The Bengal’s super soft, silky, luxurious short coat can be either Spotted or Marbled pattern. Meanwhile, some Bengals are lucky to have an amazing shimmering, sparkling effect on their coat which we call “glitter.”
The Spotted pattern resembles the spots of Leopards and Jaguars in Bengal cats as the coat features clearly outstanding spots and rosettes(two-toned spots). Bengal cat has various Spotted pattern sizes; small to large. Although rosettes are, in general, preferred to single-spotted, it does not require in the show.
The Marbled Bengal has a swirling marble pattern that appears as random swirls or thick diagonal and horizontal lines flowing across the coat of the cat. The Bengal cat is the only domestic feline that has rosettes. Those wildcats from around the world are the inspiration for the development of Bengal rosetted pattern.
- Bengal price DOES NOT depend on the types of Bengal pattern nor the size of rosettes. Each pattern has its own beauty. SILVERSQUAD evaluate our kittens base on Bengal Breed Standard.
Two types of Bengal coat pattern
1. Spotted pattern:
People mostly easily recognize Bengal cat from its distinctive spots or rosettes. There are many kinds of spotted tabby pattern depends on the size and shape of those markings. Each of them is called by many different names started from singled-spots to rosetted spots. the word ‘rosette’ for Bengal breed means the spots with two-toned contrasting colors that differ from the background color.
Examples of rosette types: Arrow-head rosettes, Paw-print rosettes, Donut/Pancake rosettes, and Clouded rosettes.
Some breeders have been developing rosettes over years and still ongoing. With the process called selective breeding. Bengal breeders managed to create various patterns similar to those wildcats as well as to evolve the size of the patterns. There can be various types of spots appear on one Bengal cat.
Some preferences for Spotted Bengals:
- Spots shall be random or aligned horizontally with well-balanced on both sides.
- Rosettes show two distinct colors or shades on a light background color.
- Extreme contrast with the ground color, giving a distinct pattern.
- The Belly must be spotted.
2. Marbled pattern:
Not only the rosetted Bengal can have the wild look, but also marbled Bengal with good type.
In marbled Bengal kitten, the marbled pattern usually changes and later becomes more beautiful during the first year of Bengal’s life. The more marbled kitten grows, the more pattern opens and reveals colors. The marble Bengal cat can produce Bengal litters with spotted or rosetted pattern. In the year 1987, Jean Mill introduced her first Marbled Bengal cat, followed by the acceptance of the marbled in the Bengal breed registry. Marbled pattern is a derivative of the classic tabby gene (or bull’s eye pattern) found in many breeds of domestic cats. In 1993, the first marble Bengal won championship status within TICA.
Some preferences for Marbled Bengals:
- Pattern shall be random, giving the marble-like impression with as little “bull’s-eye” similarity as possible.
- Horizontal flow is preferable.
- Contrast should be extreme with distinct shapes. The more shades of marbled pattern, the better; ground color, markings, and outlining of the markings.
- The belly must be patterned.
