this pager written in 2005
missing protos will be restored as time allows
Breeding for Better Bengals since 1987 
Producing Top Quality Kittens for sale
for Pets ... Breeding...and Show

Links to most of the pages on this website

Evaluating the Quality of Bengal Kittens.
A lot more than meets the eye!

 

Can you pick out the show/ breeding quality patterns? The pet quality patterns? Pattern and color are of high importance to all Bengal lovers. Big bold spots, rosettes, stripes, horizontal alignment, contrast, clarity all come into play when evaluation kittens. . Kittens on far right and left have more of a fuzzy looking baby coat. Part of this is the angle of the photo. above and left are same kittens, different lighting. Pattern is icing on the cake when looking for a show / breeding Bengal. You must do a hands on evaluation for skeletal structure; spine, tail, legs, ribs. Turn the head to evaluate size and profile and ear size and placement. Holding and stretching the kitten will help evaluate length and depth of body, as well as pattern development. .Patterns have changed a LOT since this page was first made in 2005...     Coat and Pattern Development at a week old this kitten looks rather fluffy and he had no rosette patterns, just spots at 6 to 7 weeks old rosettes starting to open up and coat looking shorter At 4 months old his coat is short and slick and his rosettes are really popping out He will continue to develop his pattern for several more months. You have to know the parents to look ahead at how a kitten will develop. Trendar Eagle went into show / breeding program. Trendar Eagle was born 03/09/2010 Below are the Father and Mother of Trendar Eagle Xzotica Comstock of Trendar; silver male Bishopsbengals Amulet of Trendar, brown spotted female     Longer denser fuzzy coat FUZZIES This is what we call the dull camouflage coat that develops on most Bengal kittens when they are starting to walk and explore their environment.  We believe it is carried over from the wild ancestors who have a very dense dull fuzzy baby coat, to help hide and protect them from potential predators. Look at the longer hair and the light colored hair.  You can see the intense black markings underneath.  It will come back again.  It is advisable to take photos of Bengal kittens before they are 4 weeks old, for reference of what will follow...  Light colored fuzzy coat.  Do not confuse a healthy fuzzy coat with the sick kitten who's coat looks greasy and messy. 3 weeks old, pattern / contrast looks vivid 7 weeks old, starting his fuzzy camouflage coat      Pattern When kitten takes a step, the stretch of his pattern makes a blob or elongated bar turn into spots or rosetting. Unfortunately young kittens do not understand how to pose. The stretch may look uncomfortable, but it does not hurt, To see the future, you need to see how a blob of color will look as he gets larger, you must see the flow of his body pattern. Extreme type and horizontal flow. Horizontal pattern flow, lean body type, heavy bone, seen on both these kittens.  Also clear background color, no black or white ticked  shading along the kittens back. See how this  kitten developed below 6 months later       Distinct circular bulls eye pattern 1 week old Look at the pattern on this kitten.  This is not desirable but there are many other things to consider. The shape of his spots indicate that they will develop into rosettes. The coat is short, clear color, conformation is good. Bulls eye rosettes 6 weeks old same Kitten, 5 Months old below   A few months of changing and this circular pattern is not even considered in evaluating  what this kitten has to offer.  Clear coat, vivid contrast, thick tail, long head, small round ears.. Judging quality is not always easy, even for the seasoned breeder...     no circular pattern on the other side...       Faces Markings on the face and head, like stripes on a zebra, or fingerprints, are unique for each kitten. Bold contrasting lines going over the head are desirable to a Tabby M pattern. White Spectacles around the eyes, wide, white whisker pads and white on the cheeks between the mascara lines are traits that add to the wild expression.   Left is an SBT Bengal, proper profile with mild dip between forehead and nose. Right is an F2 Female, lots of white on her face and puffy whisker pads. this face has not been achieved no most SBT Bengals.   Both cats have rounded ears. Mood and expressions change face shape and ear set. You must have a critical eye to judge head shape.   Eye Color Babies  usually open there eyes at about 7 to 10 days old When first opened they look black, turning light blue,  at about 9 to 10 weeks old starting to turn the adult color. Black eye liner also develops with age. Most Bengals have green or gold eyes, varying in intensity. Large, Rounded, Deeper colors and dark eye liner are preferred for showing. Only the Lynx and Mink Snow colors have aqua or blue eyes.   Ear Size and Placement Ears should be well rounded and small,  set as much on top as on the sides of the head. set to wide  set to high, medium, well rounded to large, very rounded, set to high   set is good but to large and pointed ears with good set and good size, but very pointed. Excellent facial markings and nice wide muzzle Baby blue eyes these kittens have small rounded ears with good set    Sometimes you have a Bad Ear Day.. Pose and Expression have a lot to do with the way ear size looks in photos. The parents of these kittens are Champion and Double Grand CH. This is only a hint of what goes into evaluating a kitten for you. to read the TICA standards for a Show Bengal Click Here Holly@BengalSpot.com