Hello! My name is Tyler. I recently bought from a very nice family a 1 year old bengal kitten. His name is Oswalt, short for Ozzy. I have a 2 year old tabby as well, both males. My tabby I have, I have completely fell in love with, I got him as a kitten. I can take him in the car, to different people's houses, etc. I knew going into getting a bengals would require a lot of patience! I'm so excited that I got him but it's a process!!

Ozzy has been very scared and timid size I have brought him home. I got him out of the pet taxi as he is growning and meowing. He was on the bed for a while, trying to calm him down, he'd run off and hide. Finally I had him on the bed and he met oscar wasn't really a big deal. But i had my significant other take oscar for a couple days. I have him out and about eating playing. He has one spot he hides that I go pick him and bring him back to the bed to make him stay by me to just form that bond. I'm talking light, saying his name, stroking him repeatedly. I have a bunch of toys and scratching post for him and cat nip toys.

My questions are
What can I do to make him feel more at home?
What would be the way best way to bring my tabby to meet and keep them both here? I plan to keep one in one room while I work.
How can I make him not to skiddish?
I'm feeding him Blue Diamond indoor chicken, how much should he be eating a day?
Should I keep picking him up from his favorite spot and bring him over by me?
How could I ever trip his claws? Any tip? I do on my tabby but that's never a fight

I'm up for any suggestions, experiences, advice!!

First of all, welcome to our forum. Tyler. Secondly, congratulations on Ozzy.

What can you do to make him feel more at home? Well, initially, Ozzy should have been put in a safe room with food, water, litter box, toys, bed, etc. and separated from your other kitty. Know that coming to a new home environment with new people and new smells and other kitty smells is traumatic to any cat, especially an older one. So ... patience is the key and allow Ozzy to proceed at his own pace. He hides because he feels safe in a smaller, closed in area that nobody else can get to. He will gain confidence over time. If he does not want you to pull him out of his hiding place, then don't! Entice him with treats, spend time just talking to him. Don't be in such a rush for him to be outgoing. He's scared.

Introducing two kitties generally starts with the new kitty in a safe room and then you start to swap out scents, using towels or blankets that the other has slept on and switching them out with the kitties. I'd start out feeding them in the same general area, but separated. Let food be the distraction and not the other kitty. You can do the same with play. Use the toys as the distraction. Cats will be naturally curious about each other. You can allow sniffing, growling, hissing, but no aggression. Separate the cats if that happens.

Never leave the two kitties alone together until you are certain they are best friends. Hopefully, you have a tall cat tree that they can enjoy and make sure you have ample cat beds around your home. And, you will need at least two, preferably three, litter boxes.

As for how much to feed him, the directions are on the bag! I leave dry food out all day for my grazing bengal and he gets wet food as well. With a high energy kitty (and Ozzy will be), he will need more calories than your other kitty. Cats let you know when they are hungry. But, Ozzy is still growing, so make sure he gets at least 3 to 4 meals a day.

As for trimming nails -- the majority of cats won't stand for it! Some vets/groomers will trim nails. You can also use soft paws, however, PLEASE DO NOT DECLAW A CAT. It is the nature of the cat to sharpen claws and no matter how many times they are trimmed or how often you put on any soft paws, the claws will still come through. I have NEVER trimmed my bengal's claws.

Good luck with Ozzy. We are happy to answer any other questions you may have.

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The little monsters 3

Once you get his trust and he feels more comfortable, you may be able to trim his nails. Play with his feet and toes a little once he starts relaxing and crashing out near you, that can help to desensitize the feets. My boys stand on the bathroom counter or sit in my lap and usually let me clip them. They're 5 and 7 and I've been doing them since the youngest was 12 weeks. Just read up and be very careful not to cut back to far. Try just snipping the tips this first few times. It can increase scratching things though, so make sure that you have plenty of things that are okay to claw up. Just give the bebe some time.

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