CFA BENGALS
DISQUALIFY
No specific point values + or -
2018 CFA Bengal Standard for DISQUALIFY:
Rosetted/Spotted Tabby, Marble Tabby, Charcoal Tabby, Snow Tabby Patterns - Belly not patterned. Any distinct locket on neck, chest abdomen, or anywhere else. Kinked, or otherwise deformed tail. Cow hocking. Crossed Eyes.
Examples of Bengals with Lockets - (Disqualify):
Example of Toe Lockets
Breed Council Change Considerations:
1. Change "locket" to: "Any distinct white spot" (vs. "Any distinct white locket.)
Rationale:
A. Using the word "locket" means a part of the body where a necklace locket would fall. Since white spots can be on other parts of the Bengal in addition to this area, we should change the word. (Lockets are not only on the chest, but can be on the groin, belly seam, tips of toes or anywhere else that falls along the seam of the Bengal/Cat body as it is developing.)
Obstacles:
PROPOSAL #29 for the 2019 Ballot. Results: 27 Yes, 41 No - 68 Voters needs 41 "yes" votes to pass. Did not pass.
2. Change Tail fault section to only disqualify "Visible Tail Faults".
CURRENT:
Disqualify: Rosetted/Spotted Tabby, Marble Tabby, Charcoal Tabby, Snow Tabby Patterns - Belly not patterned. Any distinct locket on neck, chest abdomen, or anywhere else. Kinked, or otherwise deformed tail. Cow hocking. Crossed Eyes.
PROPOSED:
Disqualify: Rosetted/Spotted Tabby, Marble Tabby, Charcoal Tabby, Snow Tabby Patterns - Belly not patterned. Any distinct locket on neck, chest abdomen, or anywhere else. Kinked, or otherwise deformed tail. Visible Tail Fault. Cow hocking. Crossed Eyes.
Rationales:
A. No Bengal is perfect and working around an issue like an unnoticeable tail fault is up to the individual breeder. The judge can put this fault into perspective when evaluating the cat if they happen to feel it.
B. A Highly respected TICA genetics judge has said to:
"If you don't keep a spectacular Bengal just because of a tail fault, then you and I can no longer be friends". All Bengal cats have negatives, it is up to the individual breeder to decide which faults are most important to their particular breeding program and clients.
C. If it remains a "DQ", then judges can over stimulate this part of the tail while judging the cat making him/her uncomfortable and possibly even injuring tails (From a CFA Judge).
D. Many of the CFA judges are encouraging us to change this.
E. Kim Everett believes that Judges will see some Bengal tails as incorrect due to the elongated vertebrae as well as the high flexibility that some cats have the tips of their tails. This issue goes away with a less strict Breed Standard for Tail Faults.
F. Not allowing "visible tail faults" is still more conservative than standards from other cat associations.
G. The same standard that we use for Champions is used for Premiers - If we change this part of the standard, exhibitors showing Pet Cats with tail faults won't be disqualified and will be able to show these pet quality Bengals.
H. Until a breed is fully "set" - there are many areas that need improvement and we need the to work through these negatives rather than Disqualifying a Bengal just because of a nervous tail fault (for instance).
I. There are many instances where a tail fault shows up in a kitten after they have gone home with our pet clients. It would still be nice for these Bengals to be judged in either HHP or Championship and let the judge decide how negative that tail fault is considering the cat as a whole
J. Bring more cats and exhibitors into showing.
K. It has over-whelming acceptance from multiple groups of people within the breed council.
Obstacles:
A. "Show Bengals" should be the best of the best. While it may be OK to use a Bengal in a breeding program with a negative trait like a tail fault, it could be a good idea to be more restrictive for our showing cats.
B. Bengal breeders have been working for years to rid their programs of tail faults. Allowing exhibitors in show cats/kittens could take our breed backwards.
C. Our standard already expects no faults. If we decide to let tail faults back into the ring, it wcould lessen the quality of our show cats, breeding cats and therefore pet cats.
D. It could bring health concerns in regard to spinal structure.
CURRENTLY QUESTION #30 for the 2019 Ballot. Results: 36 Yes, 33 No - 69 voters needs 42 "yes" votes to pass. Did not pass.
Breed Council Change Considerations for 2019 that did not get on the Ballot:
3. Consider disqualifying certain colors for the Bengal Breed. Colors like: Red, Cream(with many of the CFA breeds - not speaking about Snows here), Tortie, Torbie and bi-color.
Rationale:
A. Most of these colors are not really seen in our breed anyway.
Obstacle:
A. This can have long lasting ramifications if ever a cat is found in a pedigree to have one of these colors, even if the color has been bred out. For instance, there was a huge fuss about an Abyssinian who had a Somali (a long haired Abyssinian) in it's pedigree 20 generations prior. It was not able to be a CFA show cat because of its heritage even though we now know it's a single gene.
B. I wouldn't want to restrict some people from their desire to show and use an amazing cat just because it had an unusual color.
THIS IS CURRENTLY BEING LEFT OFF OF THE BALLOT FOR 2019 AS THE QUESTION ONLY CAME UP ON 8-7-19. WE NEED TIME TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER RAMIFICATIONS AND IF THIS IS SOMETHING WE REALLY FIND NECESSARY TO DO. SINCE THESE COLORS ARE NOT PART OF OUR CURRENTLY ACCEPTED STANDARD, IT IS PROBABLY NOT NECESSARY TO ADDRESS AND MAKE THE STANDARD LONGER.
4. Group of approx. 12 members have sent in this proposal for changes regarding tail anomalies:
Proposed:
DISQUALIFY: Rosetted/Spotted Tabby, Marble Tabby, Charcoal Tabby, Snow Tabby Patterns - Belly not patterned. Any distinct locket on neck, chest, abdomen, or anywhere else. Kinked, or otherwise deformed tail. Visible tail fault. Cow hocking. Crossed eyes.
Rationale:
A. We as breeders are working diligently at breeding away from tail faults in our cats, but because breeding the ideal Bengal is so difficult, we would like the judges to consider penalizing non-visible tail faults appropriately on an otherwise outstanding example of the Bengal breed.
B. This is already being proposed above in question # 2. This shows strong support for this change from multiple groups.
Obstacles:
A. Only submitted to BCS on 7/31 with only 2 weeks before the proposed ballot is required to be turned into CFA.
B. No consensus within the CFA Breed Council for this change as it hasn't had time for people to see, read, discuss and suggest changes.
CURRENTLY NOT A SEPARATE QUESTION FOR THE PROPOSED 2019 BALLOT AS IT WAS ONLY SUBMITTED ON 7/31/19. IT IS CURRENTLY POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE ON 8/3/19 SO THAT THE COUNCIL CAN START TO GET FEEDBACK FROM ALL OF IT'S MEMBERS. HOWEVER, SINCE THIS QUESTION IS ALREADY LISTED ABOVE, IT WILL BE ASKED ON THE BALLOT AS THERE SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH SUPPORT.