Bengal — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA-b)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A Bengal-specific, autosomal recessive form of inherited blindness caused by a mutation distinct from the Abyssinian's, destroying the light-sensing cells of the retina. UC Davis offers a dedicated DNA test for this Bengal-only mutation.
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL Bengal-specific PRA (PRA-b) DNA test result, on both parents
UC Davis VGL — PRA-b (Bengal) test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pra-bengal)
Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiencycan shorten life or cause chronic pain
The same inherited haemolytic anaemia documented in Abyssinians is also listed by UC Davis as appropriate for testing in Bengals, reflecting the breed's own foundation ancestry.
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL PK deficiency DNA test result, on both parents
UC Davis VGL — PK deficiency test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pk-deficiency-cat)
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A thickened heart muscle disease reported in Bengals in breed-specific echocardiography research; a US veterinary school has run a dedicated Bengal HCM study programme. No breed-validated DNA marker exists for Bengal, unlike Maine Coon or Ragdoll, so echocardiography is the only way to screen for it.
Ask to see: No breed-validated DNA test exists — ask for a recent echocardiogram, read by a cardiologist, on both parents
NC State Veterinary Hospital — Bengal Cat Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Study (https://hospital.cvm.ncsu.edu/services/small-animals/genetics/bengal-cat-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-study/) · Journal of Veterinary Cardiology — Reference intervals for echocardiographic measurements in Bengal cats (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1760273415000181)