Non Bengal Marble?

by
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit

Non Bengal Marble?

by Cherry Sewell
(Cape Town, South Africa)

Asleep on my bed!

Asleep on my bed!

Hallo Everyone...I have a DSH and he has the very distinct markings that look just like a marble Bengal cat except his colouring is ginger with a white bib and feet.

I thought he was just a 'different' looking cat, but having come across this website and now doing a little research on Google, I see there is more to it - or maybe there is.

He has a very long tail, his markings are just like 'Sundog' on this page except he has the dark orange and pale orange marbling, he has the lighter underbelly and the rings on his tail and stripes on his legs. He also has the same 'shape' as the cats I see on here. His body is very long and lean and quite tall which made me think he would be a big cat, but his head is actually quite small - again very much like the images I see above. I've attached a photo (about 1 year) - but you cannot see his back which is almost exactly the same as Sundog as I said.

He also has different behaviour that I haven't encountered before - he carries things in his mouth like a dog - he will play with something and then pick it up and trot out of the house with it in his mouth - I have had lots of cats and I've never seen one do this.

He also has a habit of biting my toes to get me out of bed (if they are sticking out) but he doesn't bite hard, he just 'mouths' my toes... again I have never had a cat do this before. He is extremely agile and can jump amazing heights - I know cats can do this, but this just seems more extreme.

He is also not afraid of water, and will get into the sink if I let him when I am running water and washing something. He loves glasses of water and dips his front paws in and stirs it about - and loves to drink out of a glass rather than a bowl.

His mother was a small black tortoiseshell - much smaller than he is now and he is only just over one year. As the readers here have more knowledge of your breed of cat than others I was wondering if somehow I managed to pick up an interbred Bengal - or are the features I have described not specific to Bengals? I adopted him from a cat shelter in Northern NSW in Australia.

I would be really interested in your comments...and to hear more about your lovely cats!

Cherry

PS - Great website!!Bengal cats

Comments for
Non Bengal Marble?

Click here to add your own comments

Jan 05, 2012 Interesting
by: Anonymous

This was very interesting information. I have a cat that looks a little similar to the one in the picture, except his color is slightly lighter. He is not so much orange as a sort of light tan with the marbling. He is very aggressive (loves to bite), and more intelligent than I have ever seen in a cat. He knows how to open doors and he sits. He is also very noisy and loves water, and he is incredibly clean and has a very acute sense of smell. He is unusually strong for a cat of his size (I have a couple black eyes from playing with him to prove it). He is also allergic to corn and fish, so we have to buy special food for him. I looked around and couldn't find any real information on his markings and what he could be until I saw this. I noticed that it said Bengals usually have asymmetrical marbling on them. He has that, and he also has a very unusual color to his eyes. They are not the normal green-yellow color of cats, but almost a sort of brown. I have no idea what he is because he was just given to us, but this was a very interesting piece of information.

Aug 23, 2010 marbles
by: kathy

My faithful cat Lia also is a marble similar to your cat. He is half bengal but he is very muscular. His father was part birman and his mother was purebred bengal. He is such a loyal and loving cat. He is starting to show his age and Im not too happy about that. I just got him back a year and a half ago. His story is on this page and I have posted a lot of stuff about him. He has a white chest and white paws. He also has an undying love for me that I share also for him. He is the center of my world and my boys call him their cat brother. Lias coloring is sort of sometimes has a reddish tint to it when the sun hits it. He also has some beautiful rosetted spots on his back end. Hes just beautiful and so is your cat.

Aug 21, 2010 Hi Cherry
by: Michael

First thanks for visiting from South Africa. I always like to hear from visitors who live in places other than the UK and USA.

The behavioral characteristics are typical of Bengal cats but they are also typical of many random bred cats. The original Bengal cat was part moggie as you know (Asian leopard cat x domestic).

So behavior is not an accurate guide but does, as you say, give clues.

The pattern is a tabby pattern. The fact that it is the same as Sundog is surprising because that is a special pattern!

It is a symmetrical pattern. I'll stick my neck out and say that it is probably a specific gene that is producing this and that this gene is not unique to Bengal cats. Lots of Bengal cats have asymmetric patterns.

That said I can see where you are coming from. There are Bengal mixes around just as there are mixes of other purebred cats. So there might be some Bengal cat in yours.

After all the waffle, I have to say your cat is probably a special looking moggie with an interesting personality (a proactive personality). But I cannot be certain as one never can from appearance and character alone. That said some cats look purebred and your does not - sorry. To me that makes no difference. They are all equal and all as beautiful in my world.

Michael Avatar

Leave a Comment

follow it link and logo