Early Generation Bengals

"Generations of Love"

Bengal cats are a domesticated breed created from a hybrid of the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) and the domestic cat. Offspring from the pairing of these two will start our new early generation, F1, G2, and G3. These 3 generations are considered "foundation" or "early generation" Bengals. Early generation males (F1-G3) are frequently infertile, so female early generation Bengals are bred to fertile domestic Bengal males of later generations.

Jean Mill

Jean Mill is best known as the founder of the modern Bengal cat breed. Mill sought to create a hybrid breed that had the appearance of a wild cat in hopes that people who supported the fur trade would find it more difficult to purchase furs if they were similar in appearance to their own pets. She and other pioneer breeders successfully crossed the wild Asian Leopard Cat with a domestic cat and backcrossed the offspring through 5 generations to create the domestic Bengal. In 1986 Jean Mill got the Bengal cat accepted into The International Cat Association (TICA).

EG Characteristics

Early generation Bengals will be generally smaller in size in comparison to the Stud Book Tradition (SBT) Bengal. SBTs are classified when they are G4, G5...They will have more wild features, however not as prominent as that of the Asian Leopard CAT. As a breeder, we try to pass this look on down to SBT lines. Some characteristics such as the puffy whisker pads, large pink leathery nose, strong chins, rounded ears, and the gorgeous large nocturnal eyes with a dark amber color. Aside from the beautiful physical characteristics, the early generation Bengals have some quirky characteristics, too! EG Bengals have a strong long yowl rather than the sweet meows you hear from your domestic cats. It can be long and drawn out. EGs have incredible jumping capabilities. Far from the usual jumping cats, they can average much higher distances. Some can average, from standstill, up to 7-8ft vertically and even more horizontally. It's pretty amazing to watch. Water, many Bengals happen to love water, a characteristic passed down from their wild ancestors, so you'll find that early generations gravitate towards it in any chance they get. Ours will play in the fountain, put the toys in for a water bowl bath before tossing it up in the air as prey. Sinks, tubs, cups, toilets you have to keep a watchful eye because they're very clever and will also learn how to turn on simple faucets. These characteristics are all what make these beautiful Bengals unique!

Percentages

Breeding an Asian Leopard Cat to a domestic cat results in an F1 that is generally considered 50% wild. The G2 (formerally, F2) would be considered 25% wild, and G3 would be 12.5% wild. After the 4th generation (SBT), the percentage of wild is estimated around 10%. Percentages for crossing an ALC with any other cat than a Bengal: F1- 50% G2- 25% G3-12.5% G4- 6.25% Percentages from crossing an ALC with a Bengal: ALC x F1- 75% ALC x G2- 62.5% ALC x G3- 56.25% ALC x G4-53.12% and so on... A Bengal with more of a wild percentage will show characteristics of a wildly behaved cat. Early generations aren't know to be as loving and attached to their persons as the later generational Bengals. So, the goal for most Bengal breeders is to develop that beautiful exotic look while developing down the lines a more loving and affectionately tempered Bengal cat for families to love upon.

Goals

As ethical breeders our goals are to create Bengal kittens with amazing temperments, being friendly and affectionate, while still having that beautiful exotic leopard look. We want to uphold the standards of this breed by producing kittens with a wild type face, so, rounded ears (like a satellite dish), straight profile, strong chin, puffy whisker pads, straight tram lines going up the head between the ears, large pink leathery nose, and large nocturnal deep amber eyes. The body of our Bengals to be athletic, with longer hind muscular legs, short thicker tail, spots going down the legs, and a spotted white underbelly. Not all can be achieved overnight but with careful and selective breeding we can reach our goals.