History of the Bengal Cat - One of the most fascinating aspects of the Bengal cat’s history is its heritage. In contrast to almost all domestic cats, who originally evolved more or less according to the part of the world they populated, the Bengal is the product of intentional hybridization:

Jean Mill, the "founding mother" of the Bengal cat breed, began crossing Asian Leopard cats with domestics in the early sixties. Her first hybrid resulted from the crossing of a black domestic and an Asian Leopard Cat. At that time, many ALC were being offered as pets in Europe and the United States, however, it didn’t take very long for these very unprepared cat owners to realize that the wild Asian Leopard Cat is far from being a suitable pet; these animals remain shy (wild) in almost all cases, their eating habits do not reflect those of a regular domestic cat, and many other factors make it extremely difficult for people to keep ALCs as household pets.

The result was that most people ended up getting rid of these poor animals. In order to satisfy the demand for exotic-looking cats and, at the same time, deter people from purchasing "fashionable" fur coats, Jean Mill also hoped, by breeding an exotic-looking cat with a domestic personality, to decrease the demand for poaching as well as the trade in exotic furs. Her first attempt to develop the Bengal cat was abandoned, however, she successfully recommenced her project in 1980 – and I think that resulting Bengal cat speaks (or meows) for itself.

The ALC - Asian Leopard Cat - , (Felis Bengalensis) populates most of Southern Asia . It is a small, domestic-sized feline that is one of the few wild cats able to breed with our beloved domestic cat. These people-made hybrids were the first step towards the Bengal cat we know today. Most histories dealing with the Bengal cat will tell you about the Asian Leopard Cat, the Bengal’s "forefather", and their creator Ms. Jean Mill. And it does sound easy … take one Leopard cat …take a domestic… and you get a Bengal. However, the path to the Bengal cat of today was definitely not one without setbacks.

Apart from the beauty of the breed, the peaks of which we see in the very famous Bengals found in many pedigrees, such as Joykatz Ace Inda Hole and Dicaprio of Starbengal, not to mention the exciting developments in creating hybrids, waiting for them to attain the domestic level, and going from there to develop aspects of the Bengal breed desired among fanciers and breeders ….a long and winding road to be sure… one thing should be said about this marvelous feline’s history - if it hadn’t been for the breeds founders’ persistence, this kitty probably would have never evolved into the cat we know today – the beloved Bengal cat.

Before there ever was an actual domestic (SBT) Bengal, many generations of foundation work had already preceded and, believe me, breeding early generation bengals takes a lot of devotion. First of all, most males up to the third generation are sterile, whether the females will reproduce themselves is another matter altogether and the manner in which they display their maternal instincts may also clearly differ. The price of a good-looking early generation queen is very high, the size of their litters are comparatively small, and rearing docile, outgoing hybrid cats calls for specialist knowledge as well as human intervention at a very early stage. So, before a breeder is actually able to provide show-hall and pet cats, many years of blood, sweat, and tears – not to mention dollars - have been invested into a certain line.

The Bengal cat today is an affectionate, active, extremely intelligent, and healthy feline. It behaves like any other active domestic cat, eats cat food, uses the cat litter, and is bred like a domestic cat underfoot. This is the product of years of work and devotion to the development of this breed and there are now some SBT Bengals that do surpass the beauty of their wild ancestors.