If you are thinking to adopt a Bengal kitten for your home just wait now make your decision only after you read this article.
There are various Bengal cat colors and patterns option that can give you a brief idea about your choice and preferences.
If you like Snow Leopards like animals then you can adopt any type of snow Bengal coat color like Seal Sepia or Seal Lynx.
Well, if you like dark color cats with wild looks like Panthers then you can get a Melanistic Bengal feline. The entire range of Bengal cat colors and patterns is surprising and magical. So, let check us more about it now!
Bengal Cat Colors
On the Bengal cat colors and patterns first, we will check colors and then patterns. The following list is the accepted color and nonstandard color list of Bengal cats.
| Standard Bengal colors | Non- Standard Bengal colors |
|---|---|
| Brown | Black |
| Snow | Charcoal |
| Silver | Blue |
Black Bengals
They are also called melanistic this is because of the melanin pigment. It is responsible for the black color in Bengal cats. If you keenly observe them you can see the typical markings on their body which are hidden because of the abundance of black pigment on their body.
Well, you may see their marking in sunlight. Due to light, their marking can be faintly visible at some specific angles. They can carry glittery copper, green or golden eyes.
These Blacky Bengal cats are admired for their similarity to Black Panthers, with a foundation coat of marbled or spotted patterned prints that are nearly identical to one another. It gives them a dark black appearance.
They belong to a, a agouti genes. They are uncommon and not so famous as it is not the basic breed color and so not officially accepted by organizations.
The dense black color is the ideal choice for you if you want a miniature Black Panther for your home.
Blue Bengals
These are exceptional and full spirited color Bengal cats. Their body markings range from grey to blue. They are the pretty exotic cats who have jungle cat influence while also possessing the refinement of a British shorthair.
Fun fact: In the 1950s and 1960s, the breed was produced by crossing an Asian leopard with domestic shorthair cats, both intentionally and accidentally.
They have 16 years of life expectancy. A Blue Bengal’s color is grey or powder blue with cream tones. Metal grey or dark blue marks might be spotted or marbled.
Talking about their eye color they usually have a hazel brown color or green eyes.
Brown Bengals
Brown Bengal cats have either green color or golden eyes also they are widely famous.
You spot them in the following color range
- Creamy
- Caramel
- Red
- Golden
- Orange
- Honey
- Orange brown
- Butter coat
Butter coat is considered to be a standard base coat of Brown Bengal cats. Be it dark-colored chestnut or black markings, which can be different solid rosettes, marbling, or can even be tricolor, often a dark outline design with tones of browns inside, like grey tawny to warm orange tone which contrasts well with this base coat.
Fun fact: Do you know In the year 1983, Brown Bengal cats were the first to be acknowledged by the international cat association?
They generally have a red nose, brownish to jet black prints on their body, and they have a white tummy.
Charcoal Bengals
These color types of Bengal cats have an extra masking layer other than the color layer. It is often described as the ghost layer. They are darker than traditional Bengal felines and have recessive traits.
The early generation of F1 and F2 Bengals had a black smoky charcoal tint. You can see Charcoal layers in a wide range of colors, such as charcoal silver, charcoal brown, and so on.
Generally, they tend to have dark faces and dark thick trips on their back also called a cape. You can spot charcoal features in all color classes, including browns, silvers, snows (mink charcoal, lynx charcoal, sepia charcoal), and blues.
Silver Bengals
Fun Fact: In 2004, the Bengal breed received a silver color in the TICA championship.
These are unique and unusual color-type under Bengal cats. And, due to this, it is also quite popular. The coat of a silver Bengal can be anywhere from pure white to black dark, grey, silver charcoal, blue silver, silver snow, or with dozens of shades in between.
Basically, they have a white base coat. If you spot them outside at first glance you may get confused and think they are Seal Lynx or Seal Mink. However, Silver Bengal cat’s coats, on the other hand, are distinctly on the cooler side of the hue spectrum.
You can distinguish them from other Bengal cats’ colors easily by noticing the absence of warm colors. They will not have warm colors like orange color, yellow color, or brown color.
These Bengals stand out among their cousin’s thanks to their dark patterns on silvery fur. Their eyes can be a variety of hues, such as green or golden, and will contrast nicely with their fur.
Types of Snow Bengal Cats Colors
Next, on the list of Bengal cat colors and patterns are the snow color spectrum.
Well, are you fond of leopards? Well, then the next Bengal cat color is Snow Lynx which can be considered as a mini version of Snow Leopards.
These often resemble Albinism which is Siamese and Burmese cat’s descent.
If you are thinking they are pure white color Bengal cats then you are wrong my friend.
| Unique colors of Snow Bengal cats |
|---|
| Seal Sepia Bengal |
| Seal Lynx Bengal |
| Seal Mink Bengal |
Differentiating between the three seal Bengal cat hues might be challenging. The best way to tell the three Snow Bengals apart is to do a DNA test. Alternatively, the color of one’s eyes can help discern the hue of a white Bengal.
Snow Sepia
Snow Sepia shade is also recognized as “brown snow Bengal” they belong to Cs, Cs color genes and have supreme contrast coats. They have many colors like ivory, light tan color, and even cream color too.
Their tail tip is a darker brown shade, and they have gorgeous green color or golden color eyes. They come in a wide spectrum of colors, from seal sepia to dark seal sepia designs.
Snow Lynx
Snow Lynx Bengal cats are lighter in the shade of all the other snow categories. You have easily recognized them if you see pale cream or ivory coat matching with blue eyes.
They belong to Cs, Cs color genes and have either dark or faded seal marking on their body. They obtained their physical traits from Siamese cats’ descent.
They are whole white when they are born and get marking once they start getting mature. The tip of the tail is always in a dark seal brown in color.
Snow Mink
If you compare Snow Minks with Snow Lynx they usually have darker color patterns on their body, and they also belong to Cs, Cs color genes types.
You may find them in warm colors, creamy tan color-matching. Even they have dark seal brown colored tail point. You can say these color types of Bengal cats are mix combo of Seal Lynx and Seal Sepia Genes.
They have aquamarine eyes. However, they are rare and therefore quite expensive also.
Bengal Cat Patterns
Generally, there are two types of standard patterns for Bengal cats.
- Spotted (rosetted)
- Marbled
They can carry any of these patterns. However, it also depends on breeding and ancestry. It gives them different contrast
Spotted
You can see the listed below varieties of spotted patterns on the Bengal cat’s bodies.
| Types of Spotted Bengal Cat Patterns |
|---|
| Arrowhead Rosettes |
| Chain Rosetting |
| Clouded Rosettes |
| Cluster Rosettes |
| Donut Rosettes |
| Paw-print Rosettes |
| Single-Spotted |
1. Arrowhead Rosettes
This pattern is quite alluring and attractive and is quite rare. This pattern has a triangular arrowhead and the head of the tip will be running away from her head and towards the tail.
These patterns work great as camouflage in the forest you will find it tough to point them on fallen leave ground or in the middle of the trees.
You can see them in single spotted or in dark rims with a lighter background that faints into their main coat. Some Asian Leopard Cats can carry arrowhead coat patterns, which are obviously created by domestic cats hybrid.
2. Chain Rosetting
When you connect donut rosettes in a row together in a horizontal sequence you will see chain rosetting. It will be present on their spine running parallelly.
You can these patterns on Ocletos wild cats also.
3. Clouded Rosettes
These patterns on Bengal cats give you a look of them walking on a snakeskin. They have large spots on their body like a puzzle with zero spacing.
They have dark-colored very dense rim on the edges. As per breeders’ knowledge, they may look like a miniature of clouded leopards.
4. Cluster Rosettes
These patterns refer to small spots molded in a cluster nearby the main center color. These patterns are present Ocelot wild cats and leopards also
5. Donut Rosettes
This pattern is quite new, and it took ages to develop this pattern breed. These pattern breeds have light color patches and dark color edges.
Jaguars can be a perfect example of these print patterns.
6. Paw-print Rosettes
As the name suggests they look like paws.
Shaded spots with tiny dark spots on the margin form paw-print rosettes are called paw-prints spots.
7. Single-Spotted
The design is made up of small monochromatic dots that are dispersed throughout a contrasting base coat with no color gradients.
Marbled
| Type of Marbled Patterns |
|---|
| Horizontal Flowing |
| Reduced horizontal flow |
| Sheeted flow |
| Chaos pattern |
A horizontally flowing, irregular, unsymmetrical pattern made composed of swirls and stripes of two or more colors denotes the exemplary Marble Bengal cat.
Fun fact: Jean Mill developed the first marbled kitten, which he named Millwood Painted Desert.
Sparbled
The mixed combination of spotted and marble patterns is the result of the sparbled pattern. It is not standard print and not acknowledged by the cat association. But, it is still extremely stunning.
Notably when there’s a lot of empty space between the chaotic patterns. When it is combined with clouded or charcoal patterns, these coat variations can become even more striking, resulting in a truly distinctive Bengal.
I hope, now you clearly know about Bengal cat colors and patterns!
Well, That’s a Wrap!
En routing our journey of Bengal cat colors and patterns you will learn there are 3 recognized Bengal cats colors. The colors are brown, snow, and silver, and three unrecognized colors: black, blue, and charcoal.
The snowy color range has 3 different color varieties Seal Sepia, Seal Lynx, and Seal Mink. Well, the pattern prints on these cats are either spotted or marbled. And, the fusion of both the pattern prints is recognized as Sparbled.
There are glitter, white stomach, and long-haired Bengals also in the market and these are additional characteristics.
If you like this article, then please leave your comment down below. Also, do share it with other cat owners too.
References
- Bengal cat — Wikipedia
- Bengal cat facts — ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
- Bengal — Vet Street