Magnum, The Exotic Cat
Posted by Tommy Garrett on Apr 6, 2008 - 10:04:34 PM
"Note: The Cats pictured and Labeled as Bengals are actually an Asian Leopard Cat, not a Bengal"
Magnum. Not PI, but the cat that was named for the dashing character that Tom Selleck portrayed on CBS over 25 years ago. The beautiful half Bengal kitten entered the lives of Holly and her son almost 18 years ago now; this was Holly’s inspiration to find out more about the Savannah and Bengal breeds of cats. Ever since, she’s been in love.
Holly Webber, a cat breeder extraordinaire in the Sacramento area, was as fascinating as her gorgeous kitties and her well run cattery. Holly became a fan of these breeds from the day she saw her first. She said, “I had never been around such a fascinating, intelligent, playful, and intensely devoted feline before, and had never heard of the Bengal breed before. As it turned out, the Bengal was, back then, a newly developing breed first started by Jean Mill, who, along with a few other people, were becoming absolutely hooked on what they were able to produce by breeding the small wild Asian leopard cat to a variety of domestic cats.” Being a lover of the great wild big cats of Africa and the Americas, I fell in love with this breed just like Holly and her son did those decades ago.
A bengal cat.
Holly added, “The Bengal breed has been phenomenally successful. People are first attracted to this breed because of their exotic wild looks. The special shape of the head and ears; huge round beautifully colored eyes; many look like they've been sprinkled with gold dust due to a trait unique to Bengals called ‘glitter’ ... and oh yes, those beautiful rosetted spots!! There is something for everyone with the Bengal ... there are snow Bengals, marbled Bengals, golden Bengals, silver Bengals, even melanistic Bengals that look like miniature black panthers. But what has made the Bengal the most popular breed of cat in TICA (The International Cat Association) for the past seven years in a row, is their incredible personalities.”
She is very modest, but her cats are bred to precision beauty and temperament. They are funny little kitties but so warm and almost puppy like. One of the things I never enjoyed about cats was that I felt they were very standoffish and aloof. Not the Bengals or Savannahs. At least Holly’s cats, they have the personality of a litter of puppies. I am reminded that Holly says they are often nicknamed “puppy cats.” That is not surprising at all.
A Savannah cat.
But Holly and her cat fanciers are not the only ones that realize the beauty and diversity of these great felines. She says, “It is, in fact, due to the incredible success and popularity of the Bengal that other "hybrid" cat breeds are now being developed. Currently, the best known and most popular of these newer breeds is the Savannah Cat. Savannahs were started by crossing the African Serval cat with a Bengal cat ... the result was so breathtaking that the rest is still history in the making. It has long been known that the Serval and the Cheetah are two of the friendliest of the wild cats. What is so exciting about the Savannah is that a cat only a few generations away from a completely wild ancestor (Serval) can be so consistently friendly, gentle and completely well-suited for life as an indoor, pampered family pet. Being from the "Born Free" generation, I must confess that this is absolutely fascinating to me. While the ancestor of the Bengal, the Asian Leopard Cat, is a small cat (often 5-15 pounds in size), the African Serval is a larger cat, usually 35-45 pounds. Savannahs maintain the tall ears, long legs, lean body and exotic looks of the Serval, and are currently the largest domestic cat hybrid.”
When I mentioned that I had always been a dog person but was considering the change to a cat, Holly reminded me that just a few years ago cats surpassed dogs as being America’s favorite pets. And Holly also deduces, “While the reasons aren't always clear, no doubt the fact that cats are easier to take care of, require less space, and do best when kept safely in the home are all important contributing facts. Cats are an ideal choice of companion for people who live in small apartments, or those without a large backyard. Cats are smaller and size and more easily managed than all but the smallest of dog breeds. As more people have decided to try having a cat as a pet, they are finding out that cats can greatly contribute to a family's quality of life ... whether that family is comprised of one person or 20 or more!! Even in the earliest of times, the very first medical doctors recognized the therapeutic impact cats had on people. It's a documented fact that petting a cat reduces a human's blood pressure!! Choosing the right cat breed for your lifestyle is the most important decision you will make, because there truly is a type of cat ideally suited for everyone. As anyone who has ever done this will firmly attest to ... cuddling a purring kitty is heaven on earth.”
A bengal cat.
Whether you are interested in this breed or not, please look at Holly’s wonderful website. She has a series of cookbooks, called “Catty Cookbooks” that are not what they seem. They are cookbooks for humans and our food. But she uses gorgeous photographs of her beautiful cats to introduce them to the public. What an ingenious way of marketing. What better way to sell anything, especially a cookbook by showcasing something as beautiful and exotic as her beautiful felines. Cat lovers will find an array of fascinating never before seen items for cats on her official website as well.
