Anyone on here have a Bengal cat ?

[Lardlizard]

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

I can’t see how they’re like dogs. They can be devoted to their owners but that’s probably where it ends. They’re not pack animals, many don’t have enough domestic genes, they will hunt and spray territory and fight. There a few many pretty breeds with much more domestic evolution that will make a lovely pet. I often feel Bengals should be a zoo cat.

Please don't do it.

I visit a lot of homes and as a result meet a lot of cats (and dogs).

There are nice cats and then there are Bengals. Yes, the Bengals look lovely but they are unbelievably high maintenance, make a lot of noise and decimate the local wildlife. When I'm visiting a home, I'm not actually there about the pets, but when there is a Bengal in the house, it makes itself known. In a bad way.

There are already too many cats in the world. I'm sat next to the blackest silkiest rescue cat so you can easily find a stunning beautiful cat at your local rescue.

I have a stray tabby, I suspect she is part Bengal. I had someone visit last week (in Covid rules) who has 2 bengal crosses and we were comparing notes. She has one who is quite dopy and another who is much more bengal.

Good points, very affectionate and likes to be in the same room as me. Likes other people.

Demands things with a loud, "Whaaa"

Bad points, she is a hunter with a penchant for robins (my visitor's cat does the same).

Will not drink out of a bowl, has to have a glass.

Decides she will sleep somewhere nad for 4-7 weeks will not sleep elsewhere, this can be my hip, book shelves, a radiator or the side of the bath.

She can hear the fridge open from 200m and demands ham.

Likes to inspect delivery vans (I suspect this is why she was a stray).

She's the only cat I have not been able to train to stay off the kitchen worktops.

She is cute and funny and I wouldn't be without her but she is hard work.

I'd thought I would love a bengal, but I now know I wouldn't cope.

Bengals are 1) beautiful 2) as mad as a box of frogs and 3) absolutely the worst possible choice of cat for a first-time cat owner. Really, don't do it. They need massive amounts of stimulation. They are insanely territorial. They yell their heads off. They are big, strong animals and if they get bored, they will amuse themselves by stalking and pouncing on you.

There are so many beautiful cats and kittens waiting in shelters for a nice home, and they will be every bit as lovely (and much cheaper) than a Bengal.

There are some shockers here. I don't recognise this behaviour in our two but I can well believe it.

What I would say though is that any breed of cat is potentially detrimental to local wildlife, especially in built-up suburban areas where every second house has one. The sheer number of cats in a small area makes it unsustainable for wildlife. It's one of the reasons we keep ours indoors.

I have 2 Bengals. A female I've had from a kitten, and a male who was rehomed as he didn't do well at Cat Shows, as his markings weren't right apparently .

They're both absolutely delightful personalities, so intelligent, friendly and funny, but oh my God, the indoor pissing when they were young!! The female in particular used to leap up to the TOP of the doors, perch there very elegantly and then piss right down the length of the door.

They're both gentle though, they play nicely with my other cat, they like a wee chat but not excessively, and they are very contented. They all snuggle up together in a big purring pile, it's lovely.

I don't let my cats out though. I think the key is that we're at home all day, we play with them loads, they also play with each other and with my dogs. The indoor pissing stopped when they grew up. We got a catio built a few years ago. Cost a fortune but they love it, and it means they can go outside without being "out out".

Sorry I never post photos online, but if you Google it you'll see pictures of the type of thing I'm talking about.

I have a rescue chausie, which are also a hybrid breed. I don't know her F number but she was used to breed.

I dont know how many of her traits are due to not being tamed or socialised and how many are her breed, but we are getting there!

She is very loud and bossy yet also timid but we suspect incredibly stupid... Which means she can't catch much prey although she would like to.

We can cuddle her now but on her terms and any vet treatment needs to be done at home as we simply cannot get her into a box to take to vet.

Please get a rescue cat, our cat was 2 or 3 when she had had 2 litters and was no longer any use to the breeder so dumped in the rescue, that is what you are paying for when you buy from a breeder.

Our neighbour has one. I've popped in to feed her a few times and know her 'in passing' (if you can say that for a cat!) and she's certainly a character. Lovely with people but hates any other cat she comes across (we've caught her cornering our cats in the garden several times) and bellows so loudly for attention we can sometimes hear her through the wall! She's wrecked NDN's wallpaper and sofas clawing at them, making good work on the carpet too. Scales the side of the house to come in through the windows.

The biggest thing though is that she roams the neighbourhood and regularly leaves home for 4 or 5 days at a time. Always strolls back in no worse for wear so he's accepted that's just what she does after initial panic every time she wasn't back at night! She has a collar with 2 bells but he assumes she must be hunting to come back looking healthy and fed. He did try to keep her contained in the garden with various elaborate additions to the fence but she'd always find a way out. I think he said her longest roam was a week, he was just about to put up posters when she wandered back in.

Gosh, some people have a hell of a time with their Bengals! I think mine must be atypical too as he's shit at jumping. I've lost count of the times he's tried and failed to jump onto the window ledge. He did wee inside when younger but that's stopped. We have a 3 month old baby and although slightly surprised by her arrival he had accepted her very easily. He's interested when she cries but otherwise ignores her.

On our fifth Bengal, i have had them for about 25yrs. Never had a problem with them, and they never caused a problem with other people. Loving, gorgeous natured cats, no screaming or scratching. It is all about finding the right breeder, and looking for temperament.
I also have a Sphynx, now he does require alot of attention.

We've had a rescue Bengal for just over five years.
Good points:
Extremely affectionate when she wants to be (but only with DS. She allows herself to be picked up and carried around by him. No one else dares)
High prey drive (never need to worry about mouse infestations)
Talkative (we know when she's hungry, lonely, curious or can smell cooked chicken)
Likes human company. Will yowl incessantly until you pay her some attention. If this doesn't work you'll get a nip.

Bad
Aggressive - she will lash out without warning. She is the only cat I know that will corner and try to bite you.
Not a fan of us going on holiday - one of us will get a swipe when we come back.
Demon hunter - she has mellowed a bit with age but has brought back live and dead mice, shrews, birds, frogs and toad. She tried to bring down a muntjac deer but failed.

I can't imagine how people keep them as house cats. I'm not surprised that house Bengals become a handful - they go stir crazy if they can't get outside to hunt and roam.

This will be my first and last Bengal cat. She's too aggressive for me.

@Elsiebear90 Jesus Christ, that sounds awful.

Interesting, none of mine have ever even cried to go out. They are gentle chaps with no aggression whatsoever. If i put them out in our walled garden they run back inside. We had one who liked it outside with us, but followed us in when we came inside.

I had one for 10 years till he got run over (worst thing that’s ever happened to me) and he was brilliant. Incredibly noisy and boisterous and territorial and a bit of an indoor wee problem I had to be on top of but so intelligent, lovely chipper personality, very much a mummies boy. He made me happy 100 times a day and when he ran up the garden towards me, tail in the air my heart would burst with happiness. He was a snuggler who was closely bonded to me.

It’s a brilliant breed but it’s the husky of the cat world and it’s not a first time cat. I wouldn’t have anything else now. You get used to the noise, the house is so miserably quiet without him now.

@Madbengalmum Which breeder do you use?. It’s been a year since I lost mine and one day I want another when I’m finished grieving for him. I just need to cat proof my garden & put a second fence in so the ndn can’t object.

I had a very strange experience once where a cat literally chased me down the road trying to bite and claw at my ankles... In the end I had to run to get away from it... Perhaps it was one of these!!

Fluffy, i have had lovely kittens from glitterglam, and queenanne in the past. Sadly, the breederof my current beauty hAs retired.

Thank you, I have looked at both of those but yours have always lived together so well which is something mine would never have done.

I thought I’d get a female snow lynx, I couldn’t bear to look down at another pair of emerald green eyes again.

Ours is nearly 13 now and quite mad. He will howl at the top of his voice (the neighbours love him) and open doors and sometimes sprays in the house But he is really affectionate and has never hurt us and he doesn't really hunt that much either.

I would agree that they are not for a beginner though, we've had loads of cats over the years and he is definitely the most work.

He comes on the dog walk with me and I love him but I would never get another one!

My neighbour has one and he is a PAIN IN THE ARSE. He attacks every cat on the street close to death and destroys all my plants & vegetables I try to grow. If it was human and behaved even half as bad as this cat, it would be slapped with an ASBO.

Apparently there is absolutely NOTHING we can do.

Fluffy, yes they do get on. Our first lived til 21 yrs. i have two at the moment, one 19 and one 6 and a young sphynx, who is an amazing character. I have introduced bengals at all stages, but it is about personality for sure. The tiny Sphynx is the biggest, he is a real calming influence as well as great fun.

I would recommend a rescue. But if you are after a pedigree get a Maine Coon. Lovely gentle souls.

I have two gorgeous girls. They are nothing like the horror stories on this thread. They are active and vocal for sure, but totally clean in the house and always use the litter trays. One of them is a total lap cat and also loves an undercover snuggle.
We let them out during the day and get them in before dusk.
We bought them from www.hotfuzzbengals.com/ after a lot of looking.

This was my boy. He was too pretty to be a boy.

IDontMindMarmite I love the house panther idea!!