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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Bengal cat: AIBU?

88 replies

twilightcafe · 12/05/2016 09:30

We've been approved to adopt a Bengal cat from a local shelter.

We had the home visit recently but now I am getting nervous. We've had cats before (who have lived long and happy lives) but this seems like a completely different kettle of fish.

Are they really harder work than other cats? Do they have to remain indoors all the time - and how am I going to police this with two children in the house? Will we have to keep the windows shut all the time in case she tries to escape?

Have I lost my mind and am I going to regret this decision? Help!

OP posts:
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6
cozietoesie · 12/05/2016 09:37

There are people here who have a Bengal. (I've never attempted it. Grin) Keep an eye on the thread.

RoseDog · 12/05/2016 09:40

My mum has a Bengal, he is a gorgeous highly strung pain in the arse, he only eats one type of food and only drinks running water from the tap so they spend a fair amount of time turning taps on and off. She lets him out, they got a cat flap installed, he hated being kept indoors but he doesn't actually go far. He is quite vocal and likes to mark his territory.

Original poster
twilightcafe · 12/05/2016 09:58

Our previous cat was a Himalayan (Persian/Siamese cross) called Herman. He never shut up, either Grin!

OP posts:
lljkk · 12/05/2016 10:02

What would happen if they didn't turn the taps on and just left a bowl of water out? Did he collapse with dehydration last time they tried that?

FannyFifer · 12/05/2016 10:08

I have a colleague with a Bengal, always fancied one but she put me right of.
He's so destructive, has the house wrecked, can get into any cupboard or drawer & takes all the clothes etc out.
He takes and hides keys from around the house, very very fussy with food.
Extremely vocal & often wakes the whole house up for no reason.
If she could go back in time she wouldn't have got him.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 12/05/2016 10:09

I have one,he was a stray. He is hard work but gorgeous and certainly not like any other cats I've ever had! I couldn't keep him in if I tried as he likes to climb on the roof, the shed, the porch.

He is very, very vocal and need lots of simulation, he's more like a puppy than a dog. I love him dearly but we wouldn't have another Bengal tbh.

Get a high cat tree, higher the better!

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 12/05/2016 10:10

Yes,mine is extremely fussy with food and we've gone on to a lot of raw meat which he prefers.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 12/05/2016 10:11

His miaow is gutteral and could wake the dead!

Fluffycloudland77 · 12/05/2016 10:14

They're very loud, persistent & yes a bit highly strung. Having said that they're also very affectionate cats and very playful.

Has this cat been outside before?.

SageMist · 12/05/2016 10:15

I have a Bengal, until we got another kitten she used to bite my ankles for attention!
We have cat-proofed the back garden so they can't get out.
They are lovely but do require quite a bit of attention as they get bored.

cjdamoo · 12/05/2016 10:15

I fostered a litter of Bengal x kittens It was like living with 3 VERY agile toddlers.

lottielou7 · 12/05/2016 10:52

I would definitely not let him out. Bengals are very distinctive so he'd be a target for thieves. My friend has one and his is very demanding, vocal and attached to his owner, but not cuddly apparently. He's a beautiful cat.

lljkk · 12/05/2016 11:00

They sound like cats that would be very unsuited to indoor-life only: large animals, need lots of activity & lots of stimulation. How do they fulfill hunting instincts indoors? My moggies would be miserable if indoor only, no wonder people describe Bengals as a handful.

Original poster
twilightcafe · 12/05/2016 11:01

Shock faints

What have I done?

We'll give it our best shot. She is a lovely! DH did say he wanted a spirited cat.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 12/05/2016 11:23

Oh I reckon you'll get that! Grin

RoseDog · 12/05/2016 11:25

My mums is cuddly..on his own terms! He is about 12 and has mellowed a bit, he was a rescue too, it was his second time in rescue when she got him as both his previous owners couldn't manage his neediness, he is full Bengal with all his papers.

If you don't put a tap on for him he sits in the bathroom sink all night wailing, if you close the bathroom door he picks holes in the carpet outside the bathroom door, he has a bowl of water available at all times.

thecook · 12/05/2016 11:27

Now I know this isn't anything to do with the thread but I thought I would tell you a funny story.

Last summer I was walking along the Grand Union canal in Little Venice with a friend. On one of the bridges I spotted a 'Missing Bengal Cat' poster. Only a couple of minutes earlier I had spotted a Bengal Cat strutting along the towpath in a section that only boat residents can access. I quickly rung the number of the poster and ran back to the canal. The Bengal cat was still there so I picked him/her up and cuddled him/her until the owners arrived. A few minutes later they turned up and told me the cat I was holding was a Bengal but it wasn't theirs! So there are a least two Bengal cats roaming the streets of my neighbourhood!

cozietoesie · 12/05/2016 11:27

Has she tried a water fountain for him? I haven't used one myself but many posters have cats who really appreciate them

TealLove · 12/05/2016 11:28

I have one.
They are v beautiful but v high strung. If you keep them in its v v unfair they are wanderers and v wild.
But they are v affectionate. They are highly intelligent and will talk to you and listen. You can have conversations with them!

Micah · 12/05/2016 11:30

Thing with Bengals is they need to go out. They need a large territory, and they need lots and lots of stimulation or they can get destructive, or just so playful they leap around, knock things over, and generally cause havoc. They are also very loud at three in the morning when they're bored, and if they're shut in they can wake the whole street. On balance I'd think letting them out and retaining some sanity and getting some sleep outweighs the risk of theft :)

They are very high maintenance.

readingrainbow · 12/05/2016 11:31

You can get special fencing to attach to the top of your fence to prevent the cat from climbing over. Don't know if that's practical for you, but it's what we intend to do if/when we get a cat.

Tokelau · 12/05/2016 11:41

We have a Bengal. We certainly don't keep her in, she loves to go out. She is very highly strung, she loves us one minute and then turns on us the next. She's not destructive, as someone described above, but if she wants to be let out or fed, she will knock things off shelves until she gets what she wants!

She's not noisy, unless she wants to be fed or to go out, and she eats any tinned cat food, but doesn't like dried food. She will leap in the air for bits of ham!

Tokelau · 12/05/2016 11:42

Oh and I forgot, another trick of hers is to scratch the carpet if she wants to go out in the night. You can't ignore her, because she will rip the carpet.

Original poster
twilightcafe · 12/05/2016 12:00

We have a big back garden with lots to keep a cat entertained. But there is a road at the front.

So unless I attach electric fencing or barbed wire to the whole of the house and the neighbours' houses, there is a risk that she will get out somehow.

I hope she likes us. Apparently she's friendly and chatty.

OP posts:
RoseDog · 12/05/2016 13:24

This is him!

Bengal cat: AIBU?
Bengal cat: AIBU?
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