The spots of a Bengal cat are inspired by many different wild cats throughout the world and Bengals have coat patterns unlike anything previously seen on a domestic cat. In the wild these spots have evolved over thousands of years as these cats have adapted to their surroundings. The purpose of these markings is to act as camouflage so that the wild cat remains hidden in vegetation, shadow and shade, allowing them to hunt much more successfully by remaining undetected. Their complicated patterns also help to confuse the night vision of their prey.

In the Bengal cat, the spotted pattern should be random, diagonal or horizontal and the background colour should be lighter, creating excellent contrast with the spots. Spots can range from small, single, monochrome spots to different types of rosettes, where the spots are larger and two toned. Many Bengals will have more than one type of rosette on their coat.

At Angeldust Bengals, every single one of our kittens is uniquely beautiful and we breed large, dramatic rosettes that aim to take your breath away.

Below are the many different types of spots found in the Bengal cat breed:

Arrowhead Rosettes

Arrowhead rosetting is inspired by the asian leopard cat, which was the original wild cat used to cross with the domestic cat to create the Bengal. Arrowhead rosettes can look very striking. Each rosette is the shape of an arrow with the tips all pointing to the back of the cat. Arrowhead rosettes have a fluid, horizontal appearance, making the cat look like it is in motion, even when standing still.

Clouded Rosettes

Clouded rosetting is inspired by the clouded leopard. The rosettes are large, cloud like shapes and their pattern will often resemble a snake skin. These beautiful patterns often start at the cat's shoulders and continue down to their tails. The rosettes appear to fit together like a puzzle, with little acreage (spacing) between them.

Paw Print Rosettes

Paw print rosetting is inspired by the leopard. These rosettes look like the shape of a paw, with a centre resembling a paw pad and darker spots outside that resemble toes. The paw print rosettes is never closed and the rosettes are tightly compacted together.

Donut Rosettes

Donut rosetting is inspired by the jaguar. These dramatic looking rosettes are large, with more acreage between each rosette. Each rosette has a completely dark outline around it, with a lighter centre. However, this centre should be darker than the Bengal's ground (background) colour. Sometimes there are tiny spots within each donut. When these donut rosettes are really big, they are referred to as pancake rosettes.

Single Spotted Rosettes

Single spotting is inspired by the cheetah. The spots are monochrome and splattered over a contrasting background. Although single spots are not very fashionable amongst Bengal breeders anymore, single spotted Bengals play an important role still within the breed, as these cats can possess good structure and type, as well as their spots having good horizontal flow.