Hi,

Before i got my bengal i did do quite a bit of reading around, this involved several months of research. I thought that i was relatively well prepared.

I was wrong however. I knew that the kitten were prone to "mad half hours". But to be honest i just thought it was the same as any other kitten.

My bengal james is an absolute mentallist. He will be fine one minute and then for no reason whatsoever, he will zoom around the house at warp speed 7, almost in a wall of death type manner. He goes from one end to the other, up the curtains, from sofa to sofa, up and down the stairs. Sometimes he appears to have stopped but when i go to stroke him, he bounces in the air and starts all over again.

When he has it out of his system, it's like it never happened and he will hop up on my lap and go to sleep.

I dont really have a problem with this as, it is for the most part, pretty amusing. Plus he doesnt cause any damage.

I would like to know though,

1) does this sound normal?

2) do bengal cats behave this way or do they grow out of it?

Thanks in advance

Adam

Hi Adam,

My answers are

(1) yes, this sounds normal - for a Bengal anyway! One of my boys is just the same, he randomly leaps into the air, does a somersault and then and runs from one end of the house to the other - much to the disgust of my other boy who is a bit more laid back...
(2) if anyone with older Bengals can answer this I'd also appreciate it, as my boys are now 7 months old - and the size of full-grown "normal" cats - but showing no sign of calming down

At least James comes and sleeps on your lap, my two are never still for that long....

Best wishes,

Teresa

Just to give you an idea of what i am talking about, here are some pics.

James in hyper mode (they are blurred because he is constantly moving)














And this is him in off mode



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He's gorgeous - I love the one of him stretching out...Bengals are soooo long!

I do wish my boys would settle on my lap (not at the same time, obviously!) - I can't even hold them for too long as they're always looking for a new adventure or for a new toy to play with....the best ones so far are crisp packets tied in a bow (Bert plays fetch with these) and anything stick-like (Ernie - runs around like a dog with these in his mouth).

Best wishes

Teresa

hi

i'm in agreement with all the above!

my 4 have their mad 5 hours with what i call the bog brush tails and funny jumping with their backs arched trying to be top cat,running at about silly mph!
then i will be swamped with them all on me for a nap and a cuddle!
mad things but excellent fun!

Well at least he's normal. Well, normal for a bengal anyhow.

If there is anyone out there with older bengals that could answer the question whether they are like this for life, or if they grow out of it at some point.

Thanks

Adam

Our two are 2 now and show no sign of stopping these mad sessions, in fact, they seem to be getting worse....

Yesterday I had to separate them as the male one had the female one pinned to the floor

Welcome to the forum

I have three boys (Lubo, Loki and Lenny) and they are just the same! Off the three would have to say Lenny is the worst though and he's turning into a right little bully trying to dominate the other 2 and my poor moggie (who is having none of it LOL). The strange this is that of the three he is also the most people orientated and LOVES lying in my arms like a baby purring like mad! The boys are 8/9 mths old now.

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www.supernova-bengals.co.uk

Well, my male is 8 years old and my female will be 5 on Monday, and they both still do it, so I don't think there's much hope for your James settling down anytime soon!

They've calmed down a little as they've reached, ahem, maturity (which I have learned is purely theoretical with Bengals), but yeah, for at least 1/2 an hour a night they go nuts. What is really hilarious is when my little female (all 7 lbs of her) stalks and lies in wait for my big male (17 1/2 lbs-- yes, that's seventeen and a half. He's a moose). She has a very effective flying tackle, and can usually knock him off of his feet (the element of surprise helps a lot), but he rebounds and chases her up or down the stairs (we have a three story house, with two sets of carpeted stairs for them to race up and down). But when it's over, they are both big lap kitties. Winston in particular is a huge baby-- he wants to be held, and will lay on his back in your arms with his feet in the air, purring until he drools.

Never a dull moment!

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SharonCville

oh my, what have i let myself in for?!

To be honest i kind of thought that that would be the case. It does tend to entertaining for the most part. Guess i'm just going to have to "bengal proof" my house.

Thanks for all the input

Adam

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In loving memory of Lucy, one of the sweetest cats ever.