Anyone on here have a Bengal cat ?

[Lardlizard]

Or experience with them as dh and dd want to think about getting one

I think we must have a calm Bengal. He has his mad time but doesn't scream at us and no problem with peeing and he's an indoor cat

My brother has a half Bengal which is bad enough!

A friend's neighbour has one and my friend's own (non Bengal) can has been at the vet on at least 3 occasions with nasty bite wounds from it. It actually comes into her garden to do it, so its owners are just letting it wander. I used to think I'd love one one day but I definitely wouldn't now.

@thalassoma

Ooh forgot a pic

Beautiful boy ❤️ 🐈

My sister has them. They are quite vicious to be honest. They also cost a lot of money. Please don't shop - just adopt. You can get a great cat with a better personality from a rescue centre.

Our old neighbour had one, it was massive and attacked a delivery driver

I don't understand the desire for designer cats. They might look cute, but they're a nightmare to care for and love. Go to a shelter and rescue a moggy. They can have lovely personalities and they're free! Get a black one and tell him it's a house panther.

Mine is lovely. She’s a 6 year old Bengal. Had her from a kitten. She sleeps on one of our beds most of the day. She never shouts. Not very cuddly, but very friendly. She never sits on our laps but will always come and sit in the same room for example. She’s an outdoor cat. Never weed in the house.
Only downside is she is a big hunter. Often brings in mice.

If I see a missing cat poster round here, 9/10 times it’ll be a Bengal.

Finding a reputable breeder is difficult as there are so many farming them out. If bred well they are meant to be a lovely cat. If not you get the problems people are listing above. They are very beautiful though. I agree, they must go out, not a house cat, too much energy.

We have Burmese and were advised to keep them indoors which is complete rubbish as they are high energy, territorial, agile and bright. I see them crossing the road and they look both ways before. They’re a nice alternative to a Bengal, also beautiful, lovely coats, vocal but not too bad, and real lap cats.

We have 4!
3 were rescues - we only have issues with weeing with our eldest boy, I have trays in the iving room alone so he never has far to go . Rescue said he was 6 when we got him, vet thought he was closer to 12....that was 8 years ago and other than getting thinner and the weeing shows no sign of slowing down.
I work from home so always with them in terms of stimulation but to be fair they sleep most the day, very keen on company - if we go out for an evening they play up a bit desperate for affection.
Ours however have a catio so they can't cause too much havoc with neighbouring wildlife.
We also have 2 stray mogs who wondered in off the street, one totally fine with the Bengals, the other is terrified.
All in all I'd say fantastic, highly intelligent cats who are affectionate but have a secure garden or catio don't let them roam.
Make sure you have time for them every day
Do not put them in a cattery for holidays, always get a house sitter.
If urination becomes a problem, accept a million litter trays 🤢

I haven't got one but there's a man living near us who does. We frequently see him walking his dog at the local nature reserve...always with his Bengal cat trotting along behind him. Apparently she'll never be apart from him. Beautiful cat but definitely more like a dog!

The reason they tell you to keep them inside is because someone might take them. They're valuable now.

@IDontMindMarmite we had 2 reasons, no road sense at all. When we let them out initially cars would drive around them as they sunbathed on the road. Miracle none got hit.
Second reason was the bringing home of a neighbour's pet chicken 😂😂😂 neighbor was unamused, threatened to shoot me and the cat!
after that we had the catio built, cat flap so 24 hour access and it's filled with climbing frames for climbing jumping etc

Maybe have a look at Ocicats OP, they have similar colouring and markings to Bengals but without the wild streak, they were established by crossing domestic breeds.

They're orientals so still vocal and opinionated, but mine is pretty calm and affectionate, and not an aggressive bone in her body.

[quote AmIAWeed]@IDontMindMarmite we had 2 reasons, no road sense at all. When we let them out initially cars would drive around them as they sunbathed on the road. Miracle none got hit.
Second reason was the bringing home of a neighbour's pet chicken 😂😂😂 neighbor was unamused, threatened to shoot me and the cat!
after that we had the catio built, cat flap so 24 hour access and it's filled with climbing frames for climbing jumping etc[/quote]
Was the pet chicken dead? 😕

Read these from people who live next door to Bengals- www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pets/4086256-new-neighbour-s-aggressive-cat

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/3564597-Next-doors-thug-cat

Then read the list of reasons why people are rehoming their Bengals- www.thebengalcatclub.com/rehoming--welfare.html These are sites and sites like this one, all with similar long lists describing cats that are a total pain in the arse.

@AmIAWeed I'd find that about as funny as you would find it if a dog brought back your (presumably dead) cat.

Although I appreciate you then cat-proofed your garden to stop it happening again which was the responsible thing to do. Just makes me scared a cat will take my beloved chickens 😢

@IDontMindMarmite

I don't understand the desire for designer cats. They might look cute, but they're a nightmare to care for and love. Go to a shelter and rescue a moggy. They can have lovely personalities and they're free! Get a black one and tell him it's a house panther.

An ex neighbour of mine had one, I didn't realise they were designer cats, I thought it was an exotic rare breed

It didn't bother me as I don't have a cat but I know it got into fights with some of the other local cats.

Have you had cats before?

Bengals are nothing like your average domestic cat. They need huge amounts of exercise and stimulation. They have exceptionally high prey drives. They're chatty. They're intelligent (can easily open doors and cupboards), can jump over 6ft from standing with ease.

They're gorgeous don't get me wrong but they're really not suited to your average terraced house. They need space to run and play but if let out they're likely to be stolen as they're worth a lot of money.

Your average Bengal kitten probably sells for over a thousand pounds.

An ex neighbour of mine had one, I didn't realise they were designer cats, I thought it was an exotic rare breed

They're not really designer cats, they're just a rare breed but they have recent wild ancestors which means they're far more high maintenance than your average moggy.

I think we have atypical Bengals. Our two are very loving, calm indoor cats. They like to play but Iike to sleep more. They are quite dog like in some respects- come when they're called, like to be near people and eachother.

They were rescues. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. But no real antisocial tendencies. They bicker occasionally. One was a bit scratchy and unpredictable but has calmed down over the years. The only strange thing they both like to do is wander around the house carrying crayons, socks, pants. Bit odd.

Arthur is part Bengal. He is fabulous. He is very shouty, but you can have great conversations with him. He loves company, always has to be with someone, will shout to find out who is in the house. He spreads his presence around the house equally. He sits on laps, but favourite sleeping place is radiator hammocks. He is big and hungry, eats a mouse a day in addition to dry and pouches. He loves being up high, and joins anyone in the garden. He plays catch with balls and brings them back to throw. He can be a bastard and bites hard, sometimes for no reason, but I have trained him to see me as top cat, and he obeys me like a dog would. He doesn't scratch furniture, or destroy anything, never soiled anywhere. He is an outdoors boy and roams wide over the fields, he is very happy, and we love him.

Our neighbours had several. The first was a bit of a nightmare at stalking us when we looked after her for holidays, and my stupid cat befriended her and used to invite her to our house for tea, which usually meant just shutting the door to the kitchen until she decided to go home again. The next two were a lot calmer and bred further from the wild cat. They're sweet and have a complex series of runs and cages in the garden. However, an absolute moron across the big dual carriageway had several Bengals that he let roam free. One would frequently come across and terrorise our whole neighbourhood, attacking cats, Labradors and even sending one neighbour to hospital after ripping open her calf whilst she was in the garden with her back turned. We had to build a cage for our cat after it attacked ours so wickedly that we had to take our cat to the vets and although the cat was trapped (we all assumed it was a stray), it was chipped so the RSPCA had to return it to the owner, who simply denied it was doing all these things and anyway claimed it was too destructive cooped up in the house. One of my cats disappeared completely during this time. He was terrified of this Bengal, and we fear that one attack went too far and killed my poor cat. We think the Bengal eventually met his maker on the dual carriageway - all around us are loving pet owners but all wished death on this beast. It was vicious.

I adore cats and would welcome most into my home. But not Bengals.

In my experience they are not far enough bred from the wild yet, it will take many many mixed generations before their genes dilute enough to be docile.

They are spirited and daring. And retain all the traits of their wild predecessors. But these are not qualities I look for in a domestic cat.
They will fight and hunt, and I do mean fight for food, they aren't cuddly and are very much on their own agenda. They will urinate and destroy. They are an animal to care for rather than a pet.

There are so many lovely breeds to choose, don't get a Bengal!