Bengal cats, the modern day lap leopards to the legend of the marble cat

Bengals are beautiful and exotic cats that are loved by so many people all over the world. With its graceful movements and unusual intricate markings, it’s like having a piece of nature in your own living room. Looking at you with their green or gold eyes as they are true Lap Leopards to be enjoyed by anyone of any age. In my findings, these beautiful cats have the same behavior as the average domestic cat with normal litter box habits. They are inquisitive, curious, and explorers and adapt well to other household pets. They have the same nutritional and immunization requirements as normal domestic cats. Bengals are relatively large cats with short-haired fur. Males can range from 18 to 25 pounds and females from 7 to 15 pounds. The face is wild looking with small, rounded ears and exotic facial features. with colors ranging from Snow, which varies in shades of off-white background with a light brown pattern, to Brown, which has various grades of Rufus, Golden, Light Brown, and Black-Brown Carmel, and the new accepted color, Silver, which it is white. background with a black pattern. There are various other grades of colors not yet recognized which are Blues, Chocolates.

The Bengal Cat is a wonderful cat to own and love. They have wonderful temperaments while retaining beautiful exotic wild patterns and characteristics that are unique to Bengal cats. These beautiful creatures have some unique qualities, for example, they love water and have no problem jumping right into the shower with you. And they love to go for long walks on a leash or rides in the car to go shopping. Mainly they love to be with people they are very sociable and like most cats they are very entertaining.

Bengal cats range from very exotic, closer in generation to their hybrid ancestors, the Asian leopard cat, to being domesticated with exotic markings.

The Bengal cat is a cross between the Asian leopard cat and the domestic cat. The most widely used domestic crosses were the Abyssinian, the Egyptian Mau, and the Ocicat. This was done to preserve the effort to retain the stunning beauty of the Asian leopard cat. The first three generations are called foundation cats. When they reach the fourth generation, they are considered SBT, which is the domestic cat that resembles the characteristics of the Asian leopard cat. The first documented cross between the Asian leopard cat and the domestic cat in the United States was recorded in 1963 by Jean Mill.

The Asian leopard cat is a small spotted wild cat, weighing around twenty pounds. The general build of the Asian Leopard Cat (Felis Bengalensis) is similar to that of a normal domestic cat, but with slightly longer legs and a longer back. They have a fairly small head with a short, narrow snout, large eyes, and a thick tail. Body length varies between 25 and 32 inches and they weigh between 7 and 25 pounds. There are about ten subspecies that show different variations in body color and can be found in South Asia, throughout India, China, Korea, and the Soviet Far East. It can also be found on islands such as Sumatra, the Philippines, Taiwan, Borneo, Bali, and Java. Because the Asian leopard cat inhabits so many regions, it has acquired many different names, such as the Javan cat, Wagati cat, Chinese cat, or “money cat,” due to so-called spots that resemble Chinese coins.

Here is a short fictional story to explain where the Bengal cat got its markings.

legend of the marble cat

The Legend of the Marble Cat Deep, deep in the jungle, long ago, a jungle mother gave birth to six perfect kittens and the Forest Spirit was pleased. Four of them resembled their mother, smooth and golden and spotted all over, like tiny leopards, a pattern designed by nature to hide them deep in the forest from ancient and fearsome enemies who liked kittens for lunch. . The other two, however, were different. They also had coats as soft as velvet, but one of them was all gold, as bright as the sun, and the other was as white as the full moon! Mother named them Sunlight and Moonbeam. She named hers other kittens of hers with more traditional names, names that had been passed from cat mother to cat daughter, over and over, from generation to generation: Panthera, Tiger Lily, Orchid, and Raven. Deep in the nest, hidden in the secret glen behind the waterfall, in the thickest part of the rain forest where climbing orchids bloomed in wild and colorful profusion, Mother cared for her kittens and cared. She knew that her son Moonbeam and her daughter Sunshine would soon be exposed to a very dangerous world and with their beautiful, shiny coats, they would stand out like lights on the jungle floor, easy for enemies to see. As the kittens grew older and the day approached when they would venture out of the safety of the den, the Mother began to advise them on how to hide them: To Sunshine and Moonbeam she said, “Now remember, until you grow up and can run very fast, you must stay under the leaves and vines so that they hide you from above.Never venture into the open jungle unless you can sit in a spot of bright sun or a ray of a full moon, because that is how you To his spotted children he said, “You have to be cautious too, but you can use the pattern of the forest floor as camouflage. When stalking your prey, move only when it’s looking away and when you stand still, your spots will help you disappear into the sun-dappled jungle. And so it was that the two kittens learned to hide their special beauty, venturing out from under leaves and vines only on rare occasions, while their spotted brothers and sisters came and went as they pleased, taking their hiding place with them. The spirit of the forest was pleased. One bright sunny day, Mom took her four little leopards on a hunting lesson and warned Sunlight and Moonbeam to stay hidden until they returned. “I don’t want to stay here all day.” Sunshine complained, “Me neither. I want to see Mother.” Moonbeam answered. “Why don’t we just crawl from floor to floor and stay hidden? She’ll never know we’re there.” Sunshine suggested. They left, excited to be on an adventure, and being the good kitties that they were, proceeding cautiously as well, remembering all the lessons their mother had taught them. They could smell the scent of his family and followed him. They scampered on, still under the leaves of low plants, the sunlight painting beautiful, rippling patterns of deep shadow on their shiny fur. Suddenly, the smell of danger made the hairs on their backs stand on end and they froze like statues even before they saw the horrible sight. As their eyes adjusted to the pure sunlight, the kittens saw that they were standing on the edge of a brightly lit clearing filled with dry grass and golden grass. Against a rock wall stood his brothers and sisters, cowering in the presence of… Jackal! A very large jackal! It was between the mother and her kittens. Mother was crouching and growling behind him. Everyone knew that jackals eat kittens! As she looked back and forth between the kittens and their mother, the Jackal sneered and bragged to her, “You know I’m going to get at least one of them, maybe even two. Boy, I’ll be out of here with my lunch sooner.” you can contact me. I just don’t know which one to take first. They are all so fat and look delicious.” Under the cover of a leaf, Sunshine and Moonbeam looked at each other and exchanged a single thought. “Lessons from Mom!” Silently they circled the small clearing, keeping to the shelter of the forest. They were now on opposite sides of Jackal and entered the dry brush. Gently. Silent. Keeping as close to the ground as dry, dusty rocks, they inched toward their former foe, each moving only when he turned his attention to gloating at Mother or scaring the kittens. As they approached the Jackal, Mother’s crouching posture changed slightly, subtly. She knew they were there! She couldn’t smell them because they had wisely positioned themselves downwind from the enemy, but she could barely see her bright and beautiful children in the bright sunlight of the field! Attentive to the kittens she had cornered, Jackal didn’t notice; he never knew what hit him. Jackal took a half step towards the frightened kittens frozen against the rock wall and Wham! The land before him erupted in a screeching, screeching fury of knives and teeth! Dazed and frightened, Jackal felt Mother’s teeth sink deep into her hind legs and her claws dug into her sides. Screaming, slashing demons were tied to his head! Leaping madly across the clearing and crashing into trees and rocks, Jackal finally managed to dislodge his attackers and all he could see with his still open eye was the end of Mother’s tail as he disappeared into the jungle. . Panthera, Tiger Lily, Orchid, and Raven had been stunned by the seemingly sudden appearance of their brother and sister, but wasted no time passing the beleaguered Jackal, towards the safety of the rain forest. They were followed shortly after by the Sun, the Moon and the Mother. Together, they ran swiftly through the jungle, to the safety of their hidden lair, in the secret glen behind the waterfall, in the thickest part of the rain forest where the climbing orchids flourished. It had been a miracle. Nothing needed to be said. The mother cleaned the kittens from her and purred them to sleep. Sunlight and Moonbeam woke up at dusk, from a deep sleep of complete exhaustion. They crept out of the lair, called by a silent summons. There! Under the big tree, or was it part of it? They thought they could see the dim form of the Forest Spirit. They knew it was she who had summoned them. Her voice was like the rustle of leaves or maybe a passing breeze, but the kittens could hear it clearly in her head. This was strange, actually. In the time of no ancestor they could remember, no one had actually seen the Forest Spirit, but strangely enough, they weren’t scared. She spoke, “You are all my children and I love you. Even the Jackal is one of my children, but it was not his destiny to eat kittens for lunch today. You have done a selfless act of incredible bravery and you will be rewarded.” I give you something you have always wanted, the gift of concealment.” To Moonbeam he said: “You will be a cat of the night: I bless you with the misty shadows of leaves and vines, falling on your back in the light. of the full moon. You will be able to go unnoticed at night. “night jungle”. To Sunshine he said, “You must be a cat of the day, wearing the deep shadows of twisted leaves and vines on your body, letting your brilliant sunlit fur shine in bits and swirls. You will be unseen in the jungle at a sunny day. Take a step forward now.” The kittens came out from under the leaves they had instinctively stood under and were surprised to see that their coats now had the patterns of the vines and leaves. As his image and voice began to fade, the Forest Spirit said, “From now on, your names will be Secret Sun and Hidden Moon. All of your unblemished descendants will also be blessed with these markings, to hide them safely in ya.” be it the sun or the light of the moon. I am pleased.” To this day, the marble kittens carry with them the patterns of leaves and vines from that jungle of yore, the reward of their ancestors’ rare courage: the shadows cast on them through the trees, the sun and the moonlight.

Thank you Susan Dunsworth for letting me share your story with everyone.