March 16th, 2009Cat: Bengal
Origins: Cat lovers who admired the beauty of wild, spotted cats tried to breed a type of domestic cat with a wild-cat coat. In the 1960’s (in North America), the first planned breeding took place between a short-haired domestic cat and an Asian Leopard Cat. The mating was successful and fertile offspring were produced, but it was not until the 1980’s that a concerted breeding program was put in place.