Many cat owners feel that "interacting" just means "playing" and sometimes very intensely too - I don't.
Yes, the cat is played to death, yes, it is exhausted afterwards, but has it had any kind of bonding experience with its owner? Probably not.
Anyone can dangle a fishing rod toy and get a reflex reaction from a cat. Anyone can lob a cat nip filled lump towards a cat and see its reaction, another reflex...
Is that bonding? Is that a relationship? Not in my book.

The more energetic the play, the more is needed to "tire the cat out", because the cat's fitness will increase.
So you truly want to spend an hour or two hours getting your cat to insanely chase things? Getting it hyped up into an adrenaline rush, making it act totally uncharacteristically, getting it into some sort of obsessive, addictive chasing and leaping state, where if it isn't being highly stimulated, it is then upset. When if it isn't high on cat nip, it is bored.

A cat left to its own devices in the wild or outdoors, doesn't spend hours chasing things obsessively. It spends time sussing out where it may be able to catch something, it then lies patiently in wait for that thing to come out of its hole or for the prey to saunter by close enough for the cat to grab it - that can take a very long time and it is not always successful either.
The chase itself lasts seconds, then the poor prey item is played with for about 5-10 minutes, eaten or discarded and the cat goes looking for another morsel, or the cat spends time sleeping its "exertions" off.
There is nothing there about chasing something to the point of exhaustion, nothing there about running back and forth madly, nothing there about idiotic gymnastic jumping and leaping to no avail apart from entertaining the owner.

The Bengal IMO, is an intense cat, it often has an "obsessive" personality, I just feel that feeding that obsessive tendency by making them chase things in mad frenzies, makes for unhappy cats.

Stop the cat nip, stop the obsessive chasing and just sit and observe the cat and work out what it wants to do, play with it in very short bursts and end by letting it catch "the prey". Give it toys and experiences that involve it thinking.
Take away the toys regularly, so that they are "new" when they reappear.
Cuddle and stroke the cat when it is sleeping or when it comes to sit or stand beside you, and you will find you have a much calmer, nicer and happier cat.

Good post and I agree. I don't have any da bird type toys in my house for these reasons - I did when I first got the Bengals but saw how obsessed they were and it just didn't seem healthy. I do have the odd feather that I give them to 'kill' instead though.

I have tended to use a feather toy to bond with a cat - ie I've had an extremely shy frightened cat come in that would hide under the bed until I got the feather toy out and then I would use it as a way to interact by stroking whilst letting it bat the feather gently and eventually it would come out for me not the toy.

Rotation of toys is such a good idea - to keep everything fresh.....If mine are being abit naughty I will simply get out a cardboard box stuff it with bubble wrap and then let them get on with it

I also have a clicker target stick I use.

I do think some people see Bengal as a cat they need to constantly hype up and send loopy - problem is then they wonder why their cat never stops.

This has been very informative, we tend to play with them later in the evening to tire them out, so we don't have nutty hour when we go to bed. It's good to read that we are not over stimulating them, I was worried we weren't entertaining them enough, they love to play but it's in small spurts with us then play fighting with each other. I too agree about rotating toys, but yes we are still learning too, they have been with us 5 weeks now and we learn a lot every week. I feel that they are bonding with us too, it's been lovely

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Owned by Neko and Cinder
And a little white dog named Kasey

I would agree too. We play with them about an hour a day, before bed as they get the zoomies right then, to try to get some energy out, but it always ends in them "killing" the toy and then eating. The rest of the time, we may play a tiny amount, but nothing really intense. I also encourage heir cuddly moments, letting them just curl on my lap while I stroke them and talk to them softly.

Our play varies differently in that sometimes we just throw the crinkle ball for them into their box fort and sometimes we use a wand. Sometimes we play peek-a-boo with them, which is really cute. I don't think playing hard with them for a little bit to get their exercise in and wear them out a is a bad thing, but I also don't think they need to be wound up all the time.

ok well the let me redefine, as apparently I wasn't clear. I DO NOT play with them till they are exhausted, no where in my post did I state That, also I said, during that time my play varies. Sometimes its just interacting with them while they run (on their own I might add) on their wheel. I just dedicate one hour and evening where my interactions are focused just on them, instead of work. And that's not saying the rest of the time I ignore them. Its just that during that time, they get cuddle if them are with me, but if they wander off to do their own thing or to chase each other then that is fine too.

I did the same with my dogs growing up, dedicated play time as my schedule was all over, to make sure they have time to play too.

Also during that time (as I have 2 cats) I play with one for a bit, then the other, then watch them wrestle each other, and so on.

I do love a good debate, but I don't think that making people feel bad for how they interact with their cats is super productive. At last the cats are getting attention. Much how you feel that as long as cats are getting food its good, regardless of the type.