Short Stuff: Bengal Cats | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[Music]. Hey, and welcome to the short stuff. I'm. Josh. There's Chuck. Jerry's here, too. Dave's not, but Jerry's here for Dave. You know the whole rigma roll. It's time. for short stuff. So, let's go. Meow. So, Chuck, I'm glad you did that because. I think that was a really great segue. into this episode on a specific kind of. cats. >> That's right. Uh we're talking about the. Bingle cat. uh if you've ever seen a. bingle cat or if you look up a picture. online now.

>> uh when it's safe it looks like a cross. between a leopard and a and a house cat. because that's what it is. >> Yeah. Full stop. I mean it's kind of. nuts but there is a small wild leopard. cat out there in southern and eastern. Asia. Um Piona illurius Bengalenis. bangalencis. I got it in there. somewhere. Maybe Jerry can chop all that. up and edit it into the correct. pronunciation. But it's a tiny little.

cat that looks a lot like a leopard. And. it is a wild cat. It's not a leopard. It's not even related to the leopard, but it's one half of this type of. hybridized breed of cats that people. keep as pets today. >> Yeah. That people pay a lot of money. for. Um. >> Oh, I imagine so. >> Yeah. Um they are uh very willful, athletic cats and we'll kind of get to. their behavior later, but uh let's go. back about 6 million years. >> Okay. >> Uh to talk about how cats came to be, uh.

there were a couple of um groups of. felines that that parted ways. Um there. was a very, you know, just sort of a. regular small-bodied cat that was. eventually the common ancestor of both. of these groups. Mhm. >> Uh, one became uh the one that you. talked about, the uh prianeleris. Nope. >> Yeah. I mean, that was closer than. >> Okay. >> Maybe. >> Yeah. >> Uh, Bengalenosis.

>> Mhm. >> No. Bengalinsencis. >> You just did what I do. You added a. whole vowel in there. >> Well, why don't you take the next one. because that one's easy. >> Wild leopard cat. >> Well, no, I meant the other lineage. the. house cat, felis catis. >> Yeah, exactly. So, those are the two. lines. Uh the felis catis is the what we. most of us have in our homes that have. cats. >> But that other one, that leopard cat is. uh lives in southern and eastern Asia. Um like you said, it's a wild cat. It it.

prowls the forest and grasslands and. stuff like that. And they're not huge. They're 6 and 12 lbs to maybe 15 12 lbs. Um, and although they look like a. leopard, they're, you know, like you. said, they're clearly not. They're. they're they're small by comparison. >> No, but like a leopard, they're covered. in rosettes. That's what leopard spots. are called. And then the little the. little plastic things on the end of. shoelaces are called egglets. >> You know those two things? >> Common cross word clue, by the way, >> great. Yeah, if you know those two. things, you don't need to know anything.

else in the world because they'll just. kind of open up all the doors you need. from that point on. >> That's right. But rosettes, they're um. the little patches of fur, the little. spots that leopards have. And um that's. one of the the main characteristics of. the Bengal cat hybrid breed. Um do you. want to take an early break or do you. want to keep going? What do you think? >> I say we keep going. We're only a few. minutes in. >> Okay. Well, let's talk about Willard. Central Wall then. >> Yeah. Uh this is a guy that is initially. responsible for this um crossbreed.

because in 1971 when he was a professor. at Lomol Linda University in California, he was working on trying to solve feline. leukemia. And apparently that bingle cat. is uh resistant to feline leukemia. So. he started working with hybridizing. these cats to see what he could learn. about this uh scientifically speaking to. help save cats. >> Yeah. And we should say, I mean, there's. a lot of people who are very um not. happy with the idea that people are. hybridizing cats and creating designer.

cat breeds when there's tons of shelter. cats that need to be adopted. >> I'm um. >> Yeah. Yeah. Willard Centraal, though, he. seems to have just he did this. innocently, like he wasn't trying to. create a new designer breed of cat that. he could sell, >> right? >> He was doing it for scientific research. Uh, enter another uh, breeder, Gene. Mill, who actually was a um, a. purposeful breeder of this new hybrid. breed of cats, the what became the. Bengal cat. She collaborated with Center.

Wall, and she was a conservationist. And. that won't make any sense for a little. while, but will Oh, I'll bring it in. now. The reason that she, a. conservationist, was in involved in. creating a hybridized cat was because. she thought that if you got little cats. out there that looked like leopards, um, it would make people more um, empathetic toward leopards in the wild. and hence would dry up the market for. leopard skin coats and may even help.

conserve wild leopard populations. because people um, adopted like what. looked like a little baby leopard. bird. at home. >> Yeah. And it is not lost on us that her. last name was Mill. >> Uh save your email. >> Uh and we'll mention one more guy before. we break. A breeder named Bill Angler uh. who was a zookeeper uh and animal. importer. Worked a lot with exotic. animals. >> and um he had a leopard cat named Shaw. in the early '7s and he breeded them and.

created a bunch of Bengal kittens. And. um I don't believe this, but people have. surmised because his name was Bill. Angler that the name Be Engel uh came. from be angler, but I think it's clearly. from that Asian leopard cat's name. >> So much so that I don't know why people. even came up with the other idea. >> Agreed. >> I think that's break time, huh? >> Yeah. Let's do it. We'll be right back. [Music].

Oh, [Music]. you should know. [Music]. Uh, so these cats, even though I'm. completely against this kind of thing. and selling uh pets like this that at.

like for two grand a pop, they're. amazing looking. Um, they're incredible. They're gorgeous little tiny leopards. Um, the rosettes can take a various. forms. Uh, they can be kind of pointy. They can kind of look like arrowheads. They can be more circular. They can look. like paw prints. Um, the marblecoated. Bengal is one of the coolest looking. cats I've ever seen. Um, but again, I I. don't want to sound like I'm endorsing.

this kind of thing, you know. >> No, but I mean like the these things do. exist and they are beautiful to look at. and they do seem like pretty interesting. cats as far as cats go, their. personalities and what they demand from. you. I was going to say require, but it. seems like a demand. >> Um, they're also different uh colored. They have different colored coats. beneath their rosettes, too. All the way. up to white, which imitates snow. leopard, so it looks like a mini baby. snow leopard essentially running around. your house. But they also have like. brown, golden, charcoal gray, silverish.

Um, and all these different rosette. combinations with different coat. combinations means that there's a. infinite variety of Bengal kittens just. waiting to be bred. >> Yeah. Uh they are uh muscular. They're. very athletic. Uh apparently their hind. legs are a little taller than the. shoulder, so they they look even a. little different than your regular house. cat. Um they weigh just sort of like the. ones in the wild, 8 to 15 pounds, which. is can be small for a cat. Uh and.

they're, like I said, they're very. energetic. They like to take walks. They. don't lay around and sleep all day like. other cats, apparently. >> Um they like to swim, which is very. unique for cats, right? >> Yeah. They're into water related. activities like swimming. >> Yeah. >> Showering with their owners, >> water skiing. >> Yeah, I had wake boarding. But yes, either one. >> I stepped on it. That was even better. >> I stepped on yours, too. So, there you. go. >> Although, kneeboard a kneeboarding cat. Maybe that's the best joke. >> I thought in knee boarding, too. I.

workshopped it. >> very briefly with myself and said. wakeboarding is the way to go. >> Um, the thing is is a lot of people buy. these things and they're like, "Oh, this. is going to go with my purse. I'm gonna. carry this cat around whenever I have my. purse and then probably ignore it the. rest of the time I have it. >> Um, they're buying these cats for their. looks essentially, which is I mean. that's kind of one of the things that. that they're bred for is their looks. The problem is. >> even if they're expecting like this is a. cat I'm going to take care of. Most. people are totally unprepared for just.

how different Bengal cats are from your. average cat. like you said, all the. stamina, all the um if they get bored, they're very aggressive. So, you don't. want them to get bored because just say. bye-bye to your errands rent furniture, right? >> Um like you're like you are you're. you're in for it if you buy a Bengal cat. and take it as your own. You It's just. going to be way more work than the. average cat, which can usually amuse. itself. So, a lot of people buy two to.

keep them busy with one another. >> Yeah. Uh yeah, and I guess they have a. lot of money cuz I saw that snow uh. leopard version can go for like two. grand. >> I am surprised that's all. >> Yeah, I guess I can see breeders. charging way more than that. I'm really. surprised. >> Yeah, >> that's a value. Well, uh, apparently if they have wild parents. or grandparents, um, it's even worse and. they require even more socialization. than, you know, which makes sense than.

the ones who are, uh, further removed. from that wild uh, lineage. >> Um, and I looked up online because this. article from How Stuff Works, not sure. when it was, but it said like Hawaii as. a state has put a ban on breeding and. ownership. And then so I looked up and. there there are quite a few states that. either have uh outright bans on. ownerships um or bans on breeding or. both or if they don't have bans they. have a lot of uh like you have to have a. permit and like hoops you have to jump. through to get one of these things, >> right? >> So um yeah, people are kind of standing.

up and or you know cat rescue. organizations are obviously standing on. their podium and screaming like please. don't support this kind of thing. Do not. buy hybrid cats. >> Yeah. If you ever d drive past a strip. mall and it says cats or puppies or. something, kittens on a sign, >> you want to keep driving. >> Oh, well, unless it's uh they're doing. like an adoption event on the sidewalk. >> That's a little different. I'm talking. more like a permanent sign that they pay. a sign maker to put up like on the. shopping centers directory.

>> Yeah. Yeah. I just wanted to draw that. distinction because that's what they. will often do is set up in front of like. Petco or something. >> Yeah. Uh Yumi and I were looking once at. a Petco at um before we got Mo. Um and. there was there were dogs they had it. was so sad they had dogs that had all. different kinds of special needs or. handicaps kind of sequestered off from. the other dogs. >> And among these dogs there was a little. Chihuahua and apparently the only thing. unusual about him was that um he.

couldn't retract his tongue. So his. tongue was always sticking out and you. had to keep his tongue moist. >> Yeah. It looks super cute. like it was. um that's just always stuck with me. >> Yeah. I mean there's there's a breed of. dog that has that tongue out full time, right? >> I don't know. >> that I think that like the the. supposedly ugliest dog on earth that. breed whatever it is that is like patchy. hair and looks kind of crazy and has it. I think they have their tongue. permanently out. >> They have a non- retractable tongue. >> I guess. So I'll look at We should do a.

short stuff on that dog because I don't. like some calling an animal the ugliest. whatever. No, that sounds kind of. internet clickbay, you know. >> Yeah, agreed. >> All right. Uh, well, I think we're at. the end of Bengal Cats, E. >> Yes. >> Okay. See you guys. Short stuff's out. >> Stuff you should know is a production of. iHeart Radio. For more podcasts, iHeart. Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple. Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your. favorite shows. [Music].