Bengal
Cat
Coat Patterns and Colors
Bengals come in two basic patterns - spotted/rosetted and marble.
There are as many variations of spotted/rosetted and marble patterns as there are cats. The most important thing about both patterns is that the markings should be very clear and sharp appearing with strong contrast with the base color of the coat. Spotted/rosetted bengals should have random markings with no stripes or bars. Marble bengals should have a very flowing and random pattern.
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spotted/rosetted |
marble |
Bengal Cat Colors
The Brown Bengals
Brown (spotted, rosetted or marble) bengals are the most common color. This color is accepted for showing in TICA and several other cat associations.
There is tremendous variation in the range of coat colors that are all "brown" bengals. Some are nearly steel gray with black markings and others are bright cream with rust markings. All shades of brown Bengals will have black tail tips. These are just a few of the variations in rosetted bengals.
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charcoal with black spots |
tawny gold with black rosettes |
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clear beige with black rosettes |
gold with black rosettes |
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cream/tan with brown rosettes |
tan with dark brown spots |
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rust with dark brown rosettes |
light rust with brown rosettes sometimes called "sorrel" |
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brown tri color marble |
black tri color marble |
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brown chain rosetted marble |
black chaos pattern marble |
The "Snows"
The so-called "snow" bengals come in actually 3 slightly genetically different colors:
Seal Lynx Point -- which have a very light cream ground color, dark chocolate markings and, usually, slightly darker legs, tails and ears. These cats also have blue eyes.
Seal Sepia -- which have a cream/tan background and very dark bitter chocolate markings. These cats have green eyes.
Seal Mink -- which are actually a blend of the above two colors--a cream backgound with slightly warmer brown markings and, often, blue-green or aqua eyes.
All three "Snow" colors can be shown in TICA and several other associations.
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seal mink rosetted |
seal mink marble |
The Solid Blacks
Solid black bengals occasionally occur in litters. Since they can not be shown for championship points, they are not as popular with breeders. However there are several breeders working on developing exquisite appearing black bengals. Just think about how beautiful black leopards are and you can see why many people enjoy owning one.
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black bengal kittens at 9 weeks |
black 16 week old kitten |
The Silver Bengals
Silver bengals have a nearly white ground color with black markings. They are becoming very popular. They can be shown. I have several silver bengals.
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silver rosetted bengal |
silver marble bengal |
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charcoal silver |
silver smoke |
The Blue Bengals
Blue bengals rarely occur in litters. They can not be shown for championship points, so, again, most breeders do not breed for this color. Blue bengals have gun metal gray markings on a powder blue body. Many people find they really like the color once they have seen one.
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blue spotted bengal |
How patterns develop
I am often asked how a certain kitten's coat color and pattern will look when it matures. I have tried to take some pictures to give an idea of the changes a coat may go through as the kitten grows.
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A glittered rufous female--
Kingsmark Sonata
Garth of Starbengal x Kingsmark Renassaince
at 5 weeks
at 8 weeks
at 16 weeks
at 1 year
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A very rufous female--
Kingsmark Sunrise Star
TrGrCh.Decpario of Starbengal x Kingsmark Renassaince
at 5 weeks
at 11 months
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a small spotted, very glittered female
Kingsmark Henna on Silk
Stageone Skywalker of Starbengal x Kingsmark Sonata
at 2 weeks
at 5 weeks
at 12 weeks
at 1 year
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black marked, unglittered male
Kingsmark Bacardi
TriGrCH.Dicaprio of Starbengal x Kingsmark Carbon Copy
at 3 weeks
at 6 weeks
at 5 months
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glittered F2 female
Hunterdonhall Genet of Kingsmark
as a kitten
as an adult
in her faded summer coat
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My Queens |
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About Bengals |
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About Leopard Cats |
