Coat Patterns

Single-Spots

Single-spots are common amongst Bengals.

These are spots/blobs of a uniform colour that contrast with the background coat.

Chances are, Bengals sold as pets will have a good few of these on their body.

Arrowhead Rosettes

Arrowhead rosetted Bengals are considered highly desirable in the Bengal breeding community, as well-defined examples are rare.

As the name implies, the rosettes form a triangular ‘arrowhead’, with the tips facing away from the cat’s head and pointing towards the tail.

They too can be all one colour, like single-spots, or have a darker rim with a lighter second colour that fades into the main coat.

Arrowhead coat patterns can be found on some Asian leopard cats, which of course, were originally crossed with domestic cats to create the Bengal breed.

Paw Print Rosettes

No points for guessing what these are supposed to resemble.

Yes, paw print Bengal rosetted patterns are formed by a lighter patch of fur (the ‘paw pad’) surrounded by darker ‘toes’.

These ‘toes’ are distinct and have visible distance between them, although they don’t actually form a genuine paw pattern, well not from any animal I’ve seen anyway…

The aim by Bengal breeders here is/was to replicate in miniature, the markings of a Leopard.

Doughnut/Donut Rosettes and Pancakes

Doughnut or donut rosettes (depending on where in the world you’re from) are a recent development in the Bengal cat coat world, taking years of selective breeding to achieve.

They too have a lighter central patch, but differ to paw print rosettes in that they have a darker perimeter which encloses the lighter patch (as opposed to ‘dark toes’).

This perimeter may not fully close the central patch, but any gaps are much narrower than those on a paw print rosette.

Doughnut/donut rosettes can form linked, horizontal chains- so- called chain rosetting.

These run along each side of the cat’s spine, and good examples are found in Ocelots.

Pancake rosettes differ to the doughnuts/donuts in that are generally larger but have a thinner outline.

Jaguars were the template for this pattern.

Clouded Rosettes

The Bengal rosetted pattern features here is more unusual in that it doesn’t really look like something you would call rosetted at all.

This category comprises of larger, less numerous, stretched ‘clouds,’ many of which have a thicker, darker rim on one edge.

There is also less spacing (known in the business as ‘acreage’) between each.

Breeders here aim to create rosetted Bengals with the pattern found on the coat of the Clouded Leopard, which is one of the smaller-sized of the big cats.