Bengal/tabby Mix???

[lutece]

this is Gigi, my 8 month old kitty! i got her from someone who found her mom on the street, so we are unsure about her parents anyone have ideas of how to describe her? my vet says tabby but she acts and looks quite wild to me

She's lovely! She looks like a real character in your pictures

I would describe Gigi as a brown classic tabby domestic shorthair. The classic tabby pattern is one of the most ancient mutations in the domestic cat, and is characterized by bold swirling markings including a "bullseye" on the side. Most cats are not any particular breed, and are not "mixes" of breeds, but that doesn't make them any less beautiful or special!

 

[StefanZ]

Brown classic tabby. As pretty as they can be.

 

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

Hi do you think my boy is a bengal x too? H e jumps high like 3 feet up the ground loves outdoor and sitting in basin interested in water has really thick tail and legs slim and muscular heavy and have really small head and vocal

 

[lutece]

He's lovely, and he sounds like a real character What is his name?

I would describe your cat as a brown mackerel tabby domestic shorthair. You can also describe his tabby pattern as "broken mackerel," because some of his stripes are broken up into spots; however, broken stripes are a really common phenomenon in mackerel tabbies (most mackerels don't have completely unbroken stripes). Spots on the belly are a normal part of the mackerel tabby pattern. I'm not seeing obvious signs of Bengal ancestry in your pictures.

Most cats aren't any particular breed, and are also not "mixes" of breeds, unlike dogs. That doesn't make them any less special, however. Domestic shorthairs are great cats!

 

[di and bob]

I agree with the above, Bengals have a definite 'rosette' a circle within a circle, not spots. Tabbies often have spots like that when they are young, I have had several. The spots grow into stripes as they age.

 

[skrumtuoscatlayd]

He's lovely, and he sounds like a real character What is his name?

His name is Timothy. I'd always thought he might be bengal x or at least have some bengal ancestry because he looked very eccentric ever since he first got adopted. Only breed I could relate him to upon research was bengal. He sure was not a classic tabby to me because I was quite familiar with that breed and he did not look like just regular tabby
It's more of his wild character and lean bodily structure and small head I find bengal than distinct bengal spots

 

[lutece]

Timothy is a great name for him

Tabby is a color pattern, not a breed. Most cats aren't any particular breed, and also don't have specific breeds in their ancestry. There is a lot of variety in the domestic cat gene pool, though! Domestic cats can come in all shapes and sizes, and each one has its own individual personality. It's not uncommon for domestic cats to have a high activity level and enjoy playing with water.

 

[Dylsden]

Hi all,

Gizmo has been with us for two weeks. Very inquisitive and loves climbing. Swinging off our curtains is his favourite trick at the mo.
I think he’s most likely tabby but can’t help wondering if he’s part Bengal given his face.

 

[StefanZ]

Hi all,

Gizmo has been with us for two weeks. Very inquisitive and loves climbing. Swinging off our curtains is his favourite trick at the mo.
I think he’s most likely tabby but can’t help wondering if he’s part Bengal given his face.

We dont see his sides well. but on the pic where he is lying with big bro, it seems he has some sort of squished rests of the renown bengal rosettes. So its my guess he has some bengal ancestry. Perhaps a granddad? Not nearer, but there is something.

 

[lutece]

D Dylsden your kitten Gizmo is very cute!

From these pictures, I would describe him as a brown tabby and white domestic shorthair.

Tabby isn't a breed, it's a color pattern. Most cats are not any particular breed, and are not "mixes" of breeds (unlike dogs), so we describe them as domestic shorthair or longhair, depending on coat type. Domestic shorthairs come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, and are great cats!

If you have better pictures of Gizmo's sides where he is standing up, it would be easier to get a look at his tabby pattern that way. That can help us to make a better guess about whether he has obvious signs of Bengal ancestry. Tummy pictures are adorable, but don't help us to determine his pattern, as it's normal for tabbies to have spots on the belly

We dont see his sides well. but on the pic where he is lying with big bro, it seems he has some sort of squished rests of the renown bengal rosettes. So its my guess he has some bengal ancestry. Perhaps a granddad? Not nearer, but there is something.

StefanZ is this picture the one where you think you might be seeing rosettes? To me, it looks like broken mackerel or broken classic. Maybe the OP will have more pictures for us, though.

 

[Filliee]

he looks alot like our cat!!

 

[Lovemyfurbabies59]

Hey I know this is an old post now but I recently caught a cat and he was outside for 6 months so I had caught him in October. He still very afraid and very timid but if you can somehow tangle him up he is the sweetest cat loves baths and just purrs. So I have two questions?
first one being he has been inside and with me since October what are tips to not make him so timid and afraid you look at him and he runs away. I just want him to be around more and not just run away
Secondly I feel like he has bengal in him as well n wanted another opinion... he’s 12.5 pounds very active and pounces he to me is a very pretty cat regardless and he’s very very sweet when you trap and catch him and he follows us around talking to us to get wet food every morning I’ll attach a few photos of my Mr Mowgli

 

[di and bob]

Beautiful! You never know a cats background if they aren't registered, he will be known as a classic tabby domestic short hair. His spots are very interesting, he definitely has the rosettes they are noted for....

 

[Lovemyfurbabies59]

See pictures don’t do justice his belly is grey like Carmel n white and his stripes on top is a Carmel color tho it looks white he’s a very pretty cat he’s just so afraid n timid I’m not sure how to help him trust and not be afraid

 

[abyeb]

Hey I know this is an old post now but I recently caught a cat and he was outside for 6 months so I had caught him in October. He still very afraid and very timid but if you can somehow tangle him up he is the sweetest cat loves baths and just purrs. So I have two questions?
first one being he has been inside and with me since October what are tips to not make him so timid and afraid you look at him and he runs away. I just want him to be around more and not just run away
Secondly I feel like he has bengal in him as well n wanted another opinion... he’s 12.5 pounds very active and pounces he to me is a very pretty cat regardless and he’s very very sweet when you trap and catch him and he follows us around talking to us to get wet food every morning I’ll attach a few photos of my Mr Mowgli

Mr Mowgli does have prominent rosettes like di and bob mentioned, so I think some Bengal ancestry is a possibility! Without papers, he would still be classified as a Domestic Shorthair. It might be interesting to have a DNA test done for him. This won’t tell you for sure what his ancestry is, they just compare DNA sequences with different breeds.

 

[lutece]

Mr Mowgli is very handsome! He appears to be blue classic tabby in color. I am not seeing markings typical of the Bengal breed in these pictures.

di and bob and abyeb are you referring to his belly spots when you talk about "rosettes"? Most tabbies do have some spots on the belly, and the arrangement of these spots can vary from cat to cat. Mr Mowgli has interesting belly markings, but they don't appear to me to be "rosettes."

 

[cataholic07]

Looks like a classic domestic short hair to me. Spots on the belly is normal for tabbies. Remember bengals are descendents of domestic house cats (usually tabbies) bred to asian leopard cats. Bengals are hybrids until f5 then afterwards purebred bengals.

 

[di and bob]

That second picture shows belly spots, but it also has 'rosettes' above them. Those are spots with a lighter middle. He also has a faint rosette near his tail on his back shot....

 

[lutece]

That second picture shows belly spots, but it also has 'rosettes' above them. Those are spots with a lighter middle. He also has a faint rosette near his tail on his back shot....

I think the belly markings you mention are just this cat's unique pattern of belly stripes / spots, not rosettes. Belly markings can vary in cats. Bengal pattern rosettes typically appear on spotted tabby cats (not classic tabby), typically start to appear on the flanks or shoulders (rather than the belly), and don't normally have white inside. These markings don't look like rosettes to me.

 

[Filliee]

Lovemyfurbabies59
We have a cat from a (shitty) shelter, her name is Lola. She was suuuuper scared in the biginning. She stayed in a corner for at least a week and didn't want to be touched or anything. The only good advise that I can give you is to leave the cat grow at his own tempo. Never push him to take him up or pet. Let the cat come to you. What you can do is when he would be in a corner or a hole. Put the food far enough so he has to come out of his corner. Ignore the cat at that point so he knows he can trust you. Here it's been a long road. And our Lola is still not 100% social. But she is doing great and likes to be touched when she wants to. We just left her do her thing.
Btw.. Leave the door open when going to bed. Cat's trust you the most when you sleep.
We knew it was going well when she started sleep with us, however during the day she didn't want to be touched.
Good luck! And he will be fine!