LA PANICA BIANCA - THE WHITED UNDERBODY PATTERN      TERMINOLOGY FOR THE WHITED UNDERBODY PATTERN:   1) KITTEN WHITED (From birth to about 6 months - I would say that perhaps 80% of Bengal and a much smaller percentage of TOYGER kittens being born today look cleanly whited. They are not to be considered true "whiteds" because in 99% of the cases, they do not remain white. Why? - explained in the research article below.   2) JUVENILE WHITED (From circa 6 months to 2 years.) Promising kittens may keep their whited underbody pattern into young adulthood, but may loose it to extra pigment production just before reaching full adulthood, i.e. just before the 2 year marker in males and the 1.5 year maker in females.   3) ADULT WHITED (Cleanly whited at least in the chest and down the legs, at least 2 years of age). See the different types of Adult Whited in the patterns described below: 1 - 5.   4) ADULT WHITED EXPRESSION (Traces to evidence of the whited pattern, i.e. much lighter pigmented area where white was as a Kitten and Juvenile)     Only cats reaching the 1.5 (female) and 2-year (males) markers as whited cat be referred to as "Whited Toygers". Once we have a base of Adult Whited Toygers to work with, I feel certain that this aspect will be fixed genetically for the future "Tiger Look" of our breed.     WHITED EXPRESSION: when there is visual evidence of the whited underbody pattern even though it is coloured-over with pigmentation from the upperbody colour. Term first used before 2000.   HOURGLASSING or HOURGLASSED: the browning of the whited underbody pattern in the tummy area, creating a thin, "hourglass" white pattern   EXTENDED WHITED: when the white goes to the tip of the tail underneath and up on the sides of the tummy - usually seen in hot sorrels but yet extremely rare in black-spotted whiteds. Important to say WHITED and not WHITE because of the genetic distinciton between the two. I'm not sure when exactly this was coined, but we had long discussions about in on the genetics group last year. I had been using it since my article, but do not think it was first used there, being rather self-descriptive and obvious.   NECKLACES: the black striped pattern from shoulder to shoulder across the chest (my goal with the whited - to have crisp, black necklaces on a pure white background on the chest/neck area). Not all bengals have this pattern, but it is extant in the ALC and reallllly neat looking on our Bengals! Used to describe ALC patterns for years.   BROWNING OF COLLAR: this ususally occurs even in our best whiteds, along with HOURGLASSING in that the pigmentation of the upperbody extends across the area of the necklaces.Term first used in my article in 2002   HOURGLASSING: this occurs even in our best whiteds, along with BROWNING OF THE COLLAR in that the pigmentation of the upperbody extends down onto the tummy, creating a thin, "hourglass" white shape.   SPECTACLES: clean white around the eyes - it gives a wonderful big-cat look of tigers, but also of Oncillas, Ocelots, Asian Leopard Cats, etc!   GREY-WHITE UNDERBODY PATTERN : our objective: no hourglassing, no browning of the collar and a grey or blue-grey undercoat to pristing white. The term, ALC WHITED UNDERBODY PATTERN first used in my article on Bengals in 2002. Kind of cumbersome, I know.. but then there was no further confusion about "tummies" or "bellies" or "undersides"...   DOMESTIC WHITED: A term that I came up with to distinguish between the types of whited showing up in our breeding programme since 2000. One type of DOMESTIC WHITED can be seen in Anita Engebaken's Sokoke's of Norway. This pattern, if genetically fixed with Bengal tummy-striping and our three "tiger patterns" of: ZONED MACKEREL STRIPING, STRETCHED ROSETTES and BRAIDED STRIPES, is just as valid, IMHO, in our quest for whited, tiger-like TOYGERS. This white has a white undercoat. Another type of DOMESTIC WHITED is a white-tipped grey coat, as seen in our AWAGATI BROWN SUGAR of Casarocca. This white is only in the tips of the hairs and I feel sure it is genetically the same as in Anita's Sokoke's.. I think that this term was first used in my article in 2002, as I have no previous reference of its use or coinage.   LOCKETS: white patches, spots to entire areas of the cat in pure, pristine white with white undercoat. Not accepted! LOCKETS, if in the whited area, will supress tummy-spotting and necklaces. The pigmentation of LOCKETS is also different in that it sharply contrasts with the surrounding colour, having a clean edge as though the colour was grafted in an implant. ALC whited usually has a subtle, if slight, blending on the edge of the whited area. More on this could be said by judges and other breeders who have more experience with it than I.   WHITE TUMMY: the most used term for our objective, although it is odd because MOST whited Bengals have an hourglass pattern on the tummy, so the "TUMMY" is the least whited part of the pattern! Being historically the first description used for this phenotype, it will be with us probably forever. I personally use the term (ALC or DOMESTIC) WHITED UNDERBODY PATTERN to use a description that seems more specific to my goals.   PAGE 2   C Marc & Denien King Valle Rebengo 14030 Rocchetta Tanaro (AT)   ( in Europe: 0039) + 0141 644668 (one must dial the "0" in 0141) outside of Europe: (your international CODE + 39) + 0141 644668 email: marcking@teknosurf.it. Parliamo italiano. - Wir sprechen Deutsch. - Een klein beetje Nederlands spreken wij ook. En wänd ir schwyzertüüstch redet, chönne mer das au - am liäbschte!