Bengal Cats

The Bengal cat is a relatively new hybrid breed of cat developed to have a gentle and friendly temperament, while exhibiting the markings and body structure reminiscent of the wild Asian Leopard Cat . In other words, a Bengal cat has a desirable "wild" appearance with a gentle domestic cat temperament. The name Bengal was derived from the taxonomic name of the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC), as shown above, and not from the more widely known Bengal Tiger species, which has nothing to do with the Bengal's ancestry or their looks. History The Bengal has been welcomed as a pedigreed breed by several cat associations - most notably, The International Cat Association (TICA) - but has been refused acceptance by the more traditional Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), the largest and oldest registry of pedigreed cats. The CFA is reluctant to accept wild/domestic hybrids, as stated in its position here.In February 1998, an F2 Bengal cat named Cato made the Guinness World Records by being the most expensive cat purchased.