The Bengal breed is a fairly new registered breed, since the 1980s, and has evolved from breeding a domestic short-hair cat to an Asian Leopard Cat. Generations of breeding between the two cats has lead to Bengal coats ranging in color from orange, tan, light brown, or silver, and coats are usually accented with bold glitter, stripes, or rosettes. Rosettes are markings that have two distinct colors or shades in them and are formed by a darker outline around a lighter center and are usually shaped in the form of an arrowhead, donut, or half donut. Rosettes are a unique Bengal trait that is not seen in other breeds. Bengals will also have a white underbelly that contains spots.

Bengal kittens are born with beautiful markings, which give an indication of what the kittens will look like as an adult. As early as three weeks of age, Bengal kittens go through a stage known as the Ugly Fuzzies. Like their wild counter parts, Bengal kittens develop a coat that is meant to camouflage, or mute, their markings with white tipped guard hairs in order to help hide the kittens from danger. Between five and nine months the beautiful adult coat begins to appear and highlights the beautiful markings unique to Bengals.