Bengal/tabby Mix???

[Jameson1020]

This is my cat Jameson! He's currently 6 months old and very active. When I adopted him I was told he was a tabby cat, but as he's grown (and I think he's big and very long for 6 months!) I've noticed things that could point to a possible bengal mix but I'm not a cat expert.

He's extremely playful, even plays fetch. He follows me all around the house and loves to explore. He jumps very high and he's very talkative. He also:

- is very long when stretched out
- has very long back legs (they almost look like rabbits feet)
- has rounded eyes
- spotted belly with spots that go around to his back
- black tipped tail
- white fur only around his mouth and whiskers
- very soft fur
- double front paws


Let me know what you think and if you'd like more pictures or info!

 

[Mystikal kitten]

I am able to tell you your kitty is a domestic shorthair Tabby seeing how he clearly has a well defined "M" on his face right above his eyes but other than that I don't know. Maybe one of the staff advisors will be of more assistance than I am seeing how I'm just learning about the different cat breeds.

 

[Jameson1020]

I am able to tell you your kitty is a domestic shorthair Tabby seeing how he clearly has a well defined "M" on his face right above his eyes but other than that I don't know. Maybe one of the staff advisors will be of more assistance than I am seeing how I'm just learning about the different cat breeds.

Thanks! Yes I know about the "M" on the forehead of tabbys but Bengals too have the M!

 

[abyeb]

Yes, he does appear to have some Bengal influence. He would be a mix though, so you can call him a brown spotted tabby Domestic Shorthair. Tabby is a color marking, btw, not a breed in itself.

Jameson is a very striking looking cat!

 

[Jameson1020]

Yes, he does appear to have some Bengal influence. He would be a mix though, so you can call him a brown spotted tabby Domestic Shorthair. Tabby is a color marking, btw, not a breed in itself.

Jameson is a very striking looking cat!

Haha see told ya I don't know much about cat breeds! But thanks for your opinion and help!! And yes, he's very handsome

 

[Mystikal kitten]

Haha see told ya I don't know much about cat breeds! But thanks for your opinion and help!! And yes, he's very handsome

At least I was partly right so I should get some of the credit.

 

[akaLuann]

Thanks! Yes I know about the "M" on the forehead of tabbys but Bengals too have the M!

I bred my cat to a beautiful Bengal and since then have seen thousand of pics. He definitely looks like a Bengal with Bengal traits. I am no expert but he looks part to me. Gorgeous at any rate. His markings are the same as my new kittens, mine are black and grey.

 

[StefanZ]

I agree, he is not just a broken mackerel tabby, he is spotted tabby for real.

And also, a bengal ancestry is quite probable. Granddad perhaps.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I agree, he is not just a broken mackerel tabby, he is spotted tabby for real.

And also, a bengal ancestry is quite probable. Granddad perhaps.

Just to clarify Stefan's remark about parentage, he was implying, I suspect, that Jameson was perhaps two generations removed from a cat who was at least three generations removed from F¹ (foundation) Bengal ancestry (since the first three filial generations are seldom sold as pets, and are generally reserved for breeding). Few catteries today actually breed using the Asian Leopard Cat and domestic cats together; the resulting foundation Bengals are difficult to work with, and much, much "wilder" than the F4 (and up) generation cats which we see at shows.

I don't know if any of the Centerwall Study cats which Jean Mill inherited are still represented in Bengal bloodlines, nor if William Engler's bloodlines (Abyssinian x Asian Leopard Cat) are still extant in 'modern' Bengal lines either, though Liz Kent's Bengals (Egyptian Mau x Asian Leopard Cat) are certainly well-represented in modern lines, and at least one cattery continued to breed (F³ Bengal x F² Bengal) with one of her (F²) sires as recently as the late 1990s. The Asian Leopard Cat genetics are diluted with each passing generation, and the temperament (and in some instances, the coat spotting) changes pretty dramatically.

Jameson really is a very pretty cat, and if you're genuinely interested in knowing his full ancestry, DNA marker (i.e. pedigree analysis) testing is relatively inexpensive these days.

.

 

[doubleL]

HI all. Great site. Im trying to figure out if our cat is a Bengal tabby mix also. She is the cutest thing. attaching pic. She is 8 years old already... and is a pure couch potato. she came from an abused home. But we gave her a loving home to be in now. We have worked with her lots. She is still a bit nervous around people. But she loves us to bits. thanks for any info.

 

[abyeb]

HI all. Great site. Im trying to figure out if our cat is a Bengal tabby mix also. She is the cutest thing. attaching pic. She is 8 years old already... and is a pure couch potato. she came from an abused home. But we gave her a loving home to be in now. We have worked with her lots. She is still a bit nervous around people. But she loves us to bits. thanks for any info.

I don't see any Bengal in her; Bengals have a longer body and different markings. Your kitty is very cute, and she would be a brown mackeral tabby and white Domestic Shorthair.

 

[Marsbert]

View attachment 189728

Hi guys! I just joined the site and am hijacking this thread for a moment to ask if you think my cat Missy might also be a bengal-tabby mix?

We think she's a mix of some kind with a "bigger" breed because of her big paws, long expressive whiskers, big eyes and lots of extra skin

 

[abyeb]

Beautiful kitty! I don't see any Bengal in her, their coloration is quite different, (more a golden chestnut brown) and they don't come in the mackeral (striped) tabby pattern, so your Missy would be called a brown mackeral tabby Domestic Shorthair. If she's larger than the average cat (so I'd say 13+ pounds for a female), then we might consider some giant breed influence. How much does Missy weigh?

 

[StefanZ]

Agree with Abyeb re Missy. A beautie, but no bengal.

Conclussion? You dont need to be a bengal, to be considered as a true beautie!

 

[MeganLLB]

Where can you buy a dna test kit? I've seen so many online but I don't know which ones are good. Some are really cheap and others are really expensive.

 

[Marsbert]

so your Missy would be called a brown mackeral tabby Domestic Shorthair. If she's larger than the average cat (so I'd say 13+ pounds for a female), then we might consider some giant breed influence. How much does Missy weigh?

My hubby says around 14lbs, but we don't have a scale so he's estimating

 

[abyeb]

My hubby says around 14lbs, but we don't have a scale so he's estimating

Then I'd say she might have some Maine Coon influence, her face is similar, and shorthair is dominant to longhair, (which is why it's possible to have shorthaired Maine Coon mixes).

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Where can you buy a dna test kit? I've seen so many online but I don't know which ones are good. Some are really cheap and others are really expensive.

If you genuinely want to know, don't use any lab outside of U. C. Davis:

Cat Ancestry - FAQ

They provide the test kit.

.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

View attachment 178663 This is my cat Jameson! He's currently 6 months old and very active. When I adopted him I was told he was a tabby cat, but as he's grown (and I think he's big and very long for 6 months!) I've noticed things that could point to a possible bengal mix but I'm not a cat expert.

He's extremely playful, even plays fetch. He follows me all around the house and loves to explore. He jumps very high and he's very talkative. He also:

- is very long when stretched out
- has very long back legs (they almost look like rabbits feet)
- has rounded eyes
- spotted belly with spots that go around to his back
- black tipped tail
- white fur only around his mouth and whiskers
- very soft fur
- double front paws


Let me know what you think and if you'd like more pictures or info!

Hi, J Jameson1020 ! I wanted to suggest that you have your kitty's vet really inspect Jameson's toes and do so with you present and observing... polydactals can vary in how many toes, retractable claws or not, and placement of same on the feet. You'll want to make sure just which toe and claw is where, so that, as he grows, you will know how and when to clip this or that toenail, or what to watch out for if any issues with development crop up. Sometimes non-retractable claws can grow into other paw pads, or sometimes you'll have odd claws "hidden" in between other toes so that that particular claw doesn't get any filing done on it (on a scratch post) like other exposed claws might. Polydactals usually need special attention at manicure or pedicure time!

 

[Alexmh20]

What do you think Smokey is can he possibly be bengal mix here’s a pic