Bengal was developed to try to meet that
desire for a wild look in a safe way by
crossing small wild Asian Leopard Cats
and domestic shorthairs. Jean S. Mill began
the Bengal breeding program in 1963, and
Bengals today descend from cats bred by
her in the early 1980s.
Th e
International
Cat
Association
recognised Bengals in 1991. Th e breed
is not recognised by the Cat Fanciers
Association.
Bengal Temperament
and Personality
Bengals are a lot of fun to live with,
but they’re defi nitely not the cat for
everyone, or for fi rst-time cat owners.
Extremely intelligent, curious and active,
they demand a lot of interaction and woe
Bengals are a
lot of fun to live
with, but they’re
defi nitely not the
cat for everyone,
or for fi rst-time cat
owners. Extremely
intelligent, curious
and active, they
demand a lot of
interaction and
woe betide the
owner who doesn’t
provide it
betide the owner who doesn’t provide
it. If you won’t be home during the day
to entertain your Bengal, plan to have
two of them or don’t get one. When a
Bengal gets bored, he is capable of taking
things apart to see how they work and
opening drawers and cabinets to see what
interesting toys or food might be available
for him.
Th e Bengal loves his people and will do
anything for attention from them. If he
fi gures out that you don’t like something
he does — jumping on the kitchen counter,
for instance — he will start doing it all the
time because it will get your attention and
force you to interact with him. He also likes
to take things and hide them. Put your
jewellery away in a place where he can’t get
it (you hope).