Bengal breed guide

Confident and affectionate, Bengals get along well with other pets when properly introduced. Their inquisitive nature makes them a good choice for families with children.

CFA says they keep a kitten-like energy and attitude well into their senior years.

Water fascinates them: a Bengal may watch you brush your teeth or try to join you in the shower. They are highly trainable, often learn tricks and many enjoy walks on a harness and leash.

Talkativeness varies from cat to cat, with some holding frequent conversations and others keeping their thoughts to themselves.

The coat is soft and silky, unlikely to mat and not a heavy shedder compared with other shorthairs. CFA recommends weekly grooming with a soft-bristled brush to condition the coat and remove dead hair.

Bathing is unnecessary unless the cat is shown.

Genetic testing lets breeders screen for several heritable diseases and remove carriers. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy needs an echocardiogram to detect, so most breeders have breeding cats scanned by a cardiologist before the first litter and at regular intervals afterward.

Conservationist Jean Mill crossed a black domestic tom with a female Asian Leopard Cat in 1963 while working to preserve that small arboreal wildcat. Dr. Willard Centerwall was separately breeding similar crosses to give domestic cats the Asian's natural immunity to feline leukemia.

Mill later obtained breeding cats from Centerwall and eventually produced sweet-tempered cats five generations out from the wildcats. CFA accepted Bengals for registration in 2016 and advanced them to championship status in 2018.