The Bengal a unique breed
by Kirsten bij't Vuur

Preface

I have written this booklet for everybody who wants to know more about Bengals. Most people want to read about the things they find interesting, and there is a lot of interest in the Bengal breed. But there is not as much information available on the Bengal as we might like: the Bengal is still a very young breed, so there are no historic references. Most recent cat books contain a little information on the Bengal, but this information is always general and not always very factual. There are a lot of fables circulating about our interesting breed, and some of them have been put in print.

There are some books on Bengals available, a listing of these can be found in the literature references of this booklet. These books contain some very beautiful photos and some information on the Bengal, but the specific information about the Bengal breed is often limited to the first few pages. The rest of the book is more about cats in general: how to care for them, inocculations, diseases etc.

With the Internet, a lot more information on an international scale has become available, also on the Bengal. But most websites still contain the same general information on the Bengal breed, they are only specific for the cattery they represent. Therefore, I decided to also make this booklet available to the public on the Internet, to help everyone interested in our beautiful breed to inform him/herself as thoroughly as possible before deciding to adopt a Bengal.

I feel this booklet contains a lot of useful information for the starting Bengal addict.To make it interesting as well for the more experienced Bengal lovers, and for Bengal breeders, I have not only described the breed, but added my personal opinions on the Bengal, and my vision for the future of the Bengal breed. For those who are new to the amazing world of the Bengal, this can be quite technical and maybe difficult to understand. To make things easier on them, technical terms are printed in italics, and those italics are explained further in the appendix. I have tried to separate my own opinions and theories from the facts. I want to know the reader's opinion as well. Therefore, if you have any remarks or want to have a further explanation of anything in this booklet, please mail or call . I am always willing to listen or help.