Welcome to the website for Noteworthy Bengals.
Noteworthy Bengals is a small, family owned cattery located in Westmont, IL. We have been breeding Bengal cats since 1999. During this time, we have received much help from Bonnie Hanlon of Cottonwood Cattery and Bob Nichols of Kent Cattery. These were the two catteries that provided our first breeding pair of Bengals. What we are most proud of is the temperament that we have been able to develop in our kittens. The feedback that we have received from our clients have reflected this quality.
Our cats are raised in our home along with a Dalmatian named Freddy. Our home is often filled with children, because my wife, Patti teaches piano. I also play the piano and other instruments. It is because of our involvement with music that we decided on the name Noteworthy Bengals.
HISTORY OF BENGAL CATS*
The Asian Leopard Cat (ALC - Felis bengalensis) is a small (about 10 lbs.), nocturnal cat found in an area that covers southern India eastward through Thailand, Malaysia and ending in China. Only one of the sub-species of this cat is on the endangered species list. The ALC used for breeding Bengal Cats is not one of these sub-species.
Jean Sugden (Jean Sugden Mill) is credited with the documentation of the first successful breeding between the ALC and a domestic cat in 1963. Other breeders involved in the early breeding of ALC with domestic cats include Pat Warren, William Engle and Dr. Willard Centerwall. An interesting note is that Dr. Centerwall was investigating the ALC's immune system that seemed to give it some immunity to feline leukemia (FeLV). It was hoped that there could be some related significance to human leukemia. It is primarily through the efforts of Jean S. Mill that the current Bengal cat was established.
It took many years to determine that the males from these breedings were always sterile. Females, however, were not. This meant that it would be necessary to breed the females to other domestic males.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF BENGAL CATS*
In 1985, The International Cat Association (TICA) recognized Bengals as an Exhibition-only status. In 1992, TICA admitted the breed into Championship status. Any Bengal with an ALC in a 3-generation pedigree is classified as a foundation cat (F1-F3). These cats are not eligible for competition. For registration and competition by TICA, a cat must be a result of 4-generations of Bengal-to-Bengal breeding. These cats are classified as "stud book" (SBT). Bengals that have been bred with other domestic cats in the first 3-generations are also identified as foundation cats. For a detailed description of TICA's standards for Bengals, click on the STANDARDS button.
All cats and kittens at Noteworthy Bengals are registered with TICA (C-10544). All available kittens have the SBT classification. Noteworthy Bengals is also a member of The International Bengal Cat Society (TIBCS).
*Our thanks to Jean S. Mill for allowing us to use information from her book The Guide to Owning a Bengal Cat, T.F.H. Publications, Inc. |
