The background color of the Bengal can range from golden, rust, brown, and orange, to sand, buff, and ivory. The standard refers to these colors as brown, seal lynx point, mink, sepia. The silver color is now also being introduced by many Bengal breeders. The Bengals spots range from rust, chocolate brown, charcoal, to virtual black. The pattern consists of spots (for the spotted Bengal), these are either small to large closed spots (smaller spots being similar to the Egyptian Mau) to large leopard-like rosettes – spots which have “opened” to reveal a lighter secondary color within. In any case, the flow of the Bengal’s pattern should be horizontal and not vertical (the "broken line" mackerel tabby pattern).

Another very desirable trait is so-called blotchy shoulder markings that can also be found on the amazing ocelot. These are marble-like streaks and spots giving the cat a much more dramatic and wildcat-like appearance. The ocelot, a much larger cat, however is not directly related to the Asian Leopard cat. It is related to another smaller South American cat known as the Margay. The interesting fact about this cat is that the so-called Bristol line within the Bengal gene pool seems to have originated from a Margay hybrid.

The second Bengal pattern is called marble. This is a legacy of the domestic classic tabby pattern combined with the rosettes of the Asian Leopard producing a marbled look, one or more colors swirled into the base colors. For further details please read the current Bengal standard by the FiFe.

Glitter is a very desired trait in the Bengal cat, being individual hair shafts that seem gold in color and shimmer like gold. The hairs however are not actually gold - hairs causing the glitter are hollow and thus reflect light differently, causing a glittered appearance. People often ask, why don’t you just call it “shine”, but shiny fur can have many causes, such as nutrition, hygiene, "cosmetics", and health. A healthy Bengal (or most other breeds for that matter) should have a shiny pelt, but glitter is not something you can acquire by using a certain type of food or vitamins – it’s genetic – either the cat has it or not.

Fuzzies is a term used to describe a period in a kitten’s life when it adopts a natural sort of camouflage, inherited by its ancestor, the leopard cat, to blend in with the scenery and stay hidden from potential dangers. The kitten temporarily loses its short, sleek coat and its markings become less striking – the pelt actually becomes "fuzzy". Fortunately, this period does not last too long, kicking in at about 4 weeks and usually returning to normal about 13 to 14 weeks later. However, the degree of fuzziness and the time period tends to vary from cat to cat – some cats may need a little longer to clear up.