Welcome to Leopard's Pride, the premier Bengal cattery located in Las Vegas, Nevada. I started this hobby several years ago and have fallen in love with the Bengal breed. All of the cats are part of the family, and with each new addition, my passion grows. My goal is to breed outstanding Bengal cats that produce loving, domestic, beautiful housecats.

History of the Bengal Cat

The Bengal cat is a unique breed of cat in that it is the only spotted breed which is directly descended from a wild ancestor. This beautiful ancestor of the Asian leopard Cat gets its name from the ALC's scientific name Felis bengalensis.

The goal in producing the Bengals is to recreate the look of the Asian Leopard Cat in a domestic,loving, housecat. Some of the genes that have been passed down from the Asian Leopard Cat include and incredibly soft, short "pelt" and beautiful rosettes.

In 1963, Jean Sugden of California crossed a female Asian Leopard Cat and a male black domestic cat. The offspring were a mixed litter of solid and spotted kittens. One of the spotted female offspring was then mated back ot the father and the resulting litter had spotted kittens. Thus the birth of the Bengals.

In the 1970's, Jean (Sugden) Mill acquired 8 female Asian Leopard Cat (ALC)/domestic offspring from the University of California. These cats were the result of a novel research project investigating the Asian Leopard Cat's natural immunity to Feline Leukemia. The matings flourished and the Bengal breed was officially born and registered with The International Cat Association (TICA) in 1983.