Bengal, Ocicat, Egyptian Mau Or Just A Tabby?

[tampabookworm]

Was told he is a Bengal Mix, but he had the exact personality and traits of an Egyptian Mau & looks like an Ocicat - thoughts???

 

[lutece]

He is gorgeous! I would describe your cat as a brown mackerel tabby domestic shorthair. You could also describe his pattern as "broken mackerel" (which means that he has some spots and some stripes), although it's normal for mackerel tabbies to have some of their stripes broken up into spots like that. Broken mackerel is a very common tabby pattern in domestic cats. Most cats are not any particular breed, and are not mixes of breeds (unlike dogs).

What do you know about his background? Lots of people describe cats with spots as "Bengal mix" simply because of the pattern, so perhaps that is why you were told that he is a "Bengal mix"? It is theoretically possible that he might also have some Bengal in his ancestry, but I am not seeing any particular evidence for that in the pictures.

Personality traits are not a reliable indication of breed ancestry in random-bred cats.

 

[tampabookworm]

Note: he has an orange undercoat; is extremely interment, plays fetch, knows his name & comes when called; he is bonded to my SO and I, but prefers me; he follows me everywhere and has to know what I'm doing every second; he's extremely fast and can jump straight up 5 feet+; he's protective of his home and hisses at complete strangers, but if he knows you he is very social and loving; he's also very possessive - of his toys and if his humans.

 

[tampabookworm]

He is gorgeous! I would describe your cat as a brown mackerel tabby domestic shorthair. You could also describe his pattern as "broken mackerel" (which means that he has some spots and some stripes), although it's normal for mackerel tabbies to have some of their stripes broken up into spots like that. Broken mackerel is a very common tabby pattern in domestic cats. Most cats are not any particular breed, and are not mixes of breeds (unlike dogs).

What do you know about his background? Lots of people describe cats with spots as "Bengal mix" simply because of the pattern, so perhaps that is why you were told that he is a "Bengal mix"? It is theoretically possible that he might also have some Bengal in his ancestry, but I am not seeing any particular evidence for that in the pictures.

Personality traits are not a reliable indication of breed ancestry in random-bred cats.

I don't have much on his background. We adopted him from someone who was also selling Bengal kittens. I did not see the parents.

 

[lutece]

He sounds like a wonderful and very entertaining cat! All of the personality traits that you describe are also seen in random-bred domestic shorthair cats. Pedigreed cats are not the only ones with interesting personality traits

If the person was also selling Bengal kittens, it is possible that your cat may have Bengal ancestry. It's also possible that their "Bengal" kittens are simply spotted domestic shorthairs (sometimes that happens, too), or are not bred to a show standard. Did you see pictures of the Bengals that they sell?

 

[tampabookworm]

He sounds like a wonderful and very entertaining cat! All of the personality traits that you describe are also seen in random-bred domestic shorthair cats. Pedigreed cats are not the only ones with interesting personality traits

If the person was also selling Bengal kittens, it is possible that your cat may have Bengal ancestry. It's also possible that their "Bengal" kittens are simply spotted domestic shorthairs (sometimes that happens, too), or are not bred to a show standard. Did you see pictures of the Bengals that they sell?

I did see the kittens and they surely looked like Bengals to me. They had the circles of black filled with a lighter color. I didn't photograph them or pay too much attention to them as I wasn't looking to spend $200 on a kitten.

 

[lutece]

Rosettes (circular spots) would definitely be a sign that those kittens had some Bengal ancestry, although they may not be purebreds (especially if they only cost $200). It's quite possible in that case that your kitten might have some Bengal ancestry as well, even though it's not apparent.

 

[tampabookworm]

Rosettes (circular spots) would definitely be a sign that those kittens had some Bengal ancestry, although they may not be purebreds (especially if they only cost $200). It's quite possible in that case that your kitten might have some Bengal ancestry as well, even though it's not apparent.

Thank you Lutece!!!

 

[jefferd18]

While his body is classic tabby, his face, his eyes, give me the impression that he has some Bengal in him.