Hi All!

Since having our two female bengals, life has been reasonably ok. No real problems - apart from jumping up the door frames and using the stair carpet as a giant scratch post! Honey is happy to just mooch about - no real craziness - maybe a mad five minutes each evening. Ruby however is slightly more...how would I say it...feral! She is a cute little thing, but not keen on being handled. We're fine with that. She is 100 times better than when we got her and the two of them get on well. She is the one who sprays if another cat has been at the back or front door and she is the first to growl like a tiger when given raw meat. She is also desperate to get out at any opportunity. For the past couple of months Ruby has taken to waking me up at 04:28 (to be exact. and it is this EVERY morning!). She jumps up at our bedroom window and yowls. She's pretty rubbish as jumping and usually bounces off the radiator or grabs hold of the nets - another issue for Hubby to complain about! After a lot of discussion we decided to see if letting her out would give her the stimulation she seemed to be after. We put collars on both and a odd thing happened. I left the back door open and they didn't try and leave! Then, last night, they slept all night with no early morning shenanigans! Today, Ruby is sleeping and being normal and Honey is curled up on my lap. Ruby got out earlier - I left a window open to gauge what she would do. She came straight back in when she heard my voice and she hadn't left the garden.
Now, my question is: Are the collars freaking them out or am I on to a good thing?!

How long have they been indoor cats??
Have they been introduced to the collars??

To us this seems fairly straight forward but to our pets if they are not use to something it can be pretty scairy. They may need a bit of encouragement. My worry in letting them out is that someone might steal them because they have such unusual markings.

Hi
Thanks for replying.
I have tried before to put collars / harnesses on them. Honey was ok, but with Ruby being not too keen on being touched, to get a collar on her was near-on impossible. I have taken it slowly with both of them - leaving the collars around for them to sniff and they have gradually rubbed on them and so I guessed it was time to put them on. They are both eating fine, drinking as usual, and they both actually seem more happy, almost more calm. Honey went out a moment ago, had a look round the garden and as soon as I rattled her food bag, she bolted straight to the back door to be let in. I rewarded her with a bit of ham. Ruby did exactly the same earlier. I don't really want them to be outside too often, but it would be nice to be able to go in the back garden with the kids and not have to lock down the house to keep the two cats inside.

They have not tried to remove their collars. They have scratched at them, but not obsessively. Ruby spent a bit of time yesterday trying to run away from the bell! She is very friendly today - letting the kids stroke her and she has been more vocal - but in a friendly way.

I think I'm going to carry on with this for a few more days. Even if it only lasts while they get used to supervised trips into the garden.

I agree with Elaine. I had a stray who found me and once I befriended it, would not leave my yard. It was here 24/7 because I'd wake up in the middle of the night and see him laying in a chair on the deck. As the months progressed, he would start to roam but was always back in the morning for breakfast and was waiting for me when I got home from work. I finally had him neutered, thinking that would keep him around more. Nope! One morning he wasn't here for breakfast -- and I haven't seen him since. Breaks my heart not to know what happened to him. With my alpha cat gone, my backyard became a haven for neighborhood kitties and that's how I met my Bengal. He lived a few doors down. Owner traveled a lot, so Raiden stayed around my house. He got into a horrific cat fight and I rushed him to the vet. He wears scars from previous fights. Owner decided to just give him to me and I've made him pretty much an indoor cat. Talk about yowling. He still (nearly three months later), cries to go outside. We walk with a harness and leash and built him a 12'x12' outdoor enclosure which he enjoys. We see our neighbors regularly on our walks and they all say what a beautiful cat he is and how they'd never seen a Bengal before. I'm afraid someone would eventually walk off with him since he's not afraid of people. Yes, your kitties are staying close to home, but as their confidence outside grows, so will their territory. Cats love to explore. There are so many dangers out there for them to encounter. If you can enclose an area of your garden for them, I think that would be the best solution.