The Cashmere Bengal is the longhair expression of the Bengal breed.
Although spectacular and increasingly sought after, the longhair trait is a complex genetic feature, still poorly understood by the general public — and even by some breeders.

This page aims to explain the fundamentals of the longhair gene, why working with it is long and delicate, and why not all carriers express it in the same way.

Believing that one can “work Cashmere” with one or two breeding cats is… charming — but completely unrealistic
(and implicitly suggests the future use of inbreeding).

Developing true Cashmere lines requires:

• multiple bloodlines

• long-term perspective

• a substantial (not to say colossal) budget

• and real genetic selection

👉 In short: Cashmere breeding cannot be improvised.

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How does a Bengal become Cashmere?

For a Bengal to express longhair, it must carry two longhair alleles, meaning it must be homozygous for a longhair-type gene.

In practice, this means:

• M4/M4: the most common and widely tested case in Bengals

• Or heterozygous for two different longhair alleles, far rarer — and infinitely more valuable
  (this is the principle of the autonomous Cashmere)

Examples:

• M4/MX, where MX represents an unknown or currently untestable variant

• M4/M1, M4/M2, or other possible combinations

What matters is not that the two alleles are identical, but that both are longhair variants.
As soon as a cat carries two longhair alleles, the Cashmere phenotype is expressed.

Conversely:

• A carrier has only one longhair allele (e.g. M4/N)
  and will not express longhair — or may show very slight expression, depending on the strength of the transmitted gene (so-called cryptic expression).

 

An ancient and recessive gene

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The longhair gene (LH) is not a modern invention.
It has existed since the early feline ancestors of the Bengal and can reappear whenever two carriers are bred together.

Being recessive, it means:

• A shorthaired cat can carry the gene without showing it (LH heterozygous)

• Two carriers can produce longhaired kittens (Cashmere)

• A Cashmere cat (LH homozygous) automatically transmits the gene
  (at minimum as a heterozygous carrier)

A Cashmere heterozygous for two different longhair mutations could statistically transmit both longhair genes at once (around 25% of kittens), for example M4/M1 or M4/M2.
Such cats are extremely valuable because they can produce longhair kittens even when bred to non-carriers — true autonomous Cashmere for a breeding program.

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Why working with longhair takes years

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Working with the longhair gene requires time for several reasons.

 

There are actually many longhair genes

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Contrary to the widespread belief that only one “longhair gene” exists, genetic studies show that around ten different variants are involved in coat length.

Some are known, others are still unidentified.
There are also gene associations and modifiers.

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Only 4 to 5 genes are currently commercially testable

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Commercial laboratories only test a portion of these variants (usually the most common FGF5 mutations).
This means:

• A cat tested “non-carrier” may still carry an untested longhair gene

• Multiple variants can interact, producing different effects on coat length, density, or texture

Between modifiers, unknown interactions, and untestable alleles, Cashmere inheritance is anything but simple — especially when aiming for a high-end result.

Without genetic diversity, multiple lines, and a real strategy, nothing is controlled — results are merely endured.

👉 Genetics does not forgive shortcuts.

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Genetic statistics: theory vs reality

 

The percentages often cited in genetics — 25%, 50%, 100% — are only statistical trends, observed over a large number of births.

In reality, a single litter does not always follow these probabilities. One may obtain:

• 0% carriers from a pairing expected to produce 50%

• 100% carriers or Cashmere where theory predicted fewer

• Entire litters that completely contradict expected ratios

This is normal. Genetics works like a random draw at each conception, and statistics only balance out over many births.

This is why working with Cashmere requires long-term observation, multiple lines, and perspective — not reliance on a single litter or a “lucky result”.

In some breedings involving non-carriers, longhair gene penetrance may appear to disappear entirely, even when a parent is a confirmed carrier. Expression can vary enough to give the illusion of zero transmission.

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Why two Cashmere cats can produce short hair

 

Even when both parents are longhaired, the presence of multiple genes and their interactions can produce:

• short hair (LH carrier)

• semi-long hair

• long hair

• very long “extreme Cashmere” coats

Cashmere is not a simple “longer version” of the Bengal.
It is a subtle genetic combination involving several modifiers.

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LH carriers: an essential genetic resource

 

Carrier cats are indispensable because:

• They allow work on shorthaired Bengals while preserving longhair genetics

• They prevent genetic impoverishment caused by breeding only Cashmere to Cashmere

• They are often more strongly typed than Cashmere cats and help rebalance lines

Many serious breeders use alternation strategies:

• Cashmere × carrier

• Cashmere × Cashmere (selectively)

• Carrier × carrier

This stabilizes longhair while maintaining genetic diversity and strong type.

👉 Inbreeding, even in linebreeding form, should not be used in Cashmere or in Bengals in general.

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Why we work with large-rosetted Bengals — and why some males are indispensable even if they slow progress

In our program, one reality became clear from the very first generation:
longhair visually softens — even blurs — rosettes.

All the carriers we identified to build our foundation had a strong wild type.
On expressive LH carriers, this tends to break down the spotted pattern.

Between a patterned coat with 0.5 mm hair and a cryptic LH carrier with hair measuring 1–1.5 cm or more, the visual result is completely different.

Even though the spotted gene itself does not change, its expression naturally becomes less defined on Cashmere or expressive carrier coats.

This is why attempting to work Cashmere using Bengals with small wild-type rosettes is illusory.

To obtain Cashmere cats with visible, contrasted, and spectacular rosettes, one must start with large, massive rosettes.

This is precisely why males such as Rasta and Aegon are part of our program:

• Their XXL rosettes

• Their contrast and structure

• Their ability to compensate for the visual effect of longhair

Yes, this extends our generational work.
Yes, it slows short-term objectives.

But it is the only serious way to obtain, in the long run, high-end Cashmere Bengals with powerful type and truly readable rosettes on a long coat.

👉 Cashmere requires vision, patience, and strategy — not improvisation.

 

Why the Cashmere Bengal is rare and precious

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The Cashmere Bengal requires:

• years of genealogical work

• a deep understanding of coat genetics

• strict selection on type, health, and rosettes

• rigorous management of genetic diversity

This is what makes the Cashmere Bengal an exceptional cat, combining the elegance of the Bengal with the charm of a long coat.

The longhair gene in the Cashmere Bengal is fascinating, complex, and still being discovered.
Its beauty is the result of patient, thoughtful work, demanding expertise, vision, and respect for genetics.

Today’s Cashmere lines are pioneers, laying the foundation for a genetic journey that will continue to evolve for years to come.

We are willing to place longhair carriers with breeders who are passionate, humble, and genuinely committed to long-term generational work, for whom the patient construction of a line is a goal — not an illusion.