What is a leopard cat breed?

The wild coloring, harmoniously combined with grace and elegance, has attracted the attention of many cat lovers. But not everyone knows the name of this beauty. The breed of cat with a leopard print is called the Bengal.

Content

1 The history of leopard cats
2 The appearance of leopard cats
- 2.1 Color features
3 How much does a leopard kitten cost?
4 Photos

The history of leopard cats

The history of mini leopards began in 1961, when American Jean Mill, traveling to Bangkok, bought a wild cat kitten at the local market. Asian cats with incredibly beautiful colors.

The baby, named Malaysia, grew up and accepted the care of a common house cat. In 1963, the kitten was born, inheriting her mother's beautiful fur and her father's affectionate nature. Sadly, Malaysia soon had to be given to a zoo, and her only daughter died of illness, halting the work.

It wasn't until 15 years later that Jean got a second chance. At the institute where she worked as a biologist and geneticist, they were conducting research on the inheritance of immunity to the feline leukemia virus. To do this, they were mating wild cats with domestic cats. Jean became the project manager and, concurrently, decided to make an old dream come true. In 1991, the first leopard cat competed in the TICA Championship, under the name Bengal.

In the process of breeding Bengals, wild Asian cats and various domestic breeds took part, including the Burmese, Egyptian Mau, Abyssinian, Bombay and many others.Leopard-like cats, Bengal breed (video):

The appearance of leopard cats

The Bengal Leopard Cat is athletic, agile, and inquisitive. It possesses strength and agility, remarkably balanced with balance, grace, and boundless energy. Sizes range from medium to large. Its face is beautifully full, accented by its wide nose and almost round eyes.

Bengal cats have short, very dense fur that lies close to the body. It feels soft and silky to the touch. It's worth mentioning separately: glitter – an unusual sheen to their fur, inherited from their wild relatives. In the sun, every hair shimmers and sparkles.

Color features

The classic color variant, the one that many call leopard, is called brown rosette tabby in felinology, or simply “rosette on gold.”

By the way, sockets can also be different:

"Darts" - the spot has the shape of an arrow with a sharp transition from light to dark;
An open socket is a semicircle or semi-oval with an open contour;
"Donut" is a classic, clearly defined contour with a highlighted middle.

Only Bengals come in leopard print, making the breed unique. However, it's worth noting that it's not the only possible color. The standard allows for several other colors (brown, silver, charcoal, "snow") and patterns (rosette, spotted, marbled).

No two leopard patterns are exactly alike. Each cat's pattern is as unique as a fingerprint.

How much does a leopard kitten cost?

Once the future owners have finally made their choice and decided that they want a leopard-print cat, breed and price are the next important questions.

The price range is very wide, with some kittens selling for 10,000 rubles, while others cost 50,000 rubles or more. The price depends on the parents' merits, the cattery's geography, and the kitten's class. After birth, the litter is assessed according to the standard, and the kittens are roughly assigned to the following classes:

Pet class – kittens “for the soul” for subsequent castration or sterilization cost 15-30,000 rubles.
Breed class – for breeding, will cost 35-70 thousand rubles.
Show class – puppies with good prospects from elite lines or with ideal coloring can cost more than 80,000 rubles.

This pricing policy applies to kittens from breeders who were born as a result of planned matings and have documented proof of origin and health. It's also important to note that prices are set by the breeder based on their own considerations. Sometimes, very good kittens can be sold as pets and fetch a relatively low price. And sometimes, conversely, a cat looks nothing like a leopard, the breed is only apparent from the pedigree, and its price is higher than average.

Many offers on the pet market come from Bengal cat owners who decide to breed their cats simply for the money or for "health," and then sell the beautiful kittens, which naturally may not have a pedigree but often have good looks. If such a kitten grows up to be a leopard cat, the price can reach up to 20,000 rubles. Other colors are less expensive, usually not exceeding 10,000 rubles.