Introduction:
Cat Lovers Often Choose Bengal Cats Because Of Their Remarkable Look And Wild Heritage. Nevertheless, It Is Prohibited Or Strictly Controlled In Some Areas To Keep A Bengal Cat. This Article Examines The Rationale Behind The Rules Governing Bengal Cat Ownership, Emphasizing The Peculiar Traits Of These Animals As Well As The Issues They Bring Up.
The Bengal Cat Is A Breed Of Hybrid Cat Created From Crossing Of An Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus Bengalensis) With Domestic Cats, Especially The Spotted Egyptian Mau. It Is Then Usually Bred With A Breed That Demonstrates A Friendlier Personality, Because After Breeding A Domesticated Cat With A Wildcat, Its Friendly Personality May Not Manifest In The Kitten. The Breed’s Name Derives From The Leopard Cat’s Taxonomic Name.
Bengals Have A Wild Appearance; Their Golden Shimmer Comes From Their Leopard Cat Ancestry, And Their Coats May Show Spots, Rosettes, Arrowhead Markings, Or Marbling. They Are An Energetic Breed That Needs Much Exercise And Play.
History:
Early History:
The Earliest Mention Of An Asian Leopard Cat × Domestic Cross Was In 1889, When Harrison Weir Wrote Of Them In Our Cats And All About Them.
Bengals As A Breed:
Jean Mill Of California Is Given Credit For The Modern Bengal Breed. She Made The First Known Deliberate Cross Of An Asian Leopard Cat With A Domestic Cat (A Black California Tomcat). Bengals As A Breed Did Not Really Begin In Earnest Until Much Later.
Cat Registries:
In 1986, The Breed Was Accepted As A “New Breed” By The International Cat Association; Bengals Gained TICA Championship Status In 1991. The Governing Council Of The Cat Fancy (GCCF) Accepted Bengal Cats In 1997. Fédération Internationale Féline (Fife) In 1999 Accepted The Breed Into Their Registry. Also In 1999, Bengals Were Accepted Into The Australian Cat Federation (ACF). The Cat Fanciers’ Association Accepted The Bengal In CFA’s “Miscellaneous” In 2016, Under The Restrictions That “It Must Be F6 Or Later (6 Generations Removed From The Asian Leopard Cat Or Non-Bengal Domestic Cat Ancestors)”.
Early Generations:
Bengal Cats From The First Three Generations Of Breeding (F1, G2, And G3) Are Considered “Foundation” Or “Early-Generation” Bengals. The Early-Generation Males Are Frequently Infertile. Therefore, Female Early-Generation Bengals Are Bred To Fertile Domestic Bengal Males Of Later Generations. Nevertheless, As The Term Was Used Incorrectly For Many Years, Many People And Breeders Still Refer To The Cats As F2, F3, And F4, Even Though The Term Is Considered Incorrect.
Popularity:
The Bengal Breed Was More Fully Developed By The 1980s. “In 1992 The International Cat Association Had 125 Registered Bengal Breeders.” By The 2000s, Bengals Had Become A Very Popular Breed. In 2019, There Were Nearly 2,500 Bengal Breeders Registered In TICA Worldwide.
| The Growth Of Bengal Breeding | |
| Year | TICA Registered Bengal Breeders |
| 1992[2] |
125 |
| 2019*[12] |
2,492 |
*Â The 2019 Number Only Represents The Breeders Who Use The Word “Bengal” In Their Cattery Name.
Appearance:
Colors:
Bengals Come In A Variety Of Coat Colors. The International Cat Association (TICA) Recognizes Several Bengal Colors: Brown Spotted, Seal Lynx Point (Snow), Sepia, Silver, And Mink Spotted Tabby.
Spotted Rosetted:
People Most Often Associate The Bengal With The Most Popular Color: The Brown Spotted/Rosetted Bengal. Nonetheless, Bengals Have A Wide Variety Of Markings And Colors. Even Within The Brown Spotted/Rosetted Category A Bengal Can Be: Red, Brown, Black, Ticked, Grey, Spotted, Rosetted, Clouded. Many People Are Stunned By The Bengal Cat’s Resemblance To A Leopard. Among Domestic Cats, The Bengal Markings Are Perhaps The Most Varied And Unique.
Marble:
Domestic Cats Have Four Distinct And Heritable Coat Patterns – Ticked, Mackerel, Blotched, And Spotted – These Are Collectively Referred To As Tabby Markings.
Christopher Kaelin, A Stanford University Geneticist, Has Conducted Research That Has Been Used To Identify The Spotted Gene And The Marble Gene In Domestic Bengal Cats. Kaelin Studied The Color And Pattern Variations Of Feral Cats In Northern California, And Was Able To Identify The Gene Responsible For The Marble Pattern In Bengal Cats.
Legal Restrictions:
In Australia, G5 (Fifth-Generation) Bengals Are Not Restricted, But Their Import Is Complex.
Bengals Were Regulated In The United Kingdom. In 2007, However, The Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs Removed The Previous Licensing Requirements.
In The United States, Legal Restrictions And Even Bans Sometimes Exist At The State And Municipal Level. In Hawaii, Bengal Cats Are Prohibited By Law (As Are All Wild Cat Species, And All Other Hybrids Of Domestic And Wild Animals). In Connecticut, It Is Also Illegal To Own Any Generation Of Bengal Cat. In Alaska, Bengal Cats Must Be Four Generations Removed From The Asian Leopard Cat. A Permit And Registered Pedigree That Indicates The Previous Four Generations Are Required. In California, The Code Of Regulations Title 14, Section K, Asian Leopards Are Not Specifically Listed As A Restricted Species. In Delaware, A Permit Is Required To Own Bengal Cats. Bengals Of The F1-G4 Generations Are Also Regulated In New York State, Georgia, Massachusetts, And Indiana. Various Cities Have Imposed Restrictions; In New York City, Bengals Are Prohibited, And There Are Limits On Bengal Ownership In Seattle, Washington, And In Denver, Colorado. Except Where Noted Above, Bengal Cats With A Generation Of G5 And Beyond Are Considered Domestic, And Are Generally Legal In The US.
In New Zealand’s Southland District The Bengal Cat Requires A Permit To Own And Is Completely Banned On Any Off-Shore Islands Including Stewart Island.
Health:
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM):
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Is A Major Concern In The Bengal Cat Breed. This Is A Disease In Which The Heart Muscle (Myocardium) Becomes Abnormally Thick (Hypertrophied). A Thick Heart Muscle Can Make It Harder For The Cat’s Heart To Pump Blood. The Only Way To Determine The Suitability Of Bengal Cats Meant For Breeding Is To Have The Cat’s Heart Scanned By A Cardiologist.
HCM Is A Common Genetic Disease In Bengal Cats And There Is No Genetic Testing Available As Of 2018. In The United States, The Current Practice Of Screening For HCM Involves Bringing Bengal Cats To A Board Certified Veterinary Cardiologist Where An Echocardiogram Is Completed. Bengal Cats That Are Used For Breeding Should Be Screened Annually To Ensure That No Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Is Present. Currently North Carolina State University Is Attempting To Identify Genetic Markers For HCM In The Bengal Cat.
One Study Published In The Journal Of Internal Veterinary Medicine Has Claimed The Prevalence Of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy In Bengal Cats Is 16.7% (95% CI = 13.2–46.5%).
Bengal Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-B):
Bengal Cats Are Known To Be Affected By Several Genetic Diseases, One Of Which Is Bengal Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Also Known As Bengal PRA Or PRA-B. Anyone Breeding Bengal Cats Should Carry Out This Test, Since It Is Inexpensive, Noninvasive, And Easy To Perform. A Breeder Stating Their Cats Are “Veterinarian Tested” Should Not Be Taken To Mean That This Test Has Been Performed By A Vet: It Is Carried Out By The Breeder, Outside Of A Vet Office (Rarely, If Ever, By A Vet). The Test Is Then Sent Directly To The Laboratory.
Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PK-Deficiency Or PK-Def):
PK Deficiency Is A Common Genetic Diseases Found In Bengal Cats. PK Deficiency Is Another Test That Is Administered By The Breeder. Breeding Bengal Cats Should Be Tested Before Breeding To Ensure Two PK Deficiency Carriers Are Not Mated. This Is A Test That A Breeder Must Do On Their Own. A Breeder Uses A Cotton Swab To Rub The Inside Of The Cat’s Mouth And Then Mails The Swab To The Laboratory.
Ulcerative Nasal Dermatitis:
A Unique Form Of Ulcerative Dermatitis Affecting The Nasal Planum (Rhinarium Or Nose Leather) Of Bengal Cats Was First Reported In 2004. The Condition First Presents Between The Ages Of 4-12 Months, Beginning As A Dry Scale And Progressing To Crusts And Fissures Typical Of Hyperkeratosis. The Exact Cause Remains Unclear; It Is Considered Hereditary And Incurable, But Can Respond Favorably To Topical Steroid Treatments Such As Prednisolone And Tacrolimus Ointment.
Life Expectancy:
A UK Study Looking At Veterinary Records Found The Bengal To Have A Life Expectancy Of 8.51 Years Compared To 11.74 Years Overall.
Bengal Blood-Type:
The UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory Has Studied Domestic Cat Blood-Types. They Conclude That Most Domestic Cats Fall Within The AB System. The Common Blood-Types Are A And B And Some Cats Have The Rare AB Blood-Type. There Is A Lack Of Sufficient Samples From Bengals, So The Genetics Of The AB Blood-Group In Bengal Cats Is Not Well Understood.
One Bengal Blood-Type Study That Took Place In The U.K. Tested 100 Bengal Cats. They Concluded That All 100 Of The Bengal Cats Tested Had Type A Blood.
Shedding And Grooming:
Bengals Are Often Claimed By Breeders And Pet Adoption Agencies To Be A Hypoallergenic Breed – One Less Likely To Cause An Allergic Reaction. The Bengal Cat Is Said To Produce Lower Than Average Levels Of Allergens,[Better Source Needed] Though This Has Not Been Scientifically Proven As Of 2020.
Cat Geneticist Leslie Lyons, Who Runs The University Of Missouri’s Feline And Comparative Genetics Laboratory, Discounts Such Claims, Observing That There Is No Such Thing As A Hypoallergenic Cat. Alleged Hypoallergenic Breeds Thus May Still Produce A Reaction Among Those Who Have Severe Allergies.
Bengal Longhair (Cashmere Bengal):
Some Long-Haired Bengals (More Properly, Semi-Long-Haired) Have Always Occurred In Bengal Breeding. Many Different Domestic Cats Were Used To Create The Bengal Breed, And It Is Theorized That The Gene For Long Hair Came From One Of These Backcrossings. UC Davis Has Developed A Genetic Test For Long Hair So That Bengal Breeders Could Select Bengal Cats With A Recessive Long-Hair Gene For Their Breeding Programs.
Some Bengal Cats Used In Breeding Can Carry A Recessive Gene For Long-Haired. When A Male And Female Bengal Each Carry A Copy Of The Recessive Long Hair Gene, And Those Two Bengals Are Mated With Each Other, They Can Produce Long-Haired Bengals. (See Cat Coat Genetics#Genes Involved In Fur Length And Texture.) In The Past, Long-Haired Offspring Of Bengal Matings Were Spayed Or Neutered Until Some Breeders Chose To Develop The Long-Haired Bengal (Which Are Sometimes Called A Cashmere Bengal).
Long-Haired Bengals Are Starting To Gain More Recognition In Some Cat Breed Registries But Are Not Widely Accepted. Since 2013, They Have “Preliminary” Breed Status In The New Zealand Cat Fancy (NZCF) Registry, Under The Breed Name Cashmere Bengal. Since 2017 The International Cat Association (TICA) Has Accepted The Bengal Longhair In Competitions.
1. What Are Bengal Cats?
History And Origins:
The Asian Leopard Cat, A Small, Untamed Cat Native To Asia, And Domestic Cats Were Crossed To Form The Hybrid Breed Known As Bengal Cats. The Aim Of This Breeding Program, Which Started In The 1960s, Was To Create A Cat With The Exotic Appearance Of A Wildcat And The Disposition Of A Domestic Cat.
Physical Attributes:
Bengal Cats Are Distinguished By Their Strong Physique, Eye-Catching Coat Patterns That Mimic Those Of Wild Leopards, And Lively Dispositions. One Of The Main Reasons Cat Lovers Are Drawn To Them So Much Is Their Appearance.
Disparities Across Generations:
Bengal Cats Are Classified According To How Far They Have Descended From Their Wild Forebears. Bengals Of The First Generation, Known As F1, Have Only One Wild Parent; Those Of The Second, Third, And So On Are Further Removed. The Behavior And Appearance Of The Cat May Be More “Wild” The Closer The Generation Is To The Wild Progenitor.
2. Why Do Some Places Prohibit Bengal Cats?
Concerns About Behavior And Wild Ancestry:
Bengal Cats’ Wild Heritage Is The Main Justification For The Laws Limiting Their Freedom. Early-Generation Bengals (F1 To F3) May Display Traits Including High Energy, Territorial Aggression, And Strong Hunting Instincts That Are More Similar To Those Of Wildcats. These Characteristics May Make Them Challenging To Handle As Pets, Raising Questions About Their Suitability As Household Animals.
Hazards To The Environment And Ecosystem:
The Introduction Of Bengal Cats Is Viewed As A Threat To Native Animals In Some Areas. If Left Unchecked, Their Innate Hunting Instincts Could Damage Nearby Ecosystems By Consuming Native Species, Especially Small Mammals And Birds.
Control Of Foreign Animals:
The Ownership Of Exotic Pets, Which Can Include Hybrid Creatures Like The Bengal Cat, Is Strictly Prohibited In Many Regions. These Regulations Aim To Shield The General Population And Animals From Possible Harm. In Certain Locations, These Rules Apply To Bengal Cats, Particularly Those That Are Closer To Their Wild Forebears.
3. Bengal Cats’ International Legal Status:
Americas:
The Legality Of Bengal Cat Ownership Varies By State And Even City In The United States. Owning Bengal Cats Is Strictly Prohibited In Some Places, Including New York And Hawaii, Especially For Those From The Early Generations. Certain States Have Laws Governing Their Possession Or Require Authorization.
Canada:
Although Owning A Bengal Cat Is Often Permitted In Canada, Some Provinces May Have Restrictions, Particularly For Bengals That Are First Generation. Additionally, Local Governments May Enforce Their Own Regulations.
Europe:
The Legislation Pertaining To Bengal Cats Vary Throughout European Nations. Bengals, For Instance, Are Normally Allowed In The United Kingdom, Though Early-Generation Bengals Can Need Special Permissions. There May Be More Stringent Laws In Other Nations, Especially When It Comes To Hybrid Creatures.
New Zealand And Australia:
Because Bengal Cats May Have An Adverse Effect On Native Species, Strict Laws Prohibit Their Importation And Ownership In Both Australia And New Zealand. Bengal Cats Are Sometimes Restricted From Being Owned Unless They Are A Specific Number Of Generations Removed From Their Wild Origin.
4. Difficulties Of Bengal Cat Ownership:
Behavioral Problems:
Bengals’ Tremendous Energy And Intellect Can Be A Problem For Owners, Even Of Later Generations. They Need A Lot Of Mental And Physical Stimulation, Otherwise They Risk Becoming Violent Or Destructive.
Particular Care Needs:
Bengals Frequently Require More Care Than Other Domestic Cats. To Keep Them Happy, They Might Need A Particular Diet, Greater Room To Run Around, And Frequent Interaction.
Training And Socialization:
For Bengals, Especially Those From Earlier Generations, Proper Socialization From An Early Age Is Essential. It Can Be Difficult To Train Them To Fit In With A Household, And If They Don’t Receive The Right Care, They Could Not Be Good House Pets.
5. Owners Of Bengal Cats Have Legal Responsibilities:
Comprehending Local Laws:
Potential Owners Of Bengal Cats Need To Be Completely Informed About Local Rules. This Include Being Aware Of Any Limitations On The Generation Of Bengals They Are Allowed To Own And Any Particular Licenses Or Permits That May Be Needed.
Moral Aspects To Take Into Account:
There Are Moral Obligations Associated With Being A Bengal Cat Owner. Prospective Owners Must To Think About Whether Their Surroundings Are Appropriate For The Cat And Whether They Can Handle The Demands Of Such An Intellectual And High-Energy Breed.
Implications Of Non-Compliance:
There Are Serious Repercussions For Breaking Municipal Rules Pertaining To Bengal Cat Ownership, Such As Fines, The Pet Being Taken, And Even Legal Action. To Prevent Such Consequences, Owners Must Adhere To All Regulations.
6. How To Acquire A Bengal Cat Lawfully:
Investigation And Planning:
Researching Bengal Cats Thoroughly Is Required Before Obtaining One. Potential Owners Ought To Research The Particular Laws That Apply In Their Area And Get Ready To Accommodate The Cat’s Needs.
Choosing The Appropriate Generation:
It May Be Required To Select A Later-Generation Bengal (F4 Or Beyond) For Those Who Live In Restricted Locations. Generally Speaking, These Cats Are Less Wild And More Tamed, Which Worries Legislators.
Getting Authorizations:
It Is Essential To Obtain The Required Licenses In Locations Where Bengal Cats Are Regulated. Demonstrating That The Cat Is Sufficiently Isolated From Its Wild Ancestors And That The Owner Can Offer An Appropriate Habitat Are Common Ways To Do This.
7. Bengal Cats’ Prospects In Legal Settings:
Changing Legislation And Policies:
The Popularity Of Bengal Cats May Lead To Changes In Legislation And Restrictions. In Regions Where The Breed Is Perceived As A Possible Threat, There May Be More Stringent Regulations; On The Other Hand, As The Breed Gets More Domesticated, There May Be More Acceptance.
Effect On Owners And Breeders:
Law Changes May Have A Big Effect On Owners And Breeders Alike. Breeders Might Have Additional Rules Or Regulations To Deal With, And Owners Need To Be Aware Of Any Updates That Can Impact Their Legal Right To Possess Bengal Cats.
Summary:
Bengal Cats Are A Fascinating And Gorgeous Breed, But Because Of Their Wild Heritage, There Are Legal Limitations On Them In Several Countries. Anyone Thinking About Bringing A Bengal Cat Into Their Home Has To Be Aware Of The Rationale For These Regulations As Well As The Difficulties And Obligations That Come With Having A Bengal. Bengal Cat Owners Can Enjoy The Company Of These Unusual Animals While Making Sure They Stay Legal By Following Local Laws And Giving Them The Attention They Need.
