Indian Creek is proud to have been one of the pioneers in developing the longhair variant known as a Cashmere Bengal. Our first Cashmere was our pet, Roxann. Not only did we love her soft, smooth “cashmere like” coat, we became aware that, unlike most longhair breeds, Roxanne had little shedding and no matting! She had the beauty of the Bengals AND, the wonderful fluffy coat of a longhair! It was the best of both worlds! So, in 2009, we purchased our first longhair bengal and began breeding FOR this trait, rather than away from it. Since the Bengal breed began in the United States, the early, traditional breeders were irate that we would add this back into the gene pool. Out of respect to the earlier breeders, and to protect the integrity of the gene pool, we began our journey under a new cattery name: It’s Tabu.

Since the goal has always been to develop a domestic cat with the exotic look of the leopard, breeders have worked on developing a short, tight pelt, and, therefore, selectively bred away from the longhair variant making the longhair gene very rare. Until recently, breeders were shocked, and even imbarrased to see a longhair kitten pop up in one of their litters! Some even thought that the longhair kitten was a mixed cat. The truth is, They are pure Bengal cats with the same personality and behavior as their short hair brothers. A cashmere must still be an excellent representation of the Bengal standard with the added emphasis on the longer coat.

The many variations of genes lead to a number of other unrecognized appearances among the Bengals. One of these is the long haired Bengal. A Bengal with the long haired gene possesses all the qualities of the standard Bengal but has a longer coat. This difference is due to a recessive gene that both parents must carry in order for it to surface in a litter. Long haired kittens are typically born into a litter along with standard kittens who possess the required short coat.

Cashmere is the name being used for the long hair variety of the Bengal cat, a recognized domestic breed known for their captivating appearance and endearing personalities. Early on Abyssinians, Burmese, Siamese, Maus, and even Himalayans were used to cross with the forest dwelling Asian Leopard cat to produce the first generation (F1). As a result, there have been long hair kittens born from short hair parents since the beginning.

While developing the longhair trait was shunned in the United States early on, other breeders around the world embraced the Cashmere and their progress, in my opinion, surpassed the work that was being done in the United States. Today, Europeans are working to get the longhair variant, recognized as a separate breed. The efforts ourselves as well as many breeders around the world were realized In May of 2017, when the longhair variant was accepted for championship statice in TICA sanctioned shows.

Today, Cashmeres are gaining popularity in the US, though still rare.