Beware the bengal!

[jensonnyjenson]

I just wrote out a huge long post that has now disappeared somehow lol
ANYWAY i will shorten it and get to the point......

My boyfriend and I wanted to get some cats as we are both cat people. So we went to the local shelter to see what gorgeous little cats wanted a new home.

we noticed this very unusual and very LOUD cat called "Starburst" that we later found out to be a Bengal - we had never heard of or seen one of these before.

We couldn't get her out of our minds so we rang up the shelter and arranged a home visit. We couldn't figure out why such a gorgeous looking pedigree cat would end up in a shelter......until we got her home.

NOISY, GREEDY, PERSISTENT are just a few things to consider! Anyway the point is, she is a handful! Luckily we love everything that would make her a nuissance to other people, but it just made us think - people need to really research and find out about a breed before just buying one as an expensive toy or show thing. We got our little bengal from a rescue centre - otherwise we would have never gone to a breeder.

We renamed her Phoebe, and Phoebe is seriously unlike any other domestic cat I have known - she was like a whole new animal. She swings off the washing hanging on the line, opens every door in the house to get to you, won't let you have a lie in EVER, swipes food out of your hands, wails at you at the back door to be let out, SCREAMS at flies that happen to be in the house, terrorizes the neighbours cats and dogs etc etc

We did eventually get her a playmate as we thought it was a bit cruel just leaving such a hyperactive cat to herself when we went to work, so we got her a little bengal kitten.

Now this might seem a bit hypocritical on the surface but not if you consider this:

we decided we needed to get her a playmate of the same breed considering how mad she was - she needed a cat of equal enegry and madness to get on with.

Our new kitten was bought from a breeder yes, but in the end we are going to give him the life a cat deserves - the chance to go outside whereas someone else spending all that money on him might have kept him locked indoors which I don't personally agree with.

Anyway now they are inseperable and very happy. The shelter said that Phoebe should be homed without any other cats - they didn't give a reason for this and I'm glad we ignored it cos they obviouslly didn't have a clue what was best for her - she just loves her new playmate!

Thanks for reading - and if you were considering a Bengal breed just consider that they are hard HARD work! :-D

[Barbara]

Phoebe and Vinnie are just wonderful.
And it is true: Bengals can have a rather rambunctious personality. Even more than little Abyssinians:) It certainly isn't for people who rather like a doily personality in their cat ;)

I try not to be too judgmental in where cats come from. I had feral rescues in my life (beautiful Grisette, looking like a Russian Blue) and I have Filou the Aby who comes from a very small breeder.
The same is true about how you keep cats. We are living in an area where there is high traffic and most of our neighbors cats do not survive their first year. So Filou and his brother Tigris live indoors, they have a nice netted balcony with flowers, a ceiling-high cat tree and lots of bookshelves. In an ideal world they would also have a garden- but although we do not have coyotes or cougars I would not want them to meet the dangers outdoors.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

very cute kitties! A lot of people mistakenly think a cat is a cat, but Bengals are so closely related to their wild ancestors they can definitely be a little more rambunctious than your average feline.

[jensonnyjenson]

We are living in an area where there is high traffic and most of our neighbors cats do not survive their first year. So Filou and his brother Tigris live indoors, they have a nice netted balcony with flowers, a ceiling-high cat tree and lots of bookshelves. In an ideal world they would also have a garden- but although we do not have coyotes or cougars I would not want them to meet the dangers outdoors.

I completely understand this, and in a way I wish I didn't have to let out my vinnie until he was a bit older and less hyperactive although he now sees Phoebe go out and cries at the backdoor :-S
True, in an ideal world we would all live in the countryside with no busy roads or dangers.
The problem I face with mine is that we live in a semi busy area, with busy roads fairly close, but not close enough to deny them the chance to meet other cats and experience the freedom of the outdoors.
Everytime Phoebe goes out I panic! lol I really wish that people would slow down in their cars to allow time to stop if there is a cat in the road :-(
Phoebe screams and looks distressed when we don't let her out, so we just accept that we are taking a risk in letting her out. Such a dilema for loving cat owners! :-(

[allmycats]

sooooo CUTE I like the last pic the best, of her grooming the kitten:)


I've heard that bengals can be very wild, that you need a 3rd or 4th generation one for it to be like other domestic cats.

[Catty1]

My boys are indoors - it's not that busy a street here, though it claimed the life of a neighbour's cat (to his credit, it was at night, and the poor driver was out of his car looking under it and everywhere for the kitty! But he had crawled into his yard which was surrounded by a large hedge); I am on a second floor, so they do get the balcony when the weather is nice!

I have also seen some lovely outdoor enclosures - and they are quite inexpensive if you do-it-yourself. Lots of sturdy chicken wire and scrap wood!

They are just BEAUTIFUL - I am glad Starburst has a playmate and they can indulge each other's madness! :D

You likely know this, but "Phoebe" was the goddess of the moon. You have the Moon and the Stars! :)