Bengal Colors – 40 Ways To Look Like A Leopard!

Types of Bengal cats

The Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA), which is the leading pedigree cat registry in the United States, has adopted a staggering 40 distinct color categories for Bengals. Whilst all of these colors can be regarded as different types of Bengal, they all belong to the same pedigree, and are fundamentally the same breed.

All Bengal cat colors are produced by two types of pigment in their fur:

• eumelanin pigments, which are black or brown.
• and pheomelanin pigment, which is red.

The predominant Bengal color combination is black rosette markings on a brown background – known as a brown/black tabby Bengal, a brown (black) Bengal, or just a brown Bengal cat. Other Bengal cat colors and patterns are caused by the presence of specific genes that modify the presence of eumelanins and pheomelanin. Beside brown, the categories of Bengal cat colors are:

• silvers
• blues
• snow lynx
• snow mink
• and snow sepia
• and ‘any other variety’, also known as AOV, or non-standard colors.

Some of these categories can also overlap with the other categories, creating an large number of unique possibilities. For example you can get a blue silver Bengal cat. We’ll see more about how that works as we work through each Bengal cat color in turn…

1. The classic brown Bengal cat

Black brown Bengal cats are the archetypal Bengal color. The background color in their coat can sit anywhere on a spectrum between buff, tan, honey gold and orange. The outline of their rosettes can be black, brown or tan, but ideally whatever color they are should have a high degree of contrast against their background color. In show quality cats, the inside of their rosettes is a third shade, in between their background color and the outline color. Their nose is pink or red, and their eyes are any color except blue.

2. Silver Bengal cats

A silver Bengal cat carries a gene called the inhibitor gene, or I gene. The I gene completely suppresses all pheomelanin production, so that their coat doesn’t have any red undertones in it. The I gene is a dominant gene, which means kittens only need to inherit it from one of their parents in order to express it.

A silver Bengal kitten has cool dark gray or black markings on a cool light gray background, with a black or red nose, and green or gold eyes. But the I gene isn’t the only way to get a gray Bengal cat…

3. The blue Bengal cat controversy

A blue Bengal cat is also gray. Blue coloring is caused by the color dilution gene, or D gene. The D gene inhibits production of both eumelanin and pheomelanin, but doesn’t suppress either completely. The reduction in eumelanin means that blue Bengals’ markings appear gray rather than black. Since pheomelanin production is only reduced and not suppressed altogether, their background color usually has a warmth to it that a silver Bengal’s does not. Their nose is rose colored and outlined in grey, and their eyes can be any color but blue. The D gene is a recessive gene, which means its effects are only expressed when a kitten inherits it from both of their parents. Kittens with only one copy are carriers, who could one day pass the gene onto their own offspring, but they don’t express it themselves.

Since blue and silver coloring are caused by different genes, it’s possible for a Bengal kitten to inherit two copies of the D gene, and at least one copy of the I gene. Which makes them a blue silver Bengal cat. A blue silver Bengal cat looks very similar to a silver Bengal cat, except their rosettes and nose can never be black, they are always dark gray.

Blue and blue silver Bengal cats have controversial status in the cat community. The CFA accepts them for judging in cat shows, but The International Cat Association (the second largest pedigree cat registry in the U.S.) does not. You can make up your own mind how you feel about this alternative gray coat!

4. Snow Bengals – the color point series

Next up, we have a group of Bengal cat colors known as the snow Bengals. The snow bengal colors are

• Lynx
• Mink
• Sepia

They are all types of color point coat, introduced when Siamese and Burmese cats were used to get the Bengal breed established. Color point coats are a form of temperature sensitive albinism – in other words, they only produce pigment at their extremities, where the surface temperature of their skin is coolest. The Siamese gene – known as C^s – produces high contrast color points. And the Burmese gene – known as C^b – produces low contrast color points. The exact coloration of snow Bengals depends upon exactly which color point genes they have, and which other genes they have too. We’ll break down the possibilities next!

4(a). The snow lynx Bengal cat

A snow Bengal cat with two copies of the C^s gene is a lynx Bengal. Within this color category, they can be:

• Seal lynx point. Which means that underneath their color point markings they are a classic brown Bengal. Their background color is cream or ivory, and their markings are dark brown or tan.
• Blue lynx point. Which means they have two copies of the C^s gene, and two copies of the D (dilution) gene. Their background color is cream or ivory, and their markings are light or mid gray.
• Seal silver lynx point. Which means they have two copies of the C^s gene, and at least one copy of the I (inhibitor) gene. Their background color is white or pale cream, and their markings are silvery grey or brownish black.
• Blue silver lynx point. Which means they have two copies of the C^s gene, two copies of the D gene, and at least one copy of the I gene (phew!). Their background color is a light silver gray or ivory, and their markings vary from warm gray to light caramel colored.

All snow lynx Bengals have a pink or red nose, and blue eyes.

4(b). The snow mink Bengal

A snow mink Bengal cat has one copy of the the C^s gene, and one copy of the C^b gene. Within this color category, they can be:

• Seal mink tabby. Which means they are a classic brown Bengal underneath. Their background color varies from cream to light tan, and their markings vary from medium tan to dark chocolate.
• Blue mink tabby. Which means they have one copy of C^s gene, one copy of the C^b gene, and two copies of the D gene. Their background color is ivory or rich cream, and their markings are a medium or dark warm gray.
• Seal silver mink tabby. Which means they have one copy of C^s gene, one copy of the C^b gene, and at least one copy of the I gene. Their background color is ivory or light tan, and their markings vary from ‘cold bitter chocolate’ to plain old ‘brown’.
• Blue silver mink tabby. Which means they have one copy of C^s gene, one copy of the C^b gene, two copies of the D gene, and at least one copy of the I gene (again). Their background color is cream or silvery blue, and their markings can be warm gray or caramel.

All snow mink Bengals have a pink or red nose, and aqua (blue-green or turquoise) eyes.

4(c). Sepia snow Bengal cats

Hopefully you’re already spotting a pattern here! A sepia snow Bengal cat has two copies of the C^b gene. Within this color category, they can be:

• Seal sepia tabby. Which means they are a classic brown Bengal underneath. Their background color varies between cream and tan, and their markings are shades of dark brown.
• Blue sepia tabby. Which means they have two copies of the C^b gene, and two copies of the D gene. Their background color is medium tan or a mid warm gray, and their markings are a warm gray with distinct fawn overtones.
• Seal silver sepia tabby. Which means they have two copies of the C^b gene, and at least one copy of the I gene. Their background color is ivory to medium tan, and their markings are a cold brown color.
• Blue silver sepia tabby. Which means they have two copies of the C^b gene, and two copies of the D gene, and (you guessed it) at least one copy of the I gene. Their background color sits between cream and warm pale silver, and their markings are warm gray or chocolate.

All snow sepia Bengals have a pink or red nose, and green or gold eyes.

5. Non-standard Bengal cat colorations

Next we come to the non-standard Bengal cat colors, also known as the ‘any other variety’ class, or AOV. ‘Any other variety’ sounds like it’s completely open to all other possibilities, but it’s not. More accurately, the AOV coats are colors and patterns which are disqualified from the show bench, but can be still registered as pedigree cats. This is usually because their color is not regarded as ideal, but it’s good for the overall health of the breed to keep them in the gene pool and use them in breeding programs. But the number of colors recognised in the AOV class is not limitless. For Bengal cats registered with the CFA, they are

• chocolate tabby
• cinnamon tabby
• lilac tabby
• fawn tabby

All four are based on the modified versions of eumelanin pigment, with or without color dilution on top. For cats registered with TICA, blue is also a non-standard color.

Can you get an orange Bengal cat?

An example of a color which isn’t recognized at all in Bengal cats is orange. Orangey shades of brown are acceptable as a background color for brown Bengals. But they can’t have orange markings as well. This would require a total absence of eumelanin, but eumelanin production is characteristic of all Bengals – it’s never missing.

Bengal patterns: marble, rosettes and charcoal

A final part of the puzzle for understanding Bengals’ colors is the role of pattern. The two main types of pattern on Bengals are rosettes and marbling, which at a genetic level are both types of tabby. Rosettes more closely resemble the markings of a wild leopard, whilst marbling is somewhat more abstract and blotchy. Even though neither are stripey, you can see that both patterns belong to the tabby group because all Bengals have the characteristic tabby ‘M’ on their forehead.

According to their breed standard, an ideal Bengal also has ‘glittering’. Glittering means each hair has a translucent tip which catches the light differently to the rest of the shaft, and makes the surface of their coat appear to sparkle. The glitter pattern is inherited directly from Bengals’ leopard cat relatives, and therefore is considered a trademark of a really desirable Bengal.

Some other important Bengal patterns are

• Charcoal
• Melanistic
• Smoke

Of these, only charcoal is acceptable for show-quality cats – melanistic and smoke are classified as AOV patterns, and disqualified.

Charcoal Bengals

Charcoal Bengals possess a unique agouti gene which can be traced directly back to their wild leopard cat ancestors. Agouti genes cause distinct bands of color on individual hairs. The charcoal agouti gene produces Bengal kittens with dark nose leather, a ‘zorro’ like mask over their face, and a cape of dark hairs down the center of their back. The charcoal pattern can be combined with any of the Bengal colors described above.

Black Bengal cats (the melanistic pattern)

Black Bengal cats have two copies of a recessive melanistic gene which causes their background color to be nearly as dark as their markings. The melanistic pattern can also combine with blue and the snow colors, to produce ultra-low contrast Bengal coats in other colors. Since this trait is recessive, cats with only one copy of the gene do not express it. But if they are mated to another carrier, around one quarter of their kittens will be melanistic, and two thirds of the other kittens will be carriers. This is how low contrast patterns manage to persist, despite being disqualified from shows, and generally considered quite undesirable.

Smoke Bengals

Finally, smoke Bengals have the opposite of glittering. Each of their hairs has a black tip on it, which gives them a shaded appearance. As smoke Bengal kittens grow up, the rosettes or marbling in their coat tend to become less and less visible beneath the shading. Which is why this pattern is also disqualified from shows.

Bengal colors summary

Several important genes govern Bengals’ colors, which can combine in 40 officially recognized different ways. Many of the possibilities look virtually indistinguishable to the untrained eye. For example silver and silver blue are very similar, as are many of the snow colors. Sometimes only the color of their eyes or nose leather holds the key to recognizing that two cats are actually different colors at a genetic level. But if you love Bengals, then looking for these little clues, and learning to recognize each of the different colors at cat shows is a fun way to enjoy this charismatic breed a little bit more than ever.

What color is your Bengal cat?

Would you like to see some more of the non-standard colors and patterns accepted in shows? Let us know in the comments box down below!

More Bengal cat resources

• Bengal Cats
• What Do Bengal Cats Eat?
• Bengal Cat Names – 200 Ideas For Naming Your Male or Female
• How To Make A Bengal Cat Stop Meowing
• Black Bengal Cat Breed Traits
• Snow Lynx Bengal Cat Care and Traits

References

Charcoal Pattern in Bengals. UC Davis. Accessed July 2022.

Bengal Show Standard. The Cat Fancier’s Association. 2022.

Bengal Breed Group Standard. The International Cat Association. 2020.

Kaelin & Barsh. Genetics of Pigmentation in Dogs and Cats. Annual Review of Animal Biosciences. 2013.

Lyons et al. DNA mutations of the cat: The good, the bad and the ugly. Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery. 2015.