Alpha Gem Bengals
THE BREED
The Bengal Cat breed was introduced by a woman named Jean Mill. In 1963 Jean Mill crossed an Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic cat. Mrs. Mill began breeding again in the eighties and from her passion with these beautiful creatures she created a phenomenon, The Bengal Cat!
Due to the Asian Leopard heritage Bengal Cats possess traits that are different than a domestic cat. One impressive attribute of the Asian Leopard Cat is it's immunity to Feline Leukemia.
This wonderful breed is a cross between the Asian Leopard Cat and the domestic house cat. Bengals possess an adoring personality, even temperament and behave similar to dogs as they crave attention, need exercise and get lonely without your companionship.
My family and I are extremely blessed and honored to have the opportunity be able to share our life with such beautiful, intelligent and majestic animals, who bring such joy and laughter into our home.
Simply put... Bengals are without a doubt.....
A RARE GEM!
Bengal cats have a desirable 'wild' appearance coupled with a gentle domestic cat temperament.
DEVELOPMENT-
The Bengal was developed to have a gentle and friendly temperament, while exhibiting the markings (such as spots, rosettes, and a light/white belly), and body structure reminiscent of the wild Asian Leopard cat. Bengals are a hybrid breed developed over several generations through a process of selectively crossbreeding domestic cats, (possessing desired features), with Asian Leopard Cats.
Stud Book Tradition-
SBT stands for "Stud Book Tradition", this means that a bengal is at least four generations removed from the Asian Leopard Cat. SBT Bengals can be shown at cat shows. The modern SBT Bengal gene pool contains genes sourced from many varieties of domestic cats - mainly Egyptian Maus, American Shorthair, Abyssinian, Ocicat, and domestic short haired cats. The breed was developed by Jean Mill of California in the 1970s for the purpose of trying to carry over the immunity of FeLV. The first three generations of these hybrid animals are properly referred to as the "filial" generations.
A Bengal with an ALC (Asian Leopard Cat) parent is called an F1 Bengal, short for first filial. An F1 then bred with domestic male yields an F2, or second filial. Kittens from an F2 female and another domestic cat are then termed F3. Kittens from a subsequent F3 mating with a domestic are F4s. The F4 and later generations are considered domestic cats and correctly designated as Stud Book Tradition (SBT) Bengals.
What is the difference between an "SBT" and a "Filial"?
WHY NOT TO GIVE THE FeLV OR FIV VACCINE
Coming Soon......
More Fun & Useful Information About the Bengal Breed:
- Name: 'Bengal' was derived from the scientific name of the Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurusengalensis) :- and not from the more widely known Bengal Tiger species, which has nothing to do with their ancestry, or looks.
- Size: Medium sized:- a male may weigh as much as 20 lb (9 kg), and a female commonly weighs 7 to 12 lb (4 to 6 kg.)
- Colors: Brown, Silver, Snow (Sepia / Lynx / Mink), Charcoal Brown, Charcoal Snow, Charcoal Silver, Melanistic, Silver Smokes, Blue and Charcoal Blue Bengals
- Personality: Bengals can take a great deal of interest in running water and often don't mind getting wet. Most owners have stories about their cat's affection for running water or even jumping in a sink or tub. Bengals have been known to play games with their owners, such as "fetch" and "hide-and-seek." They tend to vocalize to communicate with their humans. - Intelligence & Energy: Bengals have very high-energy, are intelligent, and curious, and so are particularly interactive with their human housemates, wanting to be in the middle of whatever the human is engaged in, and often following the human around the house as household chores are performed. Always ready to "Help Out".