Kimburu - Bengal

General	Appearance	The Bengal is a domestic cat, which has the physical features of the small forestdwelting Felis Bengalensis or' Leopard cat. A cat with a basic "feral" appearence and the loving dependable temperament of the domestic cat. Alert appearance
	Size	The Bengal is sleek and very muscular. medium to large
Head	Shape	broad modified wedge, with rounded contours, longer than it is wide. Allowance to be made for jowls in adult males.
	Size	slightly small in proportion to body, not to be taken to extreme.
	Profile	gently curved forehead to bridge, very slight concave curve of nose.
	Nose	large and wide, slightly puffed nose feather. Bridge of nose extends above the eyes.
	Cheeks	high prominent cheek bones.
	Muzzle	full and broad, with large prominent whiskerpads.
Ears	Shape	medium to small, basically short ears with wide base and rounded tips. Light horizontal furnishings acceptable, but tufts undesirable. Thumb print.
	Placement	Set far apart, following the contour of the face in the frontal view, pointing forward in the profile view.
Eyes	Shape	oval. may be slightly almond shaped Large but not bugged.
	Placement	Set wide apart, with a slight slant towards the base of the ears.
Neck		thick and muscular, l ong and in proportion to body.
Body	Shape	long and substantial, large In proportion to head, not oriental or foreign Robust bone structure, never delicate Very muscular, especially in males; is one of the features. Hindquarters slightly higher than shoulders.
Legs		medium long, slightly longer in the back than in the front Very muscular, never delicate
	Paws	large and round.
Tail		thick, tapered at the end, with rounded tip. Medium large, medium length.
Coat	Structure	Short to medium lenght. Allowance for slightly longer coat in kittens. Texture is thick, luxurious, unusually soft to the touch, glittering
	Colour	For colour varieties refer to descriptions below
Condition		Perfect physical condition, well balanced physically and temperamentally.
Remarks	General	• Bengals should be confident, alert, curious and friendly cats.
	Registration/ Breeding	• Novice cats are not permitted. • It is not allowed to cross the Bengals with any other breed.
	Coat	• A mousy undercoat should not be penalised
Faults	Head	• Oriental type of head.
	Coat	• Much darker point colour (compared to colour of body markings) on Snow Bengals, Seal Sepia and Seal Mink Bengals. • Spots on body running together vertically forming a mackerel tabby pattern • Circular bull's eye pattern on marbles. • Long or coarse coat.
Disqualification	Belly	• not spotted
	Coat	• Any distinct white locket on the neck, chest, abdomen or any other area not provided for in the standard
	Paw pads	• not all of the same colour • not consistent with their colour group description
	Tail	• Tail tip not black for colour varieties n 26/28. • Tail tip not dark seal to sable brown for colour varieties 31/32/33.

Spots shall be random, or aligned horizontally. Rosettes formed by a part-circle of spots around a distinctly redder center are preferable to single spotting, but not required. Contrast with ground color must be extreme, giving distinct pattern and sharp edges. Strong, bold chin strap and mascara markings desirable. Blotchy horizontal shoulder streaks desirable. Belly must be spotted.

Markings, while derived from the classic tabby gene, shall be uniquely different with as little "bull's-eye" similarity as possible. Pattern shall, instead, be random giving the impression of marble, preferably with a horizontal flow when the cat is stretched. Vertical striped mackerel influence is also undesirable. Preference should be given to cats w/three or more shades; i.e.., ground color, markings, and dark outlining of those markings. Contrast must be extreme, with distinct shapes and sharp edges. Belly must be spotted.

All variations are allowed; however, a high degree of rufinism yielding a yellow, buff, tan, golden, or orange ground color is preferred. Markings may be virtually black, brown, tan, or various shades of chocolate or cinnamon. Light spectacles encircling the eyes and a virtually white ground color on the whisker pads, chin, chest, belly, and inner legs (in contrast to the ground color of the flanks and back) is desirable. Rims of the eyes, lips, and nose should be outlined w/black, and center of nose should be brick red. Paw pads and tail tip must be black.

Seal Lynx Point:

Ground color should be ivory to cream. Pattern can vary in color from dark seal brown, light brown, tan, or buff, with the light spectacles, whisker pads, and chin. There should be little difference between color of body markings and point color. Tail tip must be dark seal brown. Eye color: blue.

Seal Sepia Tabby / Seal Mink Tabby:

Ground color should be ivory, cream, or light tan with pattern clearly visible. Pattern may be various shades of sable brown to bitter chocolate. Ivory cream spectacles encircling the eyes, and ivory cream whisker pads and chin are desirable. There should be very little or no difference between the color of body markings and rosy undertones allowed. Tail tip should be bitter chocolate (dark seal sepia/mink). Eyes may be gold, to green, to blue green.

TOTAL			100 points
Head	general shape, nose, muzzle and teeth, forehead, chin placement and shape of the ears Neck		20
Eyes	shape, placement and colour		10
Body	size, shape Torso Shape of legs and feet Shape an length of the tail		25
Coat	texture and colour	20
	pattern and contrast	20	40
Condition			5