Bengal Mix?

by CMM
(FL, USA)

My friend got this cat at an auction, and gave it to me after she could not care for her anymore. If it weren't for her white paws, I would think she looked a lot like a Sokoke or a Bengal mix, with her incredibly soft fur, longer hind legs than forelegs, and curvature of her spine. I do currently live in Florida, where there is a breeder for both. I want to get her DNA tested because I am very curious. She acts like a Bengal, but she has a lot of ticking in her coat, which isn't favored in that breed.

She likes to play with water, especially when I shower, she likes to join me! She is also very playful (she rarely sleeps), and is not a lap cat but will lay on my stomach from time to time. I have taught her how to sit, shake, and stay without clicker training. She is highly intelligent, responds to her name when I call her, and she doesn't seem to fear anything, in fact, she actually enjoys riding in the car. I have given her real fur mousies that she loves to pick up in her mouth and carry around (and will play fetch). Unfortunately she likes to play rough and does like to bite. I am trying to break her of that habit. She makes an usual sound when she meows: it is like a chirp or a coo. She is not incredibly vocal and doesn't purr very often, which I find strange.

She certainly does not behave like any cat I have ever grown up with! She may just be a special mutt, which is fine with me! However, almost everyone who meets her comments on her beautiful coat and her striking personality... thus prompting me to wonder more...?

Note: I have had her for eight months now, roughly, and because I got her fixed, she has gained a few pounds... these pictures range from present to when she was literally a baby! She is still less than a year old, however, and still growing... she is awfully small for her age.

CMM

Hi.... Thanks for visiting and posting. First things first, two of your photos were not successfully uploaded which is why they are not on the page!

You can redo it if you wish and I'll add them to the page manually.

Secondly, I changed the title because lots of people ask, "what breed is my cat?" and my answer is always the same or similar! And "Bengal Mix" is a keyword (a word or phrase people use to search on the internet).

OK with that out of the way, you can see what I think from the title I have given the page.

My first thought is that she does not look like your typical moggie, random bred cat. Neither does she behave like a typical moggie - if there is such a cat. As you indicate her behavior is very much that of a wildcat hybrid.

Florida is a place where there are a number of Bengal cat breeders.

Basically, I tend to agree with all you say. I think you have come to the right conclusion, which is that she is a Bengal or Sokoke mix. I think it is more likely to be the former as the Sokoke is a very rare cat breed.

She has that wildcat hybrid face to me. Her ears are large (Sokoke type ears) and her coat is blotched tabby but she seems to be a calico cat. Am I correct?

Sometimes cat breeders of purebred cats try out something different. They make an experiment. I remember Martin Stucki of A1 Savannahs talking about the Savannah cat and what its appearance should be and he mentioned that a cat breeder was cross-breeding her Savannah cats with an American bobtail or something. He was not pleased. You do get breeders who step out of line and breed a cat that is very much not of the breed.

I would think that she is a Bengal cat mix, one removed from purebred.

These are just my top of the head on the run thoughts. Someone may do better.

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