None of the exotic beauty of the Bengal Cat would be possible without the Foundation Asian Leopard Cats and the diligence of the early Bengal Cat enthusiasts.

Taro of Bundas has produced some of the most extraordinary foundation Bengal Cats with exceptional temperaments. Look at that pattern, clarity, spotted tail, spotted legs. What a joy to behold! He is my goal of achievement. Most of our cats are descendants of Taro.

Jean Mill is generally given credit for the creation of the Bengal Breed. She first bred a leopard cat/domestic cat hybrid in 1963. But the real progress with her breeding program began when she met Dr. Centerwall in 1980 and got several of his 1G (1st Generation) kittens. She wanted to create a lap-leopard domestic cat that resembled the wild jungle cats like the Asian Leopard Cat. The domestic Bengal derives its name from the Latin name of its wild forest dwelling ancestor, Felis Bengalensis (Asian Leopard Cat).

Jean worked enthusiastically and tirelessly toward her goal of lap leopards. Jean promoted the Bengal Cat around the world and assisted other individuals to begin their breeding programs. She is responsible to getting the Bengal Cat accepted into the registry of The International Cat Association (TICA).

They have a "wild" appearance with large spots/rosettes/arrowheads, and a light/white belly, and a body structure reminiscent of the ALC.

The brown spotted Bengal Cat, first registered for championship status in TICA in 1991. They are the result of breeding the small forest-dwelling Asian Leopard Cat with selective shorthair breeds. Some of the breeds used initially were Abyssinian, Burmese, and Egyptian and Indian Mau.

The first three generations of this cross are considered Foundation Bengal cats, and are labeled 1G, 2G, and 3G. The first three Foundation generations generally produce infertile male offspring. The Fourth Generation of this cross (4G) is the SBT Bengalcat. The Bengal is a breed at the fourth generation because it can consistently reproduce itself. Many states require that your pet Bengal cat is at least 4 generations removed from the Asian Leopard Cat.

The SBT (stud book tradition) Bengal Cat is very much admired and enjoyed at Cat Shows throughout the World. This resulting new breed, while having an exotic wild appearance, has an affectionate, loving, dependable personality. Each cat is uniquely beautiful and is a work of motion art.

Dr. Willard Centerwall was a professor of pediatrics, among other health-related fields, and was scientifically interested in felines in his free time. He contributed multiple Leopard Cat hybrids, bred from two Asian Leopard Cat brothers, who became known as the Centerwall ALCs. The doctor bred the Asian Leopard Cats to domestic levels to help his studies in immuno-compromised humans. The leopard cats were resistant to the feline leukemia virus, so researchers were interested in finding out if the trait could be passed on to hybrid offspring. Many of the present day Bengals can be traced back through pedigrees to the Centerwall line.

All of our cats at Speakeasy can be traced back to Centerwall.

Kabuki was one of Jean Mill's (Millwood Bengals) Asian Leopard Cat males who produced a stunning bloodline. We are fortunate to have several offspring from his line, including Jungletime Just Cant Get Enough, Speakeasy Body Like A Backroad, Speakeasy Rebel Prince, Speakeasy Girl Crush, and Speakeasy Whatever Shes Got.

Speakeasy Bengal Cats also represent the lines of several different Asian Leopard Cats. Some of these Leopard Cats are:

• Centerwall of Millwood
• SirApollo of Spotoluck
• Taro of Bundas
• Bahgara-Sergura Khan
• Leapole
• Phantom
• Art Deco
• Kabuki