The Bengal Spot
In January of 2009, I decided that Adam and I should have a pet. I approached Adam something like this: “Adam, I think we should get a cat or a dog, what do you think?” His response to me as I batted my eyes and smiled was “that is the worst idea you have ever had.” Needless to say, the path to adopting a pet was not an easy journey. We thought about getting a dog for about twenty minutes. Then we decided that taking a dog out in a hurricane or snowstorm was not a responsibly either of us wanted, so the dog was out. Then I turned to the idea of getting a cat. At first I wanted a long haired, white princess kitty that I could name Stella. Adam would have nothing to do with the idea and even commented “what happens when that cat gets mad at you and pees all over your pillow?” He was adamant that he enjoyed his life of little responsibility and that a pet would tie us down as much as a kid.
It was not until I checked every cat book out of the Norfolk Public Library that Adam made one of the best discoveries of his life. Late one night, I was reading about cat breeds, Adam sat down next to me and looked almost interested. Was he in the middle of a change of heart? Did he get tired of glaring at me every night while I read about cats? Who knew? He picked up one of the books and began reading. Very quickly he came across the page that showed two beautiful bengal kittens. One brown the other silver. He pointed to the page and said, “I want a cat that looks like that.” I was shocked, amazed, and almost brought to tears. For years, Adam had a no more living things in my house policy.
Bengal cats are among the newest cat breeds to be added to the list of domestic cat breeds not being developed until the 1980s. Bengal cats come from a cross breeding of domestic cats and asian leopard cats. Bengal have some very unique characteristics that make them amazing pets: they have an affinity for water and heights, they have gorgeous spots or rosettes, and their fur is smooth like a pelt. Bengals combine many of the majestic physical features of an Asian Leopard Cat with the lovable personalities of domestic house cats.
Asian Leopard Cat – An Example of Mia and Xen’s Ancestor
Hello Ladies, My name is Xen!
