Hi

My opinion

If a shorthaired tabby cat without papers or a definitive history, is bought/acquired via a rescue centre/adoption agency or some other means then in my book, it is a moggie/domestic shorthair.

No matter the traits it may exhibit eg climbing high, liking water, following like a dog, liking people etc etc. a lot of non-Bengal cats exhibit the same behaviour.

It may have some pedigree blood in it but who can tell. Unless it is a stunning rosetted cat, with a pelt like coat, then assuming it is a "Bengal" is without substance.
Tabby cats are very common, Bengals less so.

Other breeds probably get the same question. Is my longhaired rescue cat, a Maine Coon or a Norwegian Forest cat?

Probably not, but does it really matter. You have chosen your cat, you should stick by it and you shouldn't try to associate it with something "better". It certainly doesn't matter to it and it shouldn't matter to you, if you love it.

If you want a "real" Bengal cat then go to a reputable breeder.
If you seriously cannot afford it, then go to one of the Bengal rescue organisations. They have lots of needy Bengal cats.

Elsa

Bit harsh i think Elsa!
I thought people came on here for help. People who arent as experienced as maybe yourself

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Tracey

Hi

People do come on here for help and they do get help about lots of topics including the question "Is my rescue cat a Bengal?"

I though, can not lie to those who have a rescue tabby cat and say that it is definitely a Bengal. I can say it is a nice cat or a cute cat or a big or a small cat or even a strikingly beautiful cat but I cannot say it is definitely a Bengal, without its papers. It may be part Bengal or even full Bengal, it may just be a very attractive tabby cat of uncertain parentage, it may be an Ocicat/Egyptian Mau/BSH/ASH cross or any other breed where tabby cat markings are produced.

If Bengal breeding was just about producing a tabby cat then it would be very easy indeed. Cats can manage that all by themselves.

I think that educating folks to the complexity of the breed is important.
I don't personally want people passing off a tabby cat as a Bengal to their relatives, neighbours and friends. That would be doing the breed a disservice. It is like the emperor's new clothes, the owner sees a Bengal but everyone else sees a tabby and will have the opinion that "If that is a Bengal then I don't want one as it looks like a tabby cat to me".

If Jean Mill had not had a vision of what she wanted to produce all those years ago with the Bengal, and the thousands, nay millions of dedicated cat breeders trying to produce something "better" every year then we would all be mating our pet cat to the cat next door but one.
I don't want to go down that road.

I want the Bengal breed to be different as chalk and cheese from a normal tabby so that there is no confusion.

I know I sound a bit elitest but that I think is what pedigree breeding is all about. From breeding dogs, horses, sheep, goats, cattle, rabbits, poultry even hamsters and budgerigars the aim is to produce a perfect specimen of the breed or to push the boat and develop a completely different look. Hence the myriad of colours and types in budgies, all from the green bodied and yellow headed native Australian bird.

I know we are not all going to produce the perfect specimen or develop a new look. That, however, is the challenge and some of us will achieve some success, whether it be producing a champion here and there, or merely looking back over your cats to see that you have actually improved over the years by wisely choosing your matings or for the lucky few to breed a really spectacular cat.

If that is wrong then that is a completely different argument and perhaps not one for a site dedicated to a pedigree cat.

Elsa

Yes you do sound elitist. And why shouldn't someone post on a bengal cat website asking for advice?

My bengal is a shocking example of the breed in terms of appearance (coat ticking and poor definition of spots), but a bengal she is. Tempremant-wise, she has made strangers to the breed fall in love with the Bengal (including the odd cat hater). But should I hide her away incase she misrepresents the breed? Should I walk around with her papers to prove her pedigree? Should I burn her papers and call her a tabby instead? There is more to breeding the perfect animal than the coat appearnce; confirmation and temprement are far higher on my agenda than any amount of rossettes.

If someone gets a cat from a shelter, they naturally want to know more about it's heritage and if it appears to be have "bengal triats" then what's the harm in asking if it could be a bengal?

Hi

No-where did I say that people should not ask for advice. I just said that the question, "Is my rescue cat a Bengal?", is impossible to answer without papers.

You are obviously knowledgeable about your cats shortcomings which is great and I have no problem with that, she doesn't need to be an "excellent" example, being a pet cat, I presume. I only hope your breeder has the same knowledge and is trying to produce better the next time.

No-where did I say that temperament and conformation do not matter. They are both part of the mix in breeding the "perfect specimen", but they are not as important in deciding whether a cat has Bengal in it or not. A black and white cat may have similar conformation and temperament to a Bengal, but I would challenge the link.

I only mentioned rosettes and coat appearance because that is the only thing that separates a Bengal from another tabby. I don't think any other domestic cat breed has the rosetted pattern quite like that seen in the Bengal. I merely said that if the cat has rosettes and a pelt like, glittered coat then I would be more likely to believe that there is some Bengal in it somewhere.


Elsa

Wow stay out of Elsa way. yes your thoughts are right and you can have an opion. But keep that up and no one will be using this site.

Rich

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Rich

Think it's about time I stepped in here....

Although Elsa is entitled to her opinion, that opinion in no way reflects that of myself and Siobhan - the site owners.....

We welcome all visitors, be whether they have a champion Bengal or merely a cat that they think "may" be a Bengal, so please don't judge the whole site by the opinions of one person.

Going to lock this thread so it doesn't descend into a "cat fight"