ZenDada Bengals – operated by Julie Gracie Moseley
Marble Bengal cat – ZenDada Bengals – Brown marbles – four boys and two girl
ZenDada Bengals is well known for “killer marbles” (meaning, as you probably guessed, superb Bengal marbles). Julie Gracie Moseley has kindly allowed me to reproduce her photographs on my website. Julie has a large number of excellent photographs partly because the subject matter is so good.
I have selected 6 photographs of a current litter (Sept 2007). They were born on 26th August 2007. The parents are ZenDada Sun Dog (the stud father) and Goldcharm Lucia (the queen, mother). Parents and offspring are fine examples of the Marble Bengal cat.
Julie primarily sells to other breeders who specialize in marbles.
I am presenting the 6 kittens in this manner for these reasons:
- the collage of photographs in a contact sheet form shows of the fabulous marbling. Such fine quality.
- the collage also demonstrates the subtle and yet distinct differences in the pattern. It seems that this difference, at least from this angle (and Julie took the photograph from above to show off the pattern, I am sure) is most noticeable around the neck where a specific pattern is formed.
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| ZenDada Sun Dog |
Julie emphasises that she breeds for both personality and looks giving equal importance to both; the hallmark of a top quality cat breeder, if I may say so.
This is an informal photograph of the father SunDog. I like the way he is on top of the door like a leopard in the wild.
Julie is rightly very proud of SunDog. She is very excited about him. Julie has retired her other studs and is focusing on Brown Marble Tabbies in 2007. He won the Breeder’s Choice Award for Best Marble Kitten at “On Safari 2005”. His pattern is like that of a King Cheetah (embossed), with the background fur shorter than the raised black pattern.
Helmi Flick has taken a great photo of this boy. He is extremely impressive.
About the marble pattern
As last, but not least, further down this page there is a picture of the mother, also by Helmi. Lucia is Julie’s SBT marble queen. Julie says that her marble pattern is one of the best she has seen. Emphasizing that there is no bullseye and that the pattern has a “long horizontal flow”. A classic marble Bengal cat.
The outline to the pattern is “intensely black” and no break at the perimeter (producing a clearly defined pattern).
Julie says that the pattern has “fallen out” from the middle, slowly. This is tri-colored marble characteristic. This produces the best contrast when it happens over the 1st year or 2.
Julie is particularly enthusiastic about Lucia’s wild type. For those who might not know this refers to an appearance that is close to the ALC (asian leopard cat). This means you get the great appearance of the wild cat and the fine temperament of the Bengal cat – the goal of all Bengal cat breeders.
Apparently, Jean Mill (the founding breeder of Bengal cats) says what gives the wild look is “wide whisker pads, big nocturnal eyes, rounded forehead, a pinch behind the whiskerpads, no nose “break”–that is an almost straight profile, puffy nose leather, and the white encircling the eyes and muzzle”.
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| Goldcharm Lucia of ZenDada |
Julie explains that the head should appear small in relation to the size of the cat. Lucia has the ideal head profile which is round with ears that are low set and “wide-based”. Lucia has “puffy whisker pads”, something that Bengal breeders love to see.
As to Lucia’a body it is low and long, with a slinky posture reminiscent of the ALC.
Diana Starr of Goldcharm Bengals entrusted this lovely marble Bengal cat to Julie to breed from.
Please click on this link if you’d like to go to the Zendada Bengals website.
Go to the main Bengal cat page: Bengal Cats for Sale. This page has lots of information and links.
Go to Bengal Cat SUNDOG to see a picture by Julie of his 3D Stripe Lines down his back.
Good Morning Michael, I came across your site and was astounded at the beauty of your photograph of Sundog and those excuisite black lines down its back. I have never owned a cat before, and I live in a condominium in Tamarac, Florida. They do not permit dogs, but there are no restrictions on cats. I am 69 years young and would so love to have a cat to love and for companionship at this point in my life. I believe Sundog is a Marble Bengal and is from Zendada Bengal Breeders. I would like this type of Bengal strictly to love, play with, sleep and cuddle with. I would appreciate any feedback you might offer on a first time cat owner and this breed. Would love a Bengal with the attributes that Sundog has. Thank you for any info you might provide me with. Bruce
Hello Bruce. Indeed, Sundog, is one of those exceptional purebred cats who stands out from hundreds of millions of others. As you state Sundog is a marble tabby Bengal cat. This cat breed is a wonderful companion just like any other cat breed or random bred cat. Many people keep them in apartments as you suggest. One of my neighbours kept a third filial Bengal cat in his apartment. He used to take his cat for trips around the communal gardens off the lead. I found it a bit difficult to watch because the cat would frequently escape the boundaries of the garden, jumping over the brick wall, whereupon my neighbour had to chase after him and discover where he had hidden. It was quite difficult and I thought fraught with difficulties and potential dangers (e.g a nearby road). But the owner was aware that Bengal cats are very active and being aware of that fact he wanted to satisfy his cat’s needs and desires as best he could in a compromised way. It certainly was a compromise and it wasn’t very successful in my opinion but he would no doubt dispute that fact.
The bottom line is that the Bengal cat is perhaps not the ideal apartment cat because of the activity level. There are better choices like Persians and Ragdolls or American shorthairs but if you have your heart set on a very classy looking Bengal cat and provided that you are able to interact with him regularly which you no doubt are because you are retired it seems to me then it should work out just fine. I sense that you have the time and commitment to make the life of your Bengal cat happy and content. Elderly people are better cat caretakers in general because they can spend more time with their cat. Bengal cats like that because they tend to need more stimulation and therefore interaction with their owners is the best form of stimulation together with things like cat condos and cat trees et cetera.
Don’t declaw him. Adopt him as a kitten and teach him to enjoy having his claws trimmed.
I think you will find it difficult to purchase such a stunning cat as Sundog. This is a rare cat but there are some fantastic looking Bengal cats around in America so I am confident that you will be able to find a cat to your liking and love him/her beautifully. Good luck. Thanks for asking and thanks for commenting.
I have a black marble Bengal cat that came to me with 5 yet to be born kittens. Two of them were either muted calico bengal mix or tortie bengal mix. I kept one of the babies and it has unusual bengal markings on the back of the head and back. The face is half red blonde and the other half grey to black and both are tabby type striped. When you watch the mother and daughter walk, they look the same from that top view, with markings very similar albeit one black and beige/white and the baby golden brown/beige/grey to black, and the are the same size, and walk the same. The kitten bengal type ends there with a white chest and underbelly, but as a pair they are unique. Have you any comments you can offer regarding these two … is this a similar pattern to expect if a bengal has mated with a non bengal?
Thank you for any interest you can show me.
Patricia Zahler
Hi Patricia. My reading of your comment is that you adopted a pregnant Bengal pedigree cat and she gave birth to Bengal kittens that were neither pedigree nor purebred because she had mated with a random bred cat. Is that correct or have I misinterpreted your comment?
If am correct the outcome of the mating depends of course on the appearance of the other cat. If you have pictures please upload in a new comment and if I am wrong please clarify. Sorry to be unhelpful.