established 1989
 | Back to Color and Pattern |
STRUCTURE, the big debate.
The Bengal cat is a breed that is unfolding rapidly due to its popularity. The gene pool is full of many different genotypes making a real need for selection in breeding programs. While there is a tendency to “paint the barn” with the flashy colors and rosetting, and the beautiful glitter to top it all off… it is important to build a firm and clear structure that would look like a Bengal cat with out all the paint. Some breeders are choosing to breed back to the Asian leopard cat even introducing the Amur leopard cat into the lines thinking that this is the way to fix these genes into the cat. However, experience shows that while this might seem a solution, it is extremely short sighted. The Bengal cat is to be confident, friendly, interactive and desiring human contact… the opposite characteristics of the early generation. Selection, and knowledge of genetics with careful record keeping will help achieve the end result without sacrificing temperament. This is the main premise of breeding followed by A-Kerr's Bengal cats... I want to create a loving, beautiful cat that brings love and acceptance into the home.
|
|
Akerrs Ah shows the high hips, jutting shoulders, long body with heavy bones with a narrow, long body. Her overall appearance is of a small forest dwelling cat. |
Just what is a Bengal cat to look like? The Asian leopard cat is actually a small forest dwelling cat weighing on the average 6-13 pounds… domestic cat size. This is the ideal size range… with the females on the smaller end of the scale and males larger.
sketch
shows outline of the silhouette
The boning of the Bengal cat is to be medium to large… with the overall angle of the body to be downward and rectangular. The head is actually small in comparison to body size… allowing for jowling in adult males.
The body is long in relation to the leg height with the highest portion of the body is actually at the hips. Note the length of neck shoulder projection and overall silhouette of the cat gives a non-domestic impression. There is a tendency to move toward a more oriental body style with the desirable long, thin body. Though the Bengal cat should be narrow when looked at from the front or back, it should not give the impression of the more oriental breeds. The boning is heavier, the tail is moderate in length, the ears are placed low and wide set. The tendency of genetics is to go long in body and combine with long tail and tall ears… the Bengal cat is not to duplicate this.
The tail should be medium sized and not thin and whippy. The ears are broad based and wide spaced with the ear on the side of the head more and with a more rounded tip. It is not that the ears are small, but more that the proportion of height to base is less.
The head is a modified wedge with whisker pads that break away from the wedge. Ears are broad and placed more to side than to the top of the head.... giving an impression of almost falling off the head. The eyes should have a nocturnal look to them with white spectacles around them and mascara markings around the eye itself.
SGC Akerrs Tejay Son Spot... showing off his glitter with a flash photo.
Beautiful!
740-548-6586
before 6:00 PM EST