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Bengal cats result from the breeding of domestic cats with Asian Leopard Cats, and the result is an exotic animal that is housecat-sized or a little larger, and looks like a cross between a Leopard and a Tiger. Most Bengals have a distinctive "M" on their foreheads, heavy black eye make-up, sleek coats, high haunches, and an extra vertebra in their backs that makes them longer than ordinary housecats.

They move in a feral way, and are able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Bengals must be at least four generations removed from Asian Leopard Cats in order to be considered suitable as house pets.

My own little darling is only sixteen weeks old, but he has already mastered undoing the lock on a kitchen window and shoving it open, going for long walks with me at night, taking a dip in the toilet bowl, and yowling non-stop when he's not getting enough attention. He is a handful!

Bengal cats, a relatively new breed, are extremely popular these days. Many people acquire them for their exotic looks, not realizing that they may be biting off more than they can chew, for Bengals are NOT your "ordinary" cats. They have very demanding temperaments and seek constant attention and involvement in the action at hand, be that typing, showering, cooking, or trying to take a nap. They are very affectionate, and very attuned to the vibrations around them.

One of the early breeders of Bengals, Jean Mill, explained that she:

"Deliberately crossed leopard cats with domestic cats for several important reasons. At that time, wild cats were being exploited for the fur market. Nursing female leopard cats defending their nests were shot for their pelts, and the cubs were shipped off to pet stores worldwide. Unsuspecting cat lovers bought them, unaware of the danger, their unpleasant elimination habits and the unsuitability of keeping wild cats as pets.

"Most of the wild kittens from this era ended up in zoos or escaped onto city streets. I hoped that by putting a leopard coat on a domestic cat, the pet trade could be safely satisfied. If fashionable women could be dissuaded from wearing furs that look like friends' pets, the diminished demand would result in less poaching of wild species."

And indeed, Bengal cats do look like wild cats and ARE the "living room leopards" that Jean Mill aspired to create. They are bold, adventuresome, exceedingly curious, into everything, but also easy to train. Many of them like to swim (since the Asian Leopard Cat provides for itself by swimming for fish), they can be taught to perform many tricks, and they love to go with you, wherever you are going. Get a Bengal, and you won't have an aloof, self-contained, egocentric cat — you will have a very close, very vocal companion who acts like he or she is on meth about half the time, but sleeps as if in a coma the rest of the time.

Bengal cats are not for display purposes only!

For this article, I also interviewed two professional Bengal breeders, who were delighted to talk with me, as we Bengal owners definitely share a common ground in our adoration of the breed. Karen Westfall, of "Star-Bengal Bengals," described Bengals as extremely intelligent, very loyal, not afraid of much of anything, and having aspects of a dog, in that they follow you around, take walks with you, are easily trainable, love to fetch, and will sometimes end up in the bathtub with you. (Truly!)

She too wants to remind buyers that Bengals demand a lot of attention, like having a dog like a Springer Spaniel. I would add that if you are old and infirm, or extremely passive and sedentary, this may not be the breed for you. But even quiet people can often be matched up with a quiet kitten; they DO exist. Lauren made me howl with laughter when she said, "And if you have two Bengals, you have cat TV!"

As Lauren Westfall said, "Once you go Bengal, you never go back!"

Lauren may be found on her Bengal Kitten advertisement.

Karron Taylor, of "Heartfelt Bengals," said that the outstanding feature of Bengals for her is that they look like wild leopard cats, but have a sweet, friendly, outgoing personality. She emphasized what wonderful pets they make, despite their exotic clothing. Karron is a retired Pediatric Nurse, and so raising kittens and caring for them meticulously comes as second-nature to her. Both Lauren and Karron emphasized the extremely high level of care that they provide to their cats and kittens, and I'm sure that one couldn't go wrong in purchasing a kitten from either of them.

Karron also emphasized the importance of matching up the right kitten to the right owner. While all kittens share some traits, they also evolve as distinctly different individuals at a very early age, and so it IS possible to know which kittens are likely to be more laid-back and which one are going to be tyrants (my words, not Karron's. I have a loveable tyrant, myself!) Karron stated that Bengals love children, and are highly interactive with the family. They generally get alone fine with the family dogs, and are just, all-round, wonderful and decorative pets.

Karron can also be found on this Bengal Kittens page.

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