Jon and I have learned a lot from studying small wildcats. We use them - above and beyond any standard, to guide our breeding. By making collages of wildcats and comparing small forest dwelling wildcats, especially the southern species of Asian Leopard cats, with ground dwelling wildcats and then seeing where our Bengals fit in the spectrum between the small tree dwelling wildcats and the ground dwelling wildcats, we have been able to make better selections of kittens. In order to help other Bengal breeders who may share a similar goal, we've created a Blog where we plan to post these collages and explain what we are learning from them. This page will grow as we have the time to put on thoughts in an article with the pictures to match. We hope you find it helpful.
by Jon Paterson
The use of inbreeding and linebreeding in pedigree animals is a topic that creates a lot of controversies. Before deciding whether these breeding methods are something you can correctly and safely utilize in your breeding program, there…
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Bengals descend from a small tree-dwelling wildcat - the leopard cat. By observing the ears of the leopard cat and other small tree-dwelling cats, we better understand nature's design.
In the top line collage are three small, tree-dwelling wildcats from…
Bengal eye shape is a current hot topic due to the Bengal going through the process of becoming a championship breed in CFA. The submitted standard was basically an old TICA standard with a few changes, but one thing that…
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When you look at this picture, what draws your eye? The head shape, the open mouth, the strong mascara?
For me, what makes this picture so stunning is how it shows off this cat's incredible body.
The body of a…
When we hear from breeders about what they are looking for in a Bengal kitten or see their comments in public forums, it seems that most people feel ear size is a top priority. Everyone is trying to reduce the…
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The Rule of Thirds was originally taught to me many years ago by Les Hall from Junglebook Bengals. Les was known for breeding Bengal cats with wild essence. Her cats looked like small forest-dwelling wildcats.
The Rule of Thirds helps…
The Leopard cat relies on its ears. Yes, those large nocturnal eyes do catch movement in the dark shadows of the night, but, often, before the movement has been spotted, a sound has been captured, directing the eyes to the…
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Last week we wrote about the Bengal Body and explained what the ideal adult Bengal body should be, but as a breeder, how do you select a Bengal kitten with this great body shape?
One can start to see the…
The pattern is a pretty important part of the Bengal breed. The Bengal breed is most notably known for its large two-toned spots called rosettes. But a rosette, in and of itself, is not a pattern. Patterns are how the…
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Countershading - often referred to as the white tummy in Bengals - is the expression of a dark topside and a light underside. Current Biology published how modern technology has allowed scientists to learn about the camouflaging patterns, including countershading…
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