The Bengal cat is a new (less than 20 years old), exotic breed of domestic cat originally created by the breeding of the small, wild Asian Leopard Cat to a domestic cat such as the Abyssinan, American Shorthair, Burmese, or Egyptian Mau. The Bengal breed allows those of us who love and admire wild cats to live with and enjoy their beauty and uniqueness in our own homes, while also benefiting from the domestic Bengal's loving, friendly, playful disposition.

Bengals must be four or more generations removed from their wild Asian Leopard Cat ancestor, and have three consecutive generations of Bengal to Bengal breeding in order to be eligible to be shown in T.I.C.A. (registration paperwork will reflect "SBT" in the registration number, which means the cat has "studbook status.") Currently, SBT Bengals can be shown in T.I.C.A., U.F.O., A.C.F.A., I.C.E. and a few other Cat Associations, some for Championship Titles. The early generation Bengals, which we refer to as "Foundation or Filial Bengals," such as F-1, F-2 or F-3 (one, two or three generations, respectively, removed from the Asian Leopard Cat) are best left to specialized breeders or properly prepared and informed owners who are equipped to take care of them. F-4's and beyond, or SBT's, are the true domestic Bengal. They usually make the best pets, and when they are carefully bred within highly selective and loving breeding programs, make delightfully affectionate, stunningly gorgeous family companions!!

Domestic Bengals are no different than any other domestic cat when it comes to care and feeding. Female Bengals average from 7 to 11 pounds at maturity, while the more heavily muscled males can average from 11 to 18 pounds at maturity. Bengal owners delight in the intelligence, playfulness, and affectionate natures of their companions, and also love to talk about their athleticism, leaping ability and the dexterity with which they use their paws. Many Bengals also have an instinctive love of water, and have been known to climb in the shower or bathtub with their humans!!

Of the 37 species of wild cats worldwide, small wild cats make up 30 of those 37. The "Felis bengalensis", or leopard cat species, is very common in areas such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and eastern and southern Asia. ALC's are currently listed on Appendix I and II of CITES. The wild leopard cat, while still quite numerous, is being forced to live in ever smaller areas due to growing human population and land development encroaching upon their natural habitats. There have been over 10 subspecies (plus certain individual ALC's that were captive bred) used in the Bengal breeding program, each contributing many different and unique characteristics. The Domestic Bengal received its name from the scientific Latin name "Prionaliurus bengalensis" for Asian Leopard Cat.

Weighing between 5 and 15 pounds (Amur leopard cats average 18 pounds), the leopard cat has a very long body type compared to the domestic cat, as well as far more striking coloring and markings including such physical traits as rosetted and random spots, and a thick, soft, distinctive pelt. Small, round ears and a whited underbelly are also beautiful characteristics of this species. The leopard cat can be found in areas ranging from desert to dense forests, and their markings can vary accordingly.

With their small head, rounded ears (which have a white spot on the back of them called "ocelli"), the leopard cat's unique appearance also comes from their large, amber, nocturnal eyes, and 2 black "mascara" stripes running from the corners of the eyes. Almost all leopard cats have 4 striped bands that run from their foreheads to behind their necks, ringed tails with black tips, black spots on white bellies, and distinctive, rosetted spots on pelts that vary from tawny brown, golden, grey, to bright orange-red backgrounds, with the spots being usually chocolate brown to black.

In the wild, leopard cats hunt reptiles, fish, rodents, birds and insects. Leopard cats are not naturally aggressive animals; in fact, they are slightly shy and highly intelligent. It is primarily their shyness as well as certain behavior and temperament traits that keep them from doing well with humans, who usually have expectations of closeness and behavior patterns that the ALC cannot meet as a pet or household companion.

Information from this section is taken directly from Holly Webber’s website:

http://www.hdw-inc.com/ourcats.htm       AND       http://www.hdw-inc.com/savannahwhatis.htm

 

 

Check out her site for even more awesome info about Bengals & Savannahs!

Bengals

While it is natural and not difficult to have a Serval breed with another Serval, it can be extremely difficult to accomplish the Serval to domestic cat breeding. Whether it be the Serval male to the domestic female (which is most often the case), or to attempt a female Serval to a domestic male ... because the Serval body type is so much longer and taller, this makes the pairing physically quite challenging. Add to that the differences in behavior between a wild cat and a domestic cat, and in some cases, too much aggression on the part of an intact adult Serval ... these are all important reasons why the creation of an exciting new breed of cat like this is really just like "giving birth" for the breeders with their hearts, souls and pocketbooks firmly invested in these cats that they love. In the wild, Serval mothers carry their kittens in utero a full 10 days longer than their domestic queen counterparts. Thus, every healthy, full-term F1 Savannah kitten that is born is truly a small miracle all in itself.

The first documented breeding of an African Serval to a domestic cat was accomplished in the mid 1980's by Judy Frank, a Bengal breeder and cat fancier in Pennsylvania. The Savannah breed, still in the early stages of development, provides a smaller, more manageable version of the beautiful, exotic Serval Cat for people to live with and enjoy appropriately in our own homes. Savannahs are generally quite content as indoor-only housecats, and usually make wonderful family pets. While the Serval can be anywhere from 30-50 pounds, and stand quite tall on those long legs, Savannahs are typically most often reaching an adult weight of between 18-25 pounds. Unlike Servals, Savannahs use litterboxes and do not require any special diets, facilities or veterinary care than any other type of domestic housecat.

The kittens resulting from the first and subsequent generations from the breeding of a Serval cat to a domestic cat or a Serval cat to a Savannah cat are recognized as DOMESTIC Savannah cats. The goal of the Savannah breeding program is to create a uniquely beautiful domestic cat which retains many of the beautiful physical features distinctive to the Serval cat, yet incorporating the loving, dependable temperament of the typical domestic cat. Savannahs are known to be extremely friendly and talkative; very playful and curious in nature. They are the largest hybrid cat available at this time.

This breed was named for the native African grasslands where the Serval makes its home, and also for the first and only Savannah kitten produced by Ms. Frank, who named the female kitten resulting from this Serval/domestic shorthair cross "Savannah". Savannahs are breathtakingly gorgeous, with beautiful spotted and striped coats and colors ranging from silver to amber. They have distinctive "tear drop" markings around their eyes and large round ears. The Savannah is a very graceful, uniquely built cat, with a lovely long neck, long legs and ears, and a three-quarter length tail. The breed standard states that they may be solid, tabby or silver/shaded in pattern, with the allowable colors in those patterns to be black, brown spotted tabby, silver spotted tabby or black smoke. The breed standard calls for a head shape that is longer than it is wide. When the face is viewed from the front it should form a distinct triangle. The head of the Savannah is slightly smaller than in proportion to the body. In profile, the nose is long but with a small chin and should add to the cat's wild appearance. The ears of the Savannah are to be large and alert, with a wide base and slightly rounded tips.

 

The first generation cross is referred to as the F1 (Serval x domestic). The next breeding of (F1 Savannah x domestic) will create a litter of F2 generation Savannah kittens. Because of the fact that the first three generations (F1, F2 and F3 - and sometimes even the 4th generation) of Savannah males are sterile and cannot reproduce, it will usually be 5 generations or more before there can be a Savannah to Savannah breeding. In 1996, Savannah breeders first presented their breed to the TICA board of directors, at which time they gained registration rights. The Savannah has continued to evolve both in its development as a breed, and in the recognition and popularity of the breed through The International Cat Association (TICA) and in the hearts of cat fanciers around the world.

In 2001, TICA granted evaluation status to this exciting new breed, which means that you may see Savannahs of F3 or beyond generation, being shown in the evaluation rings at TICA shows throughout the world where they are being bred and shown. Below, you can follow the pictures and cats to see the development of one of our current Savannah breeding lines here at Foothill Felines, from the original African Serval, through the next 5 generations of Savannah offspring.

Savannahs