The Bengal

BENGAL BREED GROUP (BG/BGL)

HEAD...............35 points Shape........................ ...6 Ears........................... ...6 Eyes........................... ...5 Chin........................... ...3 Muzzle........................ ...4 Nose........................... 2 Profile........................ ...6

HEAD:

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

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, Spotted, marbled, charcoal spotted and charcoal marbled patterns ONLY. PERMISSIBLE OUTCROSSES: None.

BG Length: Short to medium. Allowance for slightly longer coat in kittens.
BGL Length: Medium to long, lying close to the body, with furnishings. Allowance for slightly shorter coat in kittens. Texture: Dense and luxurious, close-lying, unusually soft and silky to the touch.

Patterns: Spotted, Marbled, Charcoal Spotted, Charcoal Marbled.

Seal Sepia Tabby, Seal Mink Tabby, and Seal Lynx Point Tabby: Pattern can be various shades of brown. There should be very little difference between the color of the body (pattern) markings and point color.

ALLOWANCES: Smaller size, in balanced proportion of females. Slightly longer coat in kittens. Jowls in adult males. Eyes slightly almond shaped. Mousy undercoat. Paw pads not consistent with color group description. PENALIZE: Spots on body running together vertically forming a mackerel tabby pattern on spotted cats; circular bulls-eye pattern on marbled cats; substantially darker point color (as compared to color of body markings) in Seal Sepia, Seal Mink, or Seal Lynx Point cats EXCEPT in the case of any Charcoal Sepia, Charcoal Mink or Charcoal Lynx Point cats. Any distinct locket on the neck, chest, abdomen or any other area.

WITHOLD ALL AWARDS (WW): Belly not patterned.

Shape: Broad modified wedge with rounded contours. Longer than it is wide. Slightly small in proportion to body, but not to be taken to extreme. The skull behind the ears makes a gentle curve and flows into the neck. Allowance to be made for jowls in adult males. Overall look of the head should be as distinct from the domestic cat as possible.

BGL: Feathering behind the ears and into ruff, giving a frontal effect of roundness framing the head is desirable. A mane is acceptable but not required.
Ears: Medium to small, relatively short, with wide base and rounded tops. Set as much on side as top of head, following the contour of the face in the front view, and pointing forward in the profile view. Light horizontal furnishings acceptable.

BGL: Lynx tipping is permissible.
Eyes: Oval, almost round. Large, but not bugged. Set wide apart, back into face, and on slight bias toward base of ear. Eye color independent of coat color except in the lynx points. The more richness and depth of color the better.
Chin: Strong chin, aligns with tip of nose in profile. Muzzle: Full and broad, with large prominent whisker pads and high, pronounced cheekbones. Slight muzzle break at the whisker pads.
Nose: Large and wide; slightly puffed nose leather. Profile: Curve of the forehead should flow into the bridge of the nose with no break. Bridge of nose extends above the eyes; the line of the bridge extends straight to the nose tip.
Neck: Long substantial, muscular; in proportion to the head and body.
BODY:
Torso: Long and substantial, athletic. Medium to large (but not quite as large as the largest domestic breed).
BG Legs: Medium length, slightly longer in the back than in the front.
BGL Legs: Medium length, slightly longer in the back than in the front.
Britches should be medium to short Toe hair is acceptable.
Feet: Large, round, with prominent knuckles.
BG Tail: Medium length, thick, tapered at the end with a rounded tip.
BGL Tail: Medium length, thick, tapered at the end with a rounded tip. The tail hair should be long and voluminous. Allowance for shorter tail hair in kittens.
Boning: Sturdy, firm; not delicate.

CATEGORIES: All.
Musculature: Very muscular, especially in the males, one of the most distinguishing features.