BENGAL / BENGAL LONGHAIR BREED GROUP (BG/BGL)

POINT SCORE

HEAD: 35 points

• Shape: 6
• Ears: 6
• Eyes: 5
• Chin: 3
• Muzzle: 4
• Nose: 2
• Profile: 6
• Neck: 3

BODY: 30 points

• Torso: 5
• Legs: 4
• Feet: 4
• Tail: 5
• Boning: 6
• Musculature: 6

COAT / COLOR / PATTERN: 35 points

• Texture: 10
• Pattern: 15
• Color: 10

CLASSIFICATION

• Categories: All
• Divisions: Tabby; Silver/Smoke
• Colors:
  • Brown Tabby
  • Seal Sepia Tabby
  • Seal Mink Tabby
  • Seal Lynx Point
  • Black Silver Tabby
  • Seal Silver Sepia Tabby
  • Seal Silver Mink Tabby
  • Seal Silver Lynx Point
• Accepted patterns ONLY: Spotted, Marbled, Charcoal Spotted and Charcoal Marbled
• Allowable Outcrosses: None

HEAD STANDARD

Shape

BG: Broad modified wedge with rounded contours. Longer than it is wide. Slightly small in proportion to the body, without exaggeration. The skull behind the ears makes a gentle curve and flows into the neck. Allow for jowls in adult males. The overall look of the head should be as distinct as possible from that of an ordinary domestic cat.

BGL: Broad modified wedge, rounded contours, longer than it is wide, slightly small in proportion to the body, without exaggeration. The skull behind the ears makes a gentle curve and flows into the neck. Allow for jowls in adult males. "Feathering" behind the ears and forming a ruff is desirable, creating a rounded effect from the front that frames the head. A mane is acceptable but not required. The overall look of the head should be as distinct as possible from that of an ordinary domestic cat.

Ears

BG: Medium to small, relatively short, broad at the base with rounded tips. Set as much on the side as on the top of the head; from the front they follow the contour of the face and, in profile, point forward. Light horizontal furnishings are acceptable; lynx tipping is undesirable.

BGL: Medium to small, relatively short, broad at the base with rounded tips. Set as much on the side as on the top; they follow the contour of the face from the front and point forward in profile. Horizontal furnishings are acceptable. Lynx tipping is allowed.

Eyes

Oval, almost round. Large but not bulging. Set well apart, back on the face, with a slight slant toward the base of the ear. Eye color is independent of coat color, except in lynx points. The richer and deeper the color, the better.

Chin

Strong chin, in line with the tip of the nose in profile.

Muzzle

Full and broad, with large, prominent whisker pads and high, pronounced cheekbones. Slight muzzle break at the level of the whisker pads.

Nose

Large and wide; nose leather slightly "puffed".

Profile

The curve of the forehead should flow into the bridge of the nose without a break. The bridge of the nose extends above the eyes; the line of the bridge continues to the tip of the nose, forming a very slight concave curve, almost straight.

Neck

Long, substantial and muscular, in proportion to the head and body.

BODY STANDARD

Torso

Long and substantial, neither oriental nor foreign. Medium to large (but not as large as the largest domestic breed).

Legs

BG: Medium length, slightly longer in the back than in the front.
BGL: Medium length, slightly longer in the back than in the front. "Britches" should be medium to short. Hair between the toes is acceptable.

Feet

Large, round, with prominent knuckles.

Tail

BG: Medium length, thick, tapering toward the end with a rounded tip.
BGL: Medium length, thick, tapering toward the end with a rounded tip. The tail coat should be long and full. Allow for a shorter-haired tail in kittens.

Boning

Sturdy and firm; never delicate.

Musculature

Very muscular, especially in males, one of the most distinctive features.

COAT / COLOR / PATTERN

Length

BG: Short to medium. Allow for a slightly longer coat in kittens.
BGL: Medium to long, close-lying, with furnishings. Allow for a slightly shorter coat in kittens.

Texture

Dense and luxurious, close-lying, unusually soft and silky to the touch.

Patterns

Spotted, Marbled, Charcoal Spotted and Charcoal Marbled.

Spotted:
Spots should be random or aligned horizontally. Rosettes showing two distinct colors or shades ("paw print", "arrowhead", "doughnut"/half-doughnut or clustered shapes) are preferred over single spots, but not required. Contrast with the ground color should be extreme, with a well-defined pattern and sharp edges.
Desirable: strong chin markings ("chin strap") and a facial "mascara". A virtually white belly and underside are desirable.
Also desirable: blurred horizontal stripes, spotted legs, and a spotted or rosetted tail.
The belly must be spotted.

Brown Tabby

All variations of brown are allowed. Markings in shades of brown to black.
Desirable: light "spectacles" around the eyes and an almost white ground color on the whisker pads, chin, chest, belly and inner legs.

Seal Sepia Tabby / Seal Mink Tabby / Seal Lynx Point Tabby

The pattern may be in various shades of brown. There should be little difference between the color of the body markings and the color of the points.

GENERAL

The goal of the Bengal breeding program is to develop a domestic cat with physical features distinctive of the small wild forest felines, but with the loving, dependable temperament of the domestic cat.

Judges should especially reward the features that set the Bengal apart from other domestic breeds: an athletic, alert, friendly, curious and confident animal, with strength, agility, balance and grace. Medium to large, with a very muscular and solid build.

A broad nose, prominent whisker pads and large oval/almost round eyes in a slightly small head enhance the wild look and nocturnal expression. A very slight concave profile, almost straight, and relatively short ears with a broad base and rounded tips complete the unique appearance.

The short, dense coat has an unusually soft and silky feel. The coat may or may not have "glitter", with no preference for either type. A thick, low-set, medium-length tail adds balance to the cat.

ALLOWANCES

• Smaller females, provided they are proportionate and balanced
• Slightly longer coat in kittens
• Jowls in adult males
• Slightly almond-shaped eyes
• "Mousy" undercoat
• Paw pads not fully consistent with the color group description

PENALIZE

• In spotted: body spots joining vertically to form a mackerel tabby pattern
• In marbled: circular "bulls-eye" pattern
• In Seal Sepia/Mink/Lynx Point: points substantially darker than the body markings, except in Charcoal Sepia/Mink/Lynx Point
• Any obvious locket on the neck, chest, abdomen or any other area

WITHHOLD AWARDS (WW)

• Belly not patterned

TEMPERAMENT AND GENERAL DISQUALIFICATIONS

Temperament must be gentle.
Any clear sign of aggression results in disqualification.

Mandatory disqualifications include:

• Biting
• Fraud
• Males without two testicles
• Unauthorized absence of tail
• Unauthorized polydactyly
• Tail defects (where required)
• Strabismus (where required)
• Total blindness
• Incompatible size
• Chest deformity