Exotic Colours and Coat Patterns 

Please read this link as it has a very basic reference to genetics in general. But also includes information on red as well as information on cinnamon. https://cfa.org/.../2024/02/ColorsPatternsGenetics.pdf

Hi All I'm not going to go into the "normal" colours readily available for people to purchase.  Those can be easily seen and identified almost everywhere when searching Bengals.  I'm going to "try" to give people an idea of the more unusual and exotic colour/pattern combinations that I have come across and also bred. 

My Adonis is one of those more unusual colour combinations in Australia, not saying that he is the only one but from what I have seen there are not too many out there.  His current litter with Umbra a standard brown has produced a Silver kitten, this has proven that he is a Silver.  Silver is classified as a dominant gene meaning, the cat has to be a Silver to be able to produce a Silver. So for Silver testing atm this is the best test readily available. 

I know from his DNA test and the above kitten that he is basically a Seal (or Snow) Silver Lynx point that carries a double Charcoal gene (which was classified from his DNA test).  Which is why he has such a dark mask which contrasts so beautifully with his stunning blue eyes. 

A Charcoal Bengal (Apb/a or Apb,Apb agouti genes) creates a darker than the traditional recognized Bengal colour. The black smokey charcoal colour was particularly seen in early generation F1 and F2 Bengals. 

The Charcoal trait is inherited of colour and can be seen in each colour class: Browns, Silvers, Snows (Lynx), Mink, Sepia and even Blues

I might not always be correct in my analysis of them but I'm only too happy to be corrected. 

The Silver Bengal

Yes Silvers are not so rare or unusual. But when added to another colour becomes harder to see and identify. Particularly as there are very few tests available to DNA this colour. 

MOST OF MY CURRENT LITTER WITH SHANDY ARE Seal Silver Lynx Charcoals. But the Silver is still very hard to visually see but WHICH WILL BE STUNNING ONCE fully mature

Silver (I, i or I,I inhibitor gense) is more lack of colour. This gene inhibits any warm colours and gives an almost white base coat contrasted with striking dark markings. 

The Silver colour was added to TICA championship in 2004 for the Bengal Breed.

Silver cats come in different shades with backgrounds varying from white to a very dark steel grey colour.

Silvers can also be found in any other colour combination: Silver Snow, Silver Charcoal, Blue Silver etc.....

A silver bengal also has:

  • As little tarnish (yellow/rusting brown) in the main coat as possible
  • A Dark grey to jet black markings
  • A black tail tip
  • A brick red nose
  • Green or golden eyes.

This gene is known as the silver gene and controls the degree of “shading”.
• “I” is the mutant and is dominant.
• “i” is recessive and is the wild type.
• Shading causes the agouti band to be lighter in color. It can also cause the agouti band to be wider (Wb), so much so that the agouti ban extends all the way to the root. The effect is to produce a hair shaft that has a colored tip in whatever color is determined by the color
genes.
• When the light colored hair shaft is near white, it is called Silver. When it is a warm cream color, it is called Golden.

Doughnut/Donut and Clouded Rosettes

Clouded Rosettes

The Bengal rosetted pattern features here is more unusual in that it doesn’t really look like something you would call rosetted at all.

This category comprises of larger, less numerous, stretched ‘clouds,’ many of which have a thicker, darker rim on one edge.

There is also less spacing (known in the business as ‘acreage’) between each.

Breeders here aim to create rosetted Bengals with the pattern found on the coat of the Clouded Leopard, which is one of the smaller-sized of the big cats.

Clouded rosettes are large, full rosettes that appear to fit together like a puzzle with little spacing (acreage) in between.

Inspired by the Clouded Leopard’s coat, this reticulated spotting has an almost snake-like appearance.

Doughnut/Donut Rosettes and Pancakes

Doughnut or donut rosettes (depending on where in the world you’re from) are a recent development in the Bengal cat coat world, taking years of selective breeding to achieve.

They too have a lighter central patch, but differ to paw print rosettes in that they have a darker perimeter which encloses the lighter patch (as opposed to ‘dark toes’).

This perimeter may not fully close the central patch, but any gaps are much narrower than those on a paw print rosette.

Doughnut/donut rosettes can form linked, horizontal chains- so- called chain rosetting.

These run along each side of the cat’s spine, and good examples are found in Ocelots.

Pancake rosettes differ to the doughnuts/donuts in that are generally larger but have a thinner outline.

Jaguars were the template for this pattern.