Bengals

[Blueuggboots]

We are picking up 2 retired breeding bengals next week....
Tell me about your bengal cats please...

My neighbour had one. She was beautiful to look at but very vocal and not at all friendly with people or other animals.

Do you know the history of the cats, have they been in a home environment?

Yes, they have been in a home environment with other cats.
We have met them and they were quite vocal....

We've had 4 and my Dad has 2
My Dad, one was a rescue after 5 years he is still terrified of everything and lives on the top of the kitchen units, comes down to play when everyone is in bed.
Their other, an ex breeding queen is an absolute fusspot, a real madam who demands attention.

Ours...real mixed bag but all exceptionally loving. We've had 2 rescues, an ex breeding queen and one from a kitten.
The older boys (both rescues) we had issues with peeing. One was absolute attitude, he'd look you in the eye and do it!! The second, was scenting over where our boy with attitude peed and then it became a whole cycle to overcome.

They are vocal, they can cause trouble when bored, but if you want a cat with attitude, to play with, love and entertain i think they are great.
Probably not the sort to get if you want a quiet life or a lap cat

My friend has a rescue her vet thinks is a Bengal cross.
She's a strong personality! Poorly treated by previous owner and quite feisty. Absolutely stunning looking kitty.

Our neighbour had a male pure bengal. I'm afraid he was a beast, he killed a neighbours cat and sent ours to the vet. He tried to break into another neighbours shut cat-flap with such force that it was damaged and there was blood on the door.

We spoke to the owner (most cat owners in the area did) who rehomed him. She hadn't realised and he was a rescue.

Friends have a 50% bengal female, she's fairly wild and frisky, not unfriendly but not really affectionate. Kids have lots of scratches from her etc.

They're beautiful but intense.

High energy, vocal and can be quite "wild" in their nature - they need a fair bit of attention and aren't really lap cats.

Sadly a lot end up in rescues because people don't really understand what they're taking on 😞

We had one. Used to drag half-dead pigeons in at about 3am. Used to bring live rats in and let them go. Used to come in through the car flap and shout all the way up the stairs.
He was a real character! Funny but completely mad.

These are indoor cats so we won't have the dragging dead animal issue in...
We've got them a floor to ceiling cat tree and are planning on getting them a cat wheel too....

I have to say I've never met a bengal who would be happy to live indoors - and I say that as someone who is very pro-indoor cat.

They're not fully domesticated like your average moggy - my experience of them is that they need to get out and explore and hunt.

I’d agree with this. If you want indoor cats, Bengals are not the way to go.

Another one who agrees with this. They need far more stimulation and exercise than your regular domestic cat. Keeping 2 of them in a house is likely going to lead to lots of shouty and destructive behaviour.

Mine is a weirdo. She isn't a cuddly cat but does demand constant attention. Very vocal and playful. Will play by herself for hours and loves playing fetch.

On the negative side she is a very anxious cat, doesn't do well with any change. She pulls her fur out constantly. Very territorial, so can't be with my other cat. She also has a breed specific disease called FOPS.

But I love the weirdo, but I wouldn't get another Bengal to be honest!

Oh and mine has always been an indoor cat and has never shown an interest in going outside. But she has 4 different cat poles and mountains of toys. She is older now, so mostly naps!

We've got a Bengal cross kitten.
Absolute fuss pot, Velcro cat. Acts like a dog & will play fetch etc with you.
But she is savage/evil when it comes to food.
She will snatch food from you if given the chance.

I considered a Bengal a while back until I knew someone who had two. They were absolute swines to local wildlife, they were always coming home with something i.e. dead rats, small water birds etc. They were absolute killing machines.

I also know someone with just the one and he's kept in all the time. Not sure that is a good life for a Bengal though.

We had one, nickname was Asbo but he was the bestest boy who loved tummy rubs and laying on me to sleep.

Best cat ever.

Cat shelves are an idea too, create runs from floor to ceiling and around the room so they can run. Their awake a lot compared to moggies.

When we got moggy girl after he died Dh used to comment she doesn’t do a fat lot but she’s a moggy and sleeps most of the day.

Agree. Especially if you have 2. They are very territorial and if you don’t have lots (and I mean lots) of space you may end up with stress spraying and other behaviours. We had to split ours up in the end it was that bad. Much happier as only cats.

they are incredibly demanding and disruptive. 2am yelling and shouting- they’re loud. They are thieves, don’t leave food about. Clear shelves and window ledges.

good luck, they aren’t easy!

I had 2 male brothers- very noisy and feisty but absolute sweeties - no scratches or bites ever even when going to the vet. They are outdoor cats and used to play rough and tumble with the neighbours dogs! But of a scourge on the local squirrel population though. And would happily cuddle me/each other for hours..

A friend has them. Very lovely but very vocal, high maintenance, prone to anxiety and with very sensitive stomachs. Even with special food she spends a lot of time clearing up cat vomit.

I'd disagree about them all being outdoor cats,
We had one who loved being outside but caused havoc with the neighbours chickens so we built a catio, enclosed space outside filled with branches to climb so they could have time outside without the neighbor disputes. When he died our other 3 showed little interest in using it or going out so we dismantled the catio.
Now one does go out but won't leave the garden - has a mad 5 minutes then comes in. Others no interest, it could be because they are getting old in Bengal years (7, 10 and 14)
Dad's cat goes out for walks on a lead around the garden

We live next to one. We now have a microchip cat flap plus multiple security cameras, loaded water pistols by back door and upstairs windows, and have spent a fortune on Feliway and vet trips for stitching and antibiotics.

It's lovely to see a picture of dear Asbo.

@YetAnotherSpartacus He was a legend in his own Airing Cupboard.

I'm still finding things he damaged and he's been dead for 3 years.

We have a large three storey house, with a floor to ceiling cat tree and will get another one for upstairs as well as the wheel....we MAY think about a catio but they've been indoor cats their whole lives.

My neighbour had one. Stunning cat, but was a complete thug. I only tried to belly rub him once! He wasn't neutered which I'm sure didn't help. They re-homed him in the end because he kept beating up their dogs.