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About the 'Snow Leopard' Bengal go to > breeding for a 'snow' The Asian leopard cat has no doubt
had many naturally occurring breedings with domestic cats over the course of
many decades and centuries. However, we really owe the development of this
domestic breed of cat, the Bengal, to Jean Sugden Mill, who actively bred her
female Asian leopard cat to her short-haired, black domestic male, and recorded
the results of this breeding, and the subsequent breeding of the daughter back
to the father, and so on. Male offspring of the Asian Leopard Cat to a domestic
cat (F-1) are always sterile, and males two generations from the ALC/domestic
cross (F-2) are almost always sterile. Originally begun in 1963, the
development of the Bengal breed had to be put on hold until the late 1970's,
when Jean Mill became actively involved again. It was discovered about that time
that the leopard cats appeared to have a natural immunity to feline leukemia,
and this warranted more research. More leopard cats and their eventual offspring
were added to the gene pool, and the Bengal breed was underway. Even early on, there would appear in some of the litters white kittens, with blue eyes, that would develop varying degrees of spotting as they grew older. This was the first type of Snow Bengal, (Marsha is this type) and is known as the "Seal lynxpoint Snow Bengal". This type of Snow Bengal has the colorpoint gene often found in the Siamese genepool; obviously, one or more of the many domestic cats used in the early days of the Bengal breed carried this recessive colorpoint gene. All snow Bengals are actually derivations of the very same albino gene often found in Nature, which can show up in many wild species. In its full expression, the albino gene will cause the individual to be white-haired and have pink eyes. About a decade later, in the late
1980's, two other Bengal breeders, Gene Johnson and Bob Dundon began breeding
for a different type of Snow Bengal, introducing the Burmese domestic cat
genepool, and thus began the "seal mink snows" and the "seal
sepia snows". Sepias and Minks are considered genetically different from
each other, and are therefore each in their own separate division within the
Bengal breed, because the Mink has to inherit a copy of both the seal lynxpoint
and the seal sepia genes. The Sepia inherits two copies of the Burmese gene
(while the Lynxpoint, of course, inherits two copies of the Colorpoint gene). A seal mink snow Bengal is usually
a green-eyed snow Bengal, born light beige in color, with the markings
developing to be a medium brown color. A seal sepia snow Bengal is usually gold
to green eyed, and born medium to dark brown in color, with the markings
developing to be even darker. The foundation cat to look for in Bengal pedigrees
is "Nola Kotton Pickin of Gogees", now recognized as the foundation
sire for the seal mink and seal sepia snows. Yes, Snow Bengals of all type can
be spotted or marbled in pattern!! Sometimes, there is confusion as to whether
or not a Bengal kitten might be a snow Bengal or some other color - remember, if
that kitten grows up and keeps the eye color blue (and all else is genetically
correct), these would have to be seal lynxpoint snow kittens. If the kitten's
eyes change color from blue, and there are NO Burmese in the kitten's pedigree,
then you can know for sure that the kitten is NOT a snow Bengal. We should point out right away that
the Snow Bengal gene is a recessive gene; that is, you may have a golden leopard
spotted Bengal and that Bengal may carry the gene for snow, yet without detailed
knowledge of your Bengal's pedigree, you would have no way of knowing this. In
order to produce a Snow Bengal, (the same is true with marble Bengals), both
parents must carry the recessive Snow Bengal albino gene. Additionally, if you
breed a female Snow Bengal to a male Snow Bengal…you will always get
Snow Bengal kittens!!
You have to evaluate the pedigrees
of the cats you are planning to breed, as well as study some basic genetics!! If
neither cat carries the recessive snow gene, you will not get any Snow Bengals!!
If both parents are seal lynxpoint snows, you will get all seal lynxpoint snows
(like Marsha!!) If both parents are seal mink snows, you will be likely to get
50% seal mink kittens; 25% seal sepia kittens, and 25% seal lynxpoint kittens!!
If both parents are seal sepia snows, all your kittens will be seal sepia
snows!! If one parent is a seal sepia and
one parent is a seal mink, you will get a litter that is 50% seal sepia and 50%
seal mink!! However, if one parent is seal mink, and the other is seal lynxpoint,
all your kittens will be seal minks!! What about if you are planning to
breed two full color (say, leopard spotted or marbled) Bengals, yet you know
from their pedigrees that each has the recessive gene for Snow Bengal…if the
recessive gene on both sides is for seal lynxpoint, you will get a litter that
is 25% full color; 50% full color carrying the recessive gene for seal lynxpoint,
and 25% actual seal lynxpoint kittens!! People often wonder, can they enter their SBT Snow Bengal in a TICA cat show?? Of course!! Snow Bengals can be shown in the tabby division, by their color and pattern. Snow Bengals are a very valuable part of the Bengal cat breed, and are beloved by many for their classic beauty and timeless elegance. Some breeders have been concerned about using snow Bengals in their breeding program for fear that the snows will somehow lighten the markings on their traditional leopard spotted and marbled off-spring.
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