Ashanti Bengals

The “Brown Spotted Tabby” (BST) bengal has the potential for two types of markings: 1) “spots” (markings of one color only); and 2) “rosettes” (bi-colored markings surrounded by a different background color). Often a BST bengal will have a combination of rosette sub-types and also some one-color spots.

The domestic bengal is meant to resemble it’s wild ancestor, the Asian Leopard Cat (ALC) or other small, forest-dwelling wild cats.

The most common rosettes on an ALC are:

Arrow Head Rosettes: markings consisting of a dark arrow head-shaped outline filled, or partially filled, with a second color which is different than the background color

Paw Print Rosettes : markings consisting of: a group of several dark, unconnected spots in a rough circle surrounding a different color than the background color

Shadow Rosettes: markings consisting of a dark spot (regular or irregular shaped, large or small) closely aligned to an under-lying marking of a second color which is different than the background color

Note on these ALC photos below (click on the thumbnail to view the larger photo or slideshow), that there is often a mixture of rosette types and spots:

Another type of rosette, rarely seen on the ALC, but present on the Margay and Ocelot (small wild cats which are NOT ancestors of the bengal) are the:

Doughnut or Partial Doughnut Rosettes: a circle or partial circle of a very dark color, filled with a second color which is different than the background color of the cat

Note on these photos of Margays and Ocelots below (click on the thumbnail to view the larger photo or slideshow), that the doughnut pattern is medium sized (not huge!) and very horizontal:

Currently, there is a misconception among inexperienced bengal enthusiasts that one type of rosette is superior to all the others: the “doughnut rosette”. This is NOT true! A quick look at the Bengal Breed Standard of TICA, LOOF and FIFe (click to read the standards of each registry for yourself!) –show that all rosette sub-types are equal. What is important in assessing the BST pattern is: 1) the contrast between the colors of the rosette and the cats background color. The rosette should be extremely defined with a very dark color (preferably black) and a second reddish-brown color against a much lighter background; and 2) the placement of the markings. Markings should be aligned horizontally, diagonally or completely at random. But noticeable vertical alignment is not desirable.

FADING PATTERN: Remember, many Bengal’s markings have a tendancy to fade with age (black becoming brown, dark brown becoming lighter brown) while at the same time, the background color darkens becoming more and more orange.  Together these changes can combine to decrease the contrast and thus the beauty of an fully adult  or older bengal.  Buyers who wish to have a greater chance of avoiding this problem should choose cats whose markings are BLACK (not dark chocolate or dark brown) and whose background color is very light yellow, beige, ivory or tan, but NOT orange.  Don’t worry! a Bengal will almost ALWAYS gain in orange as it gets older. 

Good luck on your search for the perfect Bengal!