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Bengal Breed History

Bengal Breed History

The Bengal Cat Breed Formation & Breed Historical Milestones Compiled by Anthony Hutcherson June 16, 2021

Elected Breed Chairpersons: Jean Mill, Martha Battenfield, Leslie Hall, Anthony Hutcherson, Libbie Kerr, Pam Knowles, Hugh Price

  • 1963 Jean Sugden, a rancher and Himalayan breed founder of Yuma Arizona, successfully produces Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus) F1 hybrids with a goal of creating domestic cat with a leopard-print pattern.1, 2
  • 1970 The Cat Fancier’s Association registered Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus). 3
  • 1971 Willard Centerwall, MD of Loma Linda University initiates an Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus) breeding program to study the genetic inheritance of disease resistance and domestication.3
  • 1971 Bill Engler shows his male and female F1s Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus) as Bengal Cats, an unknown exhibitor also shows at least one other F1 Bengal Cat female at Burbank joint ACA (American Cat Association) & ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association) cat show and wins “Best New Breed”. 4
  • 1979 Patricia Nell Warren of Foxtail Somalis and president of “Walk On the Wild Side” a CFA club shows Tonga, a male F1 Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus) at several CFA shows. 5
  • 1979 TICA charted as a genetic registry from ACFA membership & judges. 6
  • 1980 Jean Sugden Mill restarts breeding program as Millwood, with a goal of creating a leopard-spotted domestic breed, called Leopardette by acquiring 4 F1 females from Dr. Centerwall’s closing research breeding program at Loma Linda University and 4 F1 females bred by Dr. Centerwall now owned by noted animal trainer Gordon Meredith. 7
  • 1982 Jean Mill imports two “Indian Maus” Millwood Toby of Delhi and Millwood Tashi she was shown by Delhi India Zoo Director Toby Naiman. The cats are registered in ACFA, TICA and CFA as Indian Maus and Ocicats. 7,8
  • 1983 1 female Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus) registered in TICA, bred by Bill Engler. 9
  • 1986 Jean Mill registers 3 male and 12 female Leopardettes, including the female F1 Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus) she acquired from the Centerwall project as well as their offspring sired by Millwood Toby/Tory of Delhi and Millwood Finally Found, a spotted domestic shorthair male from a California rescue with TICA.9
  • 1986 Jean Mill shows several of her cats at TICA show in Arlington, VA and New York, New York as Leopardettes.10
  • 1986 Greg Kent, PhD and Elizabeth Kent PhD register 8 male and 8 female Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus) F1 hybrids and 2G backcrosses to Egyptian Mau as Bengal Cats with TICA.9
  • 1987 Sept. 17 Los Angeles Times features article about Bengal Cat breed & Jean Mill 10
  • 1987 Dec. 27 Los Angeles Times Magazine includes Leopardette on cover & feature 11
  • 1988 Feb. 1988, TICA Board of Directors vote to name all generations of Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) X domestic cat (Felis catus) crosses Bengal Cats. https://tica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1988-semi.pdf 12
  • 1988 Aug. 1988, first Bengal Cat preliminary breed standard drafted by first Bengal Cat breed committee of Jean Mill, chair, Von Pilcher and Michael Nelson. 13
  • 1991 March, TICA board of directors votes to accept Bengal Cat for championship status as of May 1, 1991. 14
  • 1991 May 1, Brown Spotted Bengal Cats start competing in championship class as a recognized domestic breed. 14
  • 1991 Wildwood Headwind bred and owned by Judee Frank becomes first Supreme Grand Champion Bengal Cat
  • 1992 May 1, Seal Lynx Tabby Pointed color and Marble pattern accepted for New Breed and Color class in Bengal Cats. 15
  • 1992 Bengal Cats exceed 1000 registered individual cats. 16
  • 1993 Bengal Cats become the most registered breed in TICA. 16
  • 1994 May 1, Marble Pattern and Seal Lynx, Seal Mink and Seal Sepia colors become championship as part of new Bengal Cat standard. 17
  • 2005 Bengal Cats exceed 5,000 individual cats registered in a single year 16
  • 2008 Bengal Cat breed section exceeds 1000 individual TICA members, breeders & enthusiasts 18
  • 2014 Bengal Cats exceed 8,000 individual cats registered in a single year, remains most registered breed 19
  1. “Queen Jean Sugden Raises Himalayan Cats”. 1. The Yuma Daily Sun. January 11, 1960.
  2. Jones, Joyce (September 20, 1992). 2. “The Pet Cat That Evokes the Leopard”. 2. The New York Times. By Joyce Jones. Sept. 20, 1992
  3. “The Origins of the Bengal Cat & Legacy of Dr. Willard Centerwall” by Anthony Hutcherson. April 13, 2019. Bengalcats.co https://bengalcats.co/bengal-cats-origins-centerwall-legacy/
  4. “Engler’s Bengal Cats Sweep Burbank Show” Santa Ynez Valley News, June 24, 1971
  5. “The Safari Cat” Cats Magazine, March, 1980 by Patricia Nell Warren (link)
  6. “Our History” Tica.org https://tica.org/our-history/
  7. “Millwood Milestones” https://www.bengalpedigrees.com/old/Millwood/milestones.php
  8. “Toby Naiman: The Zookeeper Who Handled Fighting Hyenas, Cuddly Tigers and an Anxious Rajiv Ghandi” by Neha Abraham, IndiaSpend.com Aug 09, 2017 https://scroll.in/magazine/845499/toby-nainan-the-zookeeper-who-handled-fighting-hyenas-cuddly-tigers-and-an-anxious-rajiv-gandhi
  9. “The World’s Most Popular Pedigreed Cat Breeds” by Lorraine Shelton Felis Historica – April 22, Volume 2 Number 10
  10. “Spotted Cats: The Bengal or the Leopardette” by Jean Mill and Charlene Beane, September 26,27, 1987. The International Cat Show (link)
  11. “The New Status Seekers” Los Angeles Times Magazine, December 27, 1987/January 3, 1988
  12. Minutes, TICA Board of Directors meeting, Feb. 1988. https://tica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1988-semi.pdf
  13. Minutes, TICA Board of Directors meeting, Aug. 1988. https://tica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1988-annual.pdf
  14. Minutes, TICA Board of Directors meeting, March 1991 https://tica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1991-semi.pdf
  15. Minutes, TICA Board of Directors meeting, September 1991 https://tica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1991-annual.pdf
  16. TICA Bengal Cat registrations (link)
  17. Minutes, TICA Board of Directors meeting, May 1 1994 https://tica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1993-annual.pdf
  18. TICA Bengal Cat breed section membership by election year (link)
  19. Minutes, 2016 TICA Board of Directors Meeting https://tica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2016-annual_agenda.pdf

To find more information and statistics about the Bengal breed please click on the links below:

Cats Magazine 1989
Bengal Cat Registrations 2015
TICA Bengal Cat Breed Committee Election and Size 2011

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