The name Bengal cat has two meanings. One is the wild species Prionailurus bengalensis, the leopard cat, whose Latin name points to Bengal, part of its range. The other is the domestic breed descended from hybrids between the leopard cat and house cats, and named after it.

The leopard cat is remarkably variable. In the tropics animals weigh up to about 4 kg and wear yellowish or reddish-brown fur, while in the north of the range they are clearly larger, at up to 7–8 kg, with thicker greyish-brown coats. The species ranges from tropical Asia into cold northern regions as far as the Russian Far East. Rodents are its main prey, and the IUCN Red List classes it as Least Concern.

This 2013 Fiji 2 dollars with the Bengal cat belongs to the Wild Cat series, devoted to wild felids. The design is coloured, and the coin contains one ounce of .999 silver, struck in proof with a mirror field.