Authentic Tabby Bengal Mix

[juniperjackal]

I have seen a lot of posts about people wondering if their kitty is a Bengal mix. I have a confirmed Tabby Bengal mix. Tabbys and Bengals are awesome cats. If you are lucky enough to have a true mix, congratulations! My baby boy (now 1 years old) is named Stacks. He is gorgeous and has a HUGE personality. Key features to look for is coloring. Stacks has some lighter brown/reddish stripes on his face and jaw. He has spots on his tummy and all black on the bottom of his paws. He is long and lanky. It can be hard to tell between a spotted Tabby and a mix. If you really want to know, consult with you vet. I posted a few pics of Stacks. I have seen a few posts of kittens that look exactly like him. Personality wise, he is a dog. He chews on everything, fetches and knows how to play hide and seek. He is the most intelligent animal I have ever owned.

 

[juniperjackal]

Sorry, he is a bit chubby. He has broken into every locked food bin we have purchased.

 

[lutece]

He's an absolutely gorgeous cat!

Since you say that he is a confirmed Bengal mix, you probably have information about his history, since there's nothing obvious in the pictures (such as rosetted spots) that would betray his ancestry. Did he have a Bengal mom that snuck out and got pregnant by accident?

He sounds like a real character, and it's great that you have him

For the benefit of others wondering about their cats, I'll just address a couple of other things you mentioned.

• Spots on the tummy are a normal part of the mackerel tabby and classic tabby patterns, and don't indicate Bengal or any other particular breed ancestry. Black on the bottom of the paws is normal for all brown tabbies. Warm brown and reddish markings on the face are normal for tabbies, as well.
• Veterinarians don't get any specific training in cat breed identification. A veterinarian cannot confirm whether your cat is a specific breed or mix of breeds.
• Personality varies a lot between cats, and isn't a reliable way to determine a cat's breed or breed mix.

 

[jen]

Tabby is a coat pattern. Bengal is a breed. All Bengals are tabbys. I don't understand what you mean by a confirmed mix? He doesn't look like a Bengal at all really.

 

[juniperjackal]

Yes. His mom is a short haired domestic Tabby and his dad is a Bengal. As I said in my post, it is hard to tell. No, your vet cannot 100% confirm a breed. But, they can help. Sorry I was not 100% specific. I am not a hard core cat breed person. Just trying to be positive and help a bit. I am not an expert. Thank you Lutece for the extra needed info! I know it will help people. I was just trying to share my experience with an actual Bengal mix. Apparently I should not have. Some skeptics out there. Lol

 

[jen]

No skeptic if one of the parents is a papered Bengal, then you sure do have a Bengal mix with domestic. I am just pointing out it that tabby isn't a breed is all.

 

[lutece]

Yes. His mom is a short haired domestic Tabby and his dad is a Bengal.

That's interesting! Usually when people know their cat has one pedigreed ancestor, it's the other way around (the pedigreed mom got out). Was the breeder bringing a domestic outcross into their breeding program?

Stacks sounds like a lot of fun! Is there a story behind his name?

 

[juniperjackal]

Was the breeder bringing a domestic outcross into their breeding program?

Stacks sounds like a lot of fun! Is there a story behind his name?
[/QUOTE]

Very interesting story! I found Stacks at a brewery. He is named after the place. Figured he was about six months. I posted a few pics to see if anyone was missing him in our community FB page. Finally took him to the vet and they found a chip! It took many phone calls, but my vet finally told me the original owner agreed that I could email them. I also was given his address. I contacted the original owner and did some research. They were running a scam. They had a male Bengal they were breeding with short haired domestics. It was very sad. The guy had so many cats he was using to breed these kittens and he was telling people they were pure bred. Stacks was dumped because he was a runt and did not have any distinctive markings. The original owner actually tried to charge me, but gave up. I went to the original vet he was chipped at. Bengal dad was on file. I did a lot of detective work. I wanted to expose them. Anyways, let me know if you have any other questions. Every time I tell this story people are like, woah. Haha. And if you have any suggestions on how to get a cat to stop eating everything in sight, that would be awesome. I caught him trying to eat some screws today as I was building new furniture. I watch him like a hawk.

 

[lutece]

He microchipped Stacks at the vet, had the microchip number registered in his name, and then dumped him? That's strange. Most backyard breeders don't bother to microchip kittens. Not very smart, either, since dumping a cat is a crime.

It's a good thing you and Stacks found each other

 

[juniperjackal]

No, they were not smart at all! I live in a small town where so many cats are dumped. He is an awesome cat.