Like a tabby, the Bengal will usually have the distinctive “M” mark on their forehead. This may be difficult to spot in some Bengals, but it is there.
What about the different Bengal coat patterns?
The “M” appears on the forehead of every Bengal cat coat pattern, giving this characteristic to all Bengals rather than just some or a small number of Bengals as other coat traits do. This is due to the fact that Bengal cats’ forehead patterns—whether they have rosettes, spots, or marbling—generally appear the same for all coat patterns.
Furthermore, the pattern cannot be linked to the coat of the Bengal because it is seen in tabbies of other breeds in addition to Bengals. Therefore, in a Bengal cat’s family line, this trait is inherited from the domestic cat ancestry rather than the Asian Leopard Cat.
Furthermore, since the coat pattern does not indicate whether the forehead “M” pattern will be present on a particular Bengal cat’s forehead, it can appear on Bengals with any coat color, including coat colors that match their blue eyes.
Typical Coat and Color Variations of a Bengal Cat
After many generations of breeding, Bengals can now be found in many coat colors. They can be silver, brown, black (melasnistic), snow, red, cinnamon, smoke, blue, or torbie.
Their coats can be marbled, have rosettes, or have spots. There are no preset patterns; the distribution of the marbling and spots is random. That indicates that the cat has a very distinct pattern on each side.
Bengals and domestic tabbies both have spotted bellies. However, bengals lack white on their bodies, with the possible exception of the area around their chin, whisker pads, and abdomen.
A Bengal cat’s fur is very soft and short. It feels much like a rabbit’s, like polished fur. The individual strands of fur are “ticked,” meaning there are bands of two to three colors on each strand.
They’re also known for their glitter appearance; i. e. their fur sparkles in the sunlight. Their hair appears to sparkle because light shines through the translucent part of the hair, which has less pigment than the rest of the strands.
Do Other Cat Breeds Show These Characteristics, Too?
However, even if your cat demonstrates every one of the aforementioned qualities, other domestic breeds also display these qualities. Even though a cat has spots or marbled fur, it’s not always a Bengal cat.
Regular tabby cats can have these characteristics, too. Numerous spotted domestic cats exhibit these traits as well; Ocicats, Egyptian Maus, and brown-spotted Manx are just a few examples. Additionally, there are a good number of breeds that have marbled coats, such as marbled Manx cats, British Shorthairs, and Oriental and Asian tabbies.
Because of this, it’s not really possible to tell a Bengal cat from a picture. Personality traits are also extremely important to look at.
FAQ
What breed of cat has an M on their forehead?
How can I tell if my cat is a Bengal?
Do Bengal cats have am on their forehead?
What does a real Bengal cat look like?