cat, apparently in the 1960's. Offspring were produced proving that a second generation was possible. The purpose of crossbreeding them with domestic cats was to obtain a wild-appearing cat with a desirable friendly personality and gentle temperament. Females typically weigh 7-12 lb whilst the male can be very big - up to 20lb. Sophie is on the small side for a Bengal.

The name is from the Latin name of its wild ancestor, Felis Bengalensis - Asian Leopard Cat.

Asian Leopard Cat

The breed is usually very muscular and athletic, loving to jump (frightening heights!) and somersault, Sophie rolls all over the floor when she's chasing things like some sort of SAS expert. The head is usually quite small with rounded ears, the eyes are very large. Sophie's eyes seem to vary in colour from bright green to yellow.

Bengals have stunning markings which make it very distinctive from any other breed. They are either spotted or have marbled coat patterns. Spots with at least two colors present (rosettes) are particularly desirable. Sophie has 'rosetted' markings which, as you can see from the photographs, are really amazing. All have spotted or ringed tails with a black tip and all have facial features outlined in black. They usually also have a fantastic set of long whiskers which people often remark upon when they see Sophie. The 'M' marking that's often seen on other cats is also clearly seen on her forehead.

Some of the Bengals have 'glitter' on their fur (Sophie does and it can be seen when the sunlight catches her coat) it literally is a glittery effect and is gold in her case but can be pearl in lighter coloured breeds such as 'Snow' bengals. You can see a bit of the glitter on some of the closer photo's on Sophie's photo gallery, 'sleepy as usual' and 'sleepy' show it quite well.

Bengals are very high energy, so need plenty of activities to keep them entertained as they can be quite mischievous and destructive when bored. They happily follow their owner around wanting to be involved in whatever they are doing, their curiosity knows no bounds!

They are also highly intelligent and trainable and learn very quickly, Sophie (like many Bengals) plays 'fetch' with a paper ball in the same way a dog would, she brings it back to me over and over when I throw it. She also responds to the commands 'lie down' and 'sit' much to the total amazement of friends! They are generally known as a very affectionate & playful breed. A lot of Bengals also like water (Sophie doesn't - apart from to drink!) they are often pictured leaping into the shower or bath with gay abandon and playing in any running water, which is most un catlike trait!

Apparently you can also teach a Bengal to walk on a leash - not something I have so far tried with Sophie! The problem is that Bengals are far too smart and will use this against you. I taught Sophie that she doesn't get 'treats' unless she sits down nicely, often I'll look down and there's Sophie sitting beautifully looking up expectantly as if to say 'Ok I'm doing what you taught me so where's the treat?' Also she works out games too quickly and becomes bored easily, I tried her out with a laser light thinking it would keep her amused, she caught up with it, realised there was nothing to 'catch' and refused point blank to chase it ever again!

Sophie playing 'fetch'

Another very strange thing with Bengals is the way they communicate - apart from the usual cat noises they have a vast range of 'chirps' and can yell at a volume you wouldn't have thought possible from something so small! They are extremely vocal and often hold 'conversations' at length with humans. They use their vocal talents to let you know in no uncertain terms that they want attention now! They often inform you when they're about to go in the litter box and again when they've finished - as if to say 'well come on now tell me I'm good'! It's absolutely impossible to describe these weird noises, I had certainly never heard anything like it and wondered what the heck it was the first time Sophie started to 'speak'! There's a truly fanastic example of a Bengal 'chattering' at birds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTPrwWPeHOU- it's kept me amused every time I've seen it!

Hollys report.

It seems Bengal cats are a popular topic for school projects. Here's a great report (hope it got top marks!

), by Holly who's aged 9 from Houston, Texas.

The Bengal Cat

The Bengal cat is a mix between the domestic, house cat and the wild Asian Leopard. They are highly playful but sometimes they can be extremely naughty. They have all different colors and patterns on their fur.

Description:

The Bengal looks like an ordinary house cat but in a way it is not the same. A regular cat weighs from about 7 to 13 pounds. At the time it is full grown, a male could weigh as much as 20 lb. A female would weigh about 7 to 12 lb.

It also has various different patterns and colors on its fur. Here are the most common kinds,

1. Brown spotted

2. Snow spotted

3. Brown marbled

4. Snow marbled

Another way to tell them apart is that every singe Bengal cat has a black tip at the end of its tail.

Habitat:

Unlike its ancestors, the Asian Leopard who lives in the jungles of the southwest, the Bengal cat can live in your front room. There are some ways that Bengal cats are the same as regular house cats. A house trained Bengal cat uses the litter box and climbs on furniture. It is optional to get a cat tree for a normal household cat, but if you have a Bengal in your house it is a MUST!

Food source:

Like a regular house cat, a Bengal eats cat food and drinks water or milk. The wild Asian Leopard, which is in the same group of animals as the Bengal cat, eats other animals out in the wild.

Caring for young:

Just like most mammals, baby Bengal kittens are born live. They drink milk from their mothers� body. Their mother stays with them until they are old enough to live on their own.

5 interesting facts:

The Bengal got its name form the scientific, Latin name Felis bengalensis
Some Bengal cats have a �glitter� effect on their fur. It seems like each piece of hair had been dipped in gold dust.
Bengal cats can be extremely expensive. Some can even be worth $2000!
Not like most cats, Bengal cats like water!
At the age of about 3 weeks of age, a Bengal kitten goes though a stage called ugly fuzzies. That�s when a Bengals` fur starts to get all dark, gray, and fuzzy. It usually ends when the Bengal is about 5 to 9 months old.

Ellie's report

The following school report was written by Ellie, we thought it was so good it should definitely be on Sophie's site, so here it is :

The Bengal Cat

What are Bengal cats, and what is their history?

Have you ever wanted a leopard for a pet? Well, now you sort of can. Many people probably don�t think you can have an exotic looking animal roaming through your living room, but now this is possible without being dangerous! In my report I will be telling you about the Bengal cat, a relatively new breed of cats. By the end of my report you will know what Bengals are, their history, purpose, and how they�re different from other house cats.

The Bengal cat was originally created by crossing an Asian Leopard Cat, which is a small wild spotted cat, with a domestic cat. In 1963, Jean Mill was the first breeder to successfully cross the Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic cat. However, it wasn�t until 1983, Jean Mill registered the Bengal cat with The International Cat Association (TICA).

The purpose of crossing the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) with a domestic cat was to create a cat with the exotic wild looks of the ALC and the loving and friendly temperament and personality of a domestic cat. In case you�re wondering, the Bengal cat has nothing to do with the Bengal tiger. The name �Bengal� comes from the Latin name of the Asian Leopard Cat; Felis Bengalensis. Because Bengals have the Asian Leopard Cat�s blood, many people believe that Bengals might suddenly go wild and start attacking people. This is not true as the ALC is very shy, and the Bengals have been bred to have the gentle temperament, and outgoing personality of a domestic cat. There is no need to worry about Bengals being dangerous.

Bengals have a wonderful temperament, and I could just go on and on about their personality. Bengals are affectionate, fun, confident, outgoing, friendly, very athletic, curious, naughty when bored, and very intelligent! Bengals love heights, and can be found in the highest spots in the house, because in the wild that�s where they would be safe. Water is also in the every day life of the Asian Leopard Cat so unlike most breeds of cats, many Bengals love water, especially running water! It�s said some Bengals will even join you in the shower, or bath.

These dog-like cats are also very smart! Bengals can be taught a variety of tricks such as playing fetch, and can learn to walk on a leash. They may even outsmart you! So think twice before hiding something in a container or cupboard, because the next thing you know they�ve already figured out how to open them. These smart animals can even be taught to use a human toilet! Just don�t let them get bored, as they can get quite mischievous and destructive.

Bengals have either a spotted coat pattern or a marbled coat pattern and are one of these colour variations: Brown tabby, silver tabby, seal lynx point, seal sepia tabby, or seal mink tabby.

The brown tabby Bengal can have a background colour ranging from tawny to golden to a bright orange colour while the silver tabby Bengal has a silvery background colour. The seal lynx point, seal sepia tabby, and the seal mink tabby, which are classified as �snow� Bengals, all have an ivory background colour. The seal lynx point has blue eyes, the seal sepia tabby has gold or green eyes, and the seal mink tabby (which is a combination of both the pointed Siamese genes and the Burmese sepia genes) has aqua or green eyes.

A spotted Bengal can either have solid coloured spots, or rosettes which are highly desired. Rosettes are two-toned coloured spots, which you would have only found on wild cats such as, jaguars, and leopards until recently. Some shapes rosettes can be are; paw print shaped, arrowhead shaped, doughnut or half-doughnut shaped.

Bengals can also have a marbled coat, but this trait wasn�t from its ancestors. This marbled pattern was formed by a combination of tabby genes and wild genes.

All Bengals must have a black tipped tail except for the snow Bengals which have brown tipped tails, and all bellies must be spotted (which includes the marbled Bengals too). Bengals should have small rounded ears, large nocturnal eyes, puffy whisker pads, a set of long whiskers, a thick medium-length tail, a short tight coat, and should have a white or light coloured belly. The Bengal cat is very long, sleek, and muscular, and this really shows in the male Bengals. Bengals� hind legs are slightly longer than their front legs, and their head is a little bit longer than it is wide. Female Bengals usually weigh around 7-12 pounds while the male Bengals can weigh up to around 20 pounds! The Asian Leopard Cat only weighs about 10 pounds, so the �heaviness� comes from the domestic genes.

Bengals are also often pelted and �glittered�. Pelted is the word to describe the Bengal�s exceptionally soft fur. The feel of their pelt is so silky soft you should be able to tell apart a Bengal with your eyes closed! Bengals shed very little, because of their pelt that was inherited from their wild ancestors. Some Bengals are also �glittered� meaning their fur looks like someone sprinkled gold or pearl dust all over it. This is actually caused by a special hollow hair shaft, so when light hits it a certain way it makes it look like it�s shimmering. Bengals are the only domestic cats known to have this unique trait.

Most Bengal kittens go through a stage called the �ugly fuzzies�. This isn�t really a good thing, but it makes the Bengal cat even more unique! Starting at around 4 weeks of age, the Bengal kitten�s coat can become very dull, coarse, and bushy making the kitten look ugly at that time. Eventually when the kitten is a few months old the coat becomes clear and beautiful again. Wild cat kittens also go through this stage, because it camouflages them, hiding them from predators.

This special breed of cat even talks differently than the average cat. Apart from the regular cat�s meow, they can use a wide range of chirps, peeps, and coos. They can even yell louder than you would think they could!

The Bengal cat is very unique, and definitely not your average house cat. They have many traits that make them special; from their love of water to their appearance and voice! Bengal cats, unlike many other cats, also continue to jump around and play games into their adulthood. In my opinion, I really think this miniature leopard that is rapidly gaining in popularity is very interesting and special! I hope you enjoyed my report on the Bengal cat, and now know much more about this unusual breed.