Tempted to Adopt a Bengal

[CremeBrulee]

I've just been looking at photos of some gorgeous adult Bengals, all up for rehoming very close to where I live.

I'm very tempted to adopt one but worried that my extremely pampered Siamese boy (4yrs old, also a rehomed cat) just wouldn't stand for it. He has a few 'issues' mostly around food, we think stemming from his difficult start in life. He hates being alone, if we are all out at work & school (not often as DH and I are both home based) he's very unsettled & shouts until he feels he's had sufficient quantities of attention.

Am I right to think that it just wouldn't work & Siamboy is better remaining a singleton? Don't want to upset him, he's a curmudgeon but we all love him to bits.

I think you'd be likely, from the sound of things, to end up, quickly, with four nervous breakdowns - you, DH and the two cats. I wouldn't, myself. Not in a month of Sundays.

Are these rescue Bengals by the way?

In general I find orientals to be social homebodies who love to have mates.
In general Bengals are the cat that walks alone, often out hunting for long hours. So I doubt your current cat is going to get much company from a Bengal. Have you considered an Ocicat, the looks of a Bengal with an oriental personality.

Cross with Cozie sadly yes there are often Bengals in rescues as often their habits are not compatible with the owners who choose them.

My own experience of Siamese has been rather different, I'm afraid. They bond so tightly with their people that they really don't like other cats around much - if at all. And this is one who had a 'bad start' and already has issues?........

I definitely wouldn't. Yes, as you say, they look lovely. But they are said to be more like dogs in their personalities.

Your Siamese will probably be miserable.

I have a Bengal, it's either a full one or a cross, he was a stray.

He's gorgeous but VERY demanding and LOUD and don't think it's just because he was a stray.

I would NEVER get one from a rescue centre, I would presume they're there because people can't cope as others have said.

We will never have another although we adore our one.

Just no!

I would ask that no-one who has neighbours with cats (and not just close neighbours either) to get a Bengal. They are highly territorial and very aggressive to other cats. Our cats lives have been made a misery over the last 7 years by our NDN's Bengal, to the extent that if it died tomorrow I would be very chuffed. Neighbours 4 doors down have the same problem.

You also have cruelty cases in rescues, Dame - or a breeder might decide to 'refresh' their breeding stock. Either way, you're likely to have less than optimally socialised cats and the thought of trying to match one of them with a fractious Siamese just fills me with chills.

Could you not find an oriental or Siamese rescue? I've had them in the past and currently have a Bengal cross, I'm not they would get on that well. The Bengal cross is so direct and averse to change but also very certain about what he wants to do all the time!

River - ours gets bullied by neighbouring cats.

Agree with the others. As your boy already has issues adding a cat will be high risk. Especially another high maintenance cat.

I have 2 very bonded Burmese male siblings. They get on with every cat in the street (I think almost every house has a cat) including the 'fighters' -which I think is partly due to them displaying good cat etiquette from learning how to exist in a pair since birth. I see a big difference between their behaviour and that of singleton cats. Having said that if something happened to one I wouldn't introduce another now they're adult. I'd be too worried about territorial behaviour starting. No one wants a pissy house...

I know - you are all right. It just wouldn't work and I'd never want to upset Siamboy. He's currently snuggled between DH and I, fast asleep.

Feel sad for these Bengals, ( photos of at least 7 different cars) all being rehomed by a breeder by the looks of it. Hope they find happy, loving homes.

Gratuitous photo of Siamboy, relaxing in the sunshine attached.

What a happy boy.

Where are the ones wanting to be rehomed? I'm sure we have room for a pal for our boy.

Aww he's gorgeous!

As pp said, I wouldn't go with a Bengal. I know what you mean about them in rescue, and hope they find the right homes too. Breeders suck.
You can still rescue a kitty and provide Siamboy a companion - iiwy I would just go for a very placid, friendly cat.

Bengals are lovely but full of energy and very hard work. Mine is very affectionate with her older (moggy) brother, but she's been with him since she was a kitten.

I'd not be misled into thinking that because he's noisy and seems to dislike being alone, he necessarily needs a companion cat by the way. It's true that he might enjoy one and might thrive - but equally he might not. Siamese can be a mouthy bunch and very people-focussed by their nature so having another cat won't necessarily make him happier. Yowling and dumping on you emotionally might just be his way.

nobody I've reported the post to hq for you. Start a new thread and mnhq should delete this post.

Don't worry, Nobody. The quickest thing to do is probably to report your own post and ask MNHQ to move it to somewhere else - was there a particular board you had in mind?

(Although, of course, someone else might alert them also to your predicament or they might be reading this thread.)

X post.

I'd get a rescue Bengal, a lot of them are just doing normal Bengal stuff and the owners expected a mini leopard who'd just sit there & look gorgeous with no input from them at all.

You'll notice lots of them will be marked as being only pets or homes with no young kids. People completely underestimate how high maintenance they can be and throw in the towel.

They are bloody nightmares but it's not their fault, it's the breed. When the time comes I will be trudging off to buy a rescue boy who's misunderstood & miserable.

We adopted an 18 month old female Bengal-x from a specialist rescue centre. We asked a lot of questions about her temperament beforehand. She has proved to be a fabulously affectionate and entertaining addition to our household and is very tolerant of our primary age kids (not so good for the local bird population though ).

Have had bad experiences introducing cats not brought up as kittens though...