The Cashmere Bengal is the long-haired Bengal — a wild-looking, rosetted or marbled cat whose leopard-like markings are wrapped in a soft, flowing 'cashmere' coat. It has all the athleticism and mischief of a standard Bengal in a plusher package.
- Origin
- United States
- Category
- longhair
- Lifespan
- 12–16 yrs
- Size
- Medium–Large
- Weight
- 4–7 kg
- Coat
- Medium-to-long, silky, spotted or marbled
- Colours
- Brown spotted, snow, silver, charcoal
😺 Temperament
🏡 Best suited to
📊 Personality ratings
📜 History & origin
The longhair gene has quietly existed in Bengal lines since the breed's early development, inherited from the domestic cats used in the original crosses with the Asian Leopard Cat. Breeders long treated long-haired kittens as a fault, but by the 2010s dedicated programmes began celebrating them, and in 2013 New Zealand's cat fancy became one of the first registries to grant the Cashmere Bengal championship status.
🧼 Care & grooming
Bengals of any coat length need serious daily enrichment — tall climbing towers, puzzle feeders, water play and interactive hunting games — or they invent their own mischief. The longer coat is surprisingly low-maintenance thanks to its silky texture, needing only weekly brushing. A bored Bengal is a destructive Bengal, so plan for plenty of activity.
🩺 Health notes
Bengals are generally hardy, but the breed carries risk for Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-b), Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, all of which have DNA or screening tests. The Cashmere shares this profile with the standard Bengal, so buy only from breeders who test their cats.