Zuma Zoom Zoom And Her Bengalness

[dannekagirl]

so i have a second cat who is the playmate of Jinky (previous post) and she is an Orange Tabby mixed obviously because of white paws but I detect a Bengal influence with her even more than Jinky. She is 1 year and 3 months and I got her from the Pasadena Shelter and a foster family. She is super smart but very troublesome in that she leaps before she looks. She has a favorite yellow ball she plays fetch with and carries it with her and puts it on my bed. did i adopt a dog!? she covers her food and water religiously and has rosette like spots that dont match on each side and a broken necklace pattern underneath her chin which i see in many bengal pics. just want to see if you all can confirm she has bengal blood. she is so fun but ampiece of work! lol. miss trouble.

also likes to open drawers and cabinets.

 

[dannekagirl]

pic of zuma and her brother fresh off the street. her brother looks bengal to me or part.

 

[StefanZ]

Sorry I dont think so, even if hers coloring is a bit unusual.

 

[dannekagirl]

hoping to get more ideas or opinions. tabby cats do not have irregular spots and arrow rosette shapes. just my opinion but ive been looking at alot of pics and breeds. hoping to hear from others!!

 

[abyeb]

I agree with StefanZ, that I don't think she's a Bengal. I think she might be a broken mackeral tabby in color, which is why you see the slightly elongated spots. Your beautiful kitty has a moderate body type, whereas Bengals would be more lean and muscular in appearance.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

Well, actually bengals are tabby cats, just have some genes making their magic to break the lines and create rosettes. There is actually a good amount of breeds that show a wide variety of spotts that could resemblance your cat's ones.
ABCs of Animal World: The Most Beautiful Spotted Breeds of Cat
As StefanZ I see no bengal in your girl. I am always very excited when I see anyone asking if their Cat has bengal roots, and I wish I could always say "yes". But I seriously don't think that your beautiful, inteligent Zuma has any bengal in her. If she has any bengal blood, It is very well hidden.
Her head and body type do not ressemble, in my opinion, those of bengals. By the way, bengals' collar stripes must NOT be broken, so I wonder which "bengals" have you been seeing.
I am sharing here a link to a Page in which you can see some other "spotted" breeds so you can compare Zula to them and do some research, if you want to. Just want to point out that she doesn't look Savannah either.
ABCs of Animal World: The Most Beautiful Spotted Breeds of Cat

 

[Antarcticat]

A lot of the personality traits you've described do certainly sound "Bengaly," but there's lots of other cat breeds that share similar behaviors as well. I think the biggest indicator against any substantial Bengal heritage is something you pointed out yourself: the white chest and mittens; even small family breeders actively breed against these, choosing studs and queens who consistently produce the fully colored and distinct feeling "peltlike" coat for which Bengals are known.

That being said though, a lot of hybrids wind up strays or in shelters because of owners who wanted an exotic looking cat but weren't prepared for the fact that they're owning an animal that's literally a distinct species from the domestic cat (that's how I wound up with my little Savannah-Bengal cross, supposedly the result of an 'unplanned' litter from a backyard breeder). This can create a problem if the abandoned animal wasn't spayed or neutered before being released-- in this situation an 'unregulated' breeding between a Bengal and a stray domestic cat could certainly be possible. If Zuma does have any Bengal heritage, I believe it's very distant, but even just a few drops of wild blood could account for her unique behaviors. Or you could have a pretty purebred domestic kitty who just happens to have a very active and expressive personality!

 

[basscat]

I think Zuma ate a Bengal!!