The origin of the Bengal breed began with the cross between the Asian Leopard Cat and a domestic cat. The name of the breed derives from the scientific name (Prionailurus bengalensis) of the ALC.
There are many claims as to who first successfully bred the Bengal cat but it is documented that in the early 1960's, Jean Mill (née Sugden) of Millwood Bengals (USA) successfully crossed a black shorthaired domestic tom cat with a female Asian Leopard cat called 'Malaysia'.
The female offspring was later bred back to her father and subsequently many generations were born. However tragedy then struck Jean's personal life and breeding efforts and so her early project ended here.
In 1980 and in trying to obtain another ALC, Jean was referred to an American pediatrician called Dr Willard Centerwall. He was involved in a breeding program where Asian Leopard Cats were crossed with domestic cats as part of a study of Feline Leukemia. Jean Mill took on some of the hybrids he produced and found a suitable foundation 'Indian Mau' male cat to begin furthering this new breed once again. He was named 'Tory of Delhi' and can be traced back in the pedigree of most early Bengals. Jean had many struggles but continued her efforts and kept on introducing new ALC's into her line until 2007 when she retired from breeding Bengals.
Such pioneers and breeders around the world have spent years carefully selecting and developing the right bloodlines to produce Bengals that have a close physical likeness to their wild ancestor but the temperament of their domestic ancestor. In 1986, Bengals were accepted as a new breed by TICA and gained championship status in 1991. Bengals were introduced to the UK in the 1990’s, making them a relatively new breed here. As the breed has since progressed, SBT Bengals have been taken back to the Asian Leopard Cat instead of the Egyptian and Indian Maus, Burmese and non-pedigreed domestic cats that were used in the early stages of development.
Much of the information above has been sourced from Wikipedia and Millwood Milestones.