MORE THAN A SILVER LINING

We sat down with Christine Cua, human companion to ten-month old silver-snow Bengal, Sari, to find out more about what makes this breed so enchanting.

Like many cat enthusiasts, Christine got into caring for Bengals primarily as a hobby. She recalls, “At first kasi, bumili kami ng Bengal locally. So ayun parang gusto mo lang ng Bengal, hindi ka nag-research. (Well, at first, we bought a Bengal locally. So it’s just like you wanted one [and got one] and didn’t do any prior research.)”

After having their first Bengal in 2017, her passion in taking care of them grew, eventually leading her into joining cat shows. That was when she started paying attention to the more detailed characteristics of the breed. “So that time, yun na yung naging mapili ka na (that is when you start to become more meticulous),” she says, referring to how she chooses a Bengal cat based on build, bone structure, chin, eyes, fur, making sure these are up to the set standards of the breed before adopting them. Currently, Christine has 11 Bengals in her care.

The most noticeable physical feature of the Bengal is their coat. Their fur comes in different colors accentuated by distinct patterns that could either be rosetted (spotted) or marbled. According to The International Cat Association (TICA), brown or black is the most common fur color ranging from gray to shades of golden, bronze, copper, or mahogany, with patterns ranging from rich browns to deep blacks. They also come in snow colors which appear as ivory, cream, or light tan, with patterns ranging from light to dark brown. Silver Bengals, on the other hand, have gray to almost white coats with dark gray to black patterns.

When asked why she chose a silversnow Bengal, Christine says, “[Para lang may] variety lang ng color. Parang common na kasi yung gold so gusto namin i-complete lahat ng colors. (It’s just for color variety. The gold is already very common, and we wanted to complete all the colors.)”