Any advice on getting a Bengal?

[smerlin]

So our beloved Burmese cross may not have too much longer with us. Seeing vet monthly and he is ok for now but he has a progressive lifelong condition which seems to be on a downhill trajectory.

He is our only cat and so when he passes, I would like to be prepared with some breeders in mind so we don't have to go too long without a fur baby!

DH is keen on getting a Bengal. We love all the oriental traits of our current cat- talkative, intelligent, playful, used to like water as a kitten but my main concern is whether a Bengal would be too territorial / get into fights with local cats. Our Burmese X was a bit of a fighter in his younger days when territory challenged but nothing too bad. Have heard Bengals can be worse?

Bengals can be very territorial, I have had many for the last twenty years or so. I used to let my first ones out, but due to problems with them getting into trouble and losing them my latest cats don't go out. They haven't ever done so and to be honest never seek to do so. We have plenty of space for them to run around and lots of climbing toys etc. They are a wonderful breed, but they do require quite alot of imput and time. Mine have always been very loving and gentle cats, and i have never experienced any aggression with this breed.

My Bengal is soft as anything. She’s usually the one getting beat up by the other cats (I know this as she’s had one or two bites she’s returned with and they’re always on her back end so she’s running away) she is vocal, likes our dog and plays lovely and sleeps in my daughters bed with her. She never hunts and the dog brings back more mice than she ever did. She enjoys sleeping mostly but will greet visitors when they come in and play if you engage her.

I believe had she been a male this may have been different. Bengal’s are large, our girl weighs 5kg and is no way overweight at all (if you stand up and hold her arms her feet reach the floor) and her dad was enormous so I imagine if you get a male who is larger than all the other neighbourhood cats he may become a bully.

Yes our cat is a large (not fat!) boy too. We have only ever had outdoor cats so wouldn't really want to switch to indoor although of course would provide loads of toys etc.

Are most people with Bengals two cat households?

We have only ever had neutered males so no experience with females.

No we have a single female. She’s fine by herself. We kept her Inside For the first 18 months which means she’s more cautious outside than if we had let her straight out. She usually goes outside morning and evening for around 40 minutes. They like to climb a lot so we had a very large tree when she was young but now she goes in the garden she sits on the fences and doesnt use the tree.
I would never get two unless they’re siblings from the same litter.

Smerlin, three cats. Two bengals and a sphynx. All get on very well with each other, all neutered males.

Most bengals on the breed rescue/rehousing page are there due to fights with housemates. Ours is very much an only cat & goes outside except overnight.

They can be very demanding & if ours isn’t happy you know about it. They are loud, I wear ear plugs at night but if he’s on a mission to wake me up he’s loud enough to wake me.

Ours is very territorial and most of his many vet visits are either fight wounds or uti caused by the stress of fighting. He’s been outraged for 5 years that the cats next door still live next door.

Good points are he’s got an incredibly nice nature to us & family members he likes (pissed on mils coat once), very affectionate & cuddly, highly intelligent. He’s very playful & will answer you back if he thinks your being unfair. He’s basically my world wrapped in fur.

Dh says he’s a Jack Russell in a cat onesie & we’ll find the zip one day.

Oh I’m jealous, would love a Siamese or Bengal but they’re just too much for me at the moment.

Sorry about your cat though it’s awful when they get to that stage. You obviously don’t want them to die but it’s hard seeing them uncomfortable.

Why not get a Queen or some other one that needs rehoming via their club welfare?

No destructive kitten phase and save yourself ££££££

We rehomed sibling pedigrees so worth it!

We have a female. She’s lovely, very talkative, very intelligent (opens doors) can be very loving but she can also turn into a loon at a moment’s notice - we have Kevlar gloves to remove her to a quiet space when she has a freak out. Be prepared for your curtains to be climbed!

Thanks for advice. Thankfully DCat has been really well this week so keeping fingers crossed. At least we have been able to have a lovely Christmas with him!

That’s good news.

High high high energy. They need to be stimulated a lot, so this may mean buying more cat furniture having more cat toys about or shelves put up to climb/explore - definitely something to consider as some people don't like altering their house for an animal these people are not for me.

All PP advice sounds good too. Just this was something I'd mention.