The Bengal cat is a fairly new, exotic breed of domestic cat originally created by the breeding of the small, wild Asian Leopard Cat to a domestic cat such as the American Shorthair, Abyssinian, Egyptian Mau, or Burmese. It was started in seriousness in the mid 1980's. The Bengal breed lets cat lovers who love and admire wild cats to live with and enjoy a domestic cat with the looks and uniqueness of a wild cat. Bengals must be four or more generations removed from their wild Asian Leopard Cat ancestor, and have three consecutive generations of Bengal to Bengal breeding in order to be eligible to be shown in T.I.C.A. (registration paperwork will reflect "SBT" in the registration number, which means the cat has "studbook status".) Currently, SBT Bengals can be shown in T.I.C.A., U.F.O., A.C.F.A., I.C.E. and a few other Cat Associations, some for Championship Titles. The early generation Bengals, which we refer to as "Foundation or Filial Bengals", such as F-1, F-2 or F-3 (one, two or three generations, respectively, removed from the Asian Leopard Cat) are best left to specialized breeders or properly prepared and informed owners who are equipped to take care of them. F-4's and beyond, or SBT's, are the true domestic Bengal. They generally make the best pets, and when they are carefully bred within highly selective and loving breeding programs, make extremely affectionate, stunningly gorgeous family companions!!