Painted Spirit's Pattern
Because bengals
come in so many beautiful colors we are first going to take all of the color away
so it is easier to focus on pattern.
We want our marble
bengals to have as little of this classic tabby "bulls-eye" pattern as possible.
The patterns above are common in domestic cats (and too many bengals) and take
away from wild look we want to see.
ACFA BENGAL CAT
STANDARD: Marbled Pattern: Markings, while derived from the classic tabby
gene, and the horizontal pull of the non-domestic giving a uniquely different
pattern with as little "bulls-eye" similarity as possible.
The patterns above
of Adventure Beach marble bengals are very different from each other but all show the
highly desired horizontal flow. Our goal is to create patterns that have
never been seen on a domestic cat before.
ACFA BENGAL CAT
STANDARD: Marbled Pattern: Pattern shall, instead, be random giving the
impression of marble or the impression of chaining with a horizontal flow when
the cat is stretched. Vertical striped mackerel influence is also undesirable.
There should be little verticality to the pattern.
The bengal patterns
above have two colors. Bengals with two colors can be beautiful but cannot
compare with the dramatic look of an
outstanding tri-colored marble .
Many people
talk about tri-color marble bengals...but just finding three different shades
"somewhere" on the cat is not our goal. We are currently producing bengals with
a distinct light background color, a darker
pattern
color and THICK dark outlining around the
pattern...living
works of art.
Patterns on Adventure Beach
Bengals
ACFA BENGAL CAT
STANDARD: Preference should be given to cats with three or more shades;
i.e., ground color, markings, and dark outlining of those markings. Contrast
must be extreme, with distinct shapes and sharp edges.
The patterns on our
marble bengal kittens become more beautiful as they mature and their coats clear. It
takes time for the color to change and to fall out leaving outlining...but even
with our young babies we are always looking for
new and unusual patterns with
extreme contrast.
ACFA BENGAL CAT
STANDARD:
Contrast must be extreme, with distinct shapes and sharp edges.
Special Merit given to unique patterning that strikes the eye as being
non-domestic.
Special Note: As the interplay of genes, domestic with non-domestic and the
interplay of pattern flow coming from the mackerel, classic and non-domestic
unique patterns are being created that will not easily be defined as marble or
spotted. As the breeders select for these unique characteristics, it is
recognized that further clarification will be necessitated in the standard.
Until
that time, select for uniqueness and non-domestic attributes.
