 |
 |
 |
 |
History
To really understand the history of the Bengal breed you must first acquaint yourself with the Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus Bengalensis). The ALC was first discovered in the Indian Bay of Bengal where one was captured while swimming in the bay during the 1800s. This small leopard is the same size as the domestic cat but with a beautiful spotted leopard pattern and exquisitely soft coat. The ALC was very common in various parts of Asia at that time and became highly sought after by the fur trade. It takes the hides from fifteen ALCs to make a fur coat. Needless to say many subspecies of the ALC quickly became endangered. In China where each item of clothing using ALC fur is required to be tagged and inventoried it is estimated that over 800,000 different cats are represented in the governmental records.
ALC Species | ALC Foundations | Bengal Breed History
Bengal Bulletin Article on Bristol Cats | Russian Ussuri Cat / Bengal Relatives
Large Prionailurus Viverrinus/Fishing Cat in the Wild
