Hello everybody,

my girlfriend and I bought our first bengal 13 months ago (she's now 16 months old) and we would need your advice on the current situation/problem...

Nala, like many bengal I guess, is EXTREMELY vocal and she always want to go outside. She looks at the window or the door and she can stay there for 30 minutes meowing non-stop.

We do bring her outside from time to time (not everyday) but even if we do when we get back inside the house... she's gonna find something else to meow about and it's so consistent that I have a really hard time working on my laptop because I feel bad and it's distracting.

I have an online business and before we had Nala... I was working 25% of the time from home but since we got her ... it's impossible because if I close the door she's gonna meow until I open the door and if I do open the door she's gonna moew at the window.

So lately... we are kinda sad because she looks to be "sad" even tho we do our best to play with her.

So we were thinking about maybe buying a second one so she can have a friend to hangout with and spend time with but before making the move I would like you guys to analyze the situation and maybe give me some feedback about having a second one.

Thanks

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a rich reply!!

I will try a few of these options first...

Here's a few things we tried that you mentioned:

1. as much as she loves going outside (we recently moved out and she used to be on the 4th level of a condo) so now she's extremely careful when we bring her outside and she barely move. She used to love going outside on our fourth floor because of the sun as well as waiting for a fly to come inside the condo and then we would close the door and she would chance the fly for 5 mintues ... kill it and then eat it. She could repeat this process all day long .. as long as we had fly coming in (by purpose haha)

2. we probably bought her over 20 toys and .. none really do the job expect a laser but I feel like she would lose interest overtime if I abuse it because she can't catch it... we even tried two "robot" (probably too cheap tho .. $50 / each)

I will test some of your ideas and if anybody has more example ideas or things that worked for me them... let me know :)

Thanks

Also... what are my chances that my bengal actually love the cat wheel lol?

why on earth would you get a small animal as a 'pet' for your bengal?

to me that just screams animal cruelty, a bird tormented day in day out by a bengal stalking it - they aren't aware that the cage is safe (and to be honest I'm not that sure it is safe from a bengal) - if it's not dead of a heart attack within a week then it will spend it's life in misery

if you think animal cruelty on this level is acceptable then I don't believe you should own any pet

<end rant>

Well said Hassaan. I think perhaps your comments were misconstrued unfortunately.

Hi there

Do you have the Bengal 'must haves' ie, flying frenzy, cat trees etc?

Bengals are very social and want to be with you - do you have a cat tree in your study with a view of the window? It may be an idea to totally wear her out with a game of flying frenzy prior to you working at home - and I mean wear her out!! To the point she is panting!

Cat treat toys to keep her busy when you need to get on with work?

Catit toys are very good, particularly the super sensor roller. And keep rotating the toys so she doesn't get bored.

It's all very well getting another Bengal kitten but left on their own, two can be very destructive if they get bored. We'd come home and think we had a couple of teenagers who had an out of control party, surround sound speakers knocked flying, everything knocked off the hall shelving, their toy box ransacked. They would literally tear around the house chasing each other and woe betide anything that got in their way lol

We now let ours outside during the day and we have no issues, but this all depends on your cat and the area you live in, if there are busy roads etc - everything needs to be taken into consideration.

I hope some of this helps.

_________________
Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

First of all, welcome to our forum. Second of all, this is generally a friendly place to be. Sometimes a member's post is misconstrued by another member or taken personally. One must always reread their post and make sure it will not offend most other members before hitting "submit."

Now ... you have a bengal and they are extremely vocal as you have found out. You said you were on the 4th floor. Are you still high up or do you now have a garden area where you might put an enclosure for your cat (portable or permanent, large or small). Yowling seems to be part of owning a bengal and I have a real yowler. Have you tried training her on a harness and leash and walking her? You take her outside, but is she confident not being connected to you?

As for getting other creatures for her as a companion -- other bengals work best, but then you have two yowlers. Know that bengals are highly social and want to be where their owners are. Shutting a door with them on the opposite side is surely going to create a stir with the kitty -- she wants to be WITH you and demanding attention. Yes, bengals demand attention. This is why we say bengals are not for everyone. If you wanted a kitty who would sleep 20 hours a day and not create a sound -- then a regular kitty or different breed would have been in order. You will never quiet a bengal -- NEVER. Mine is only quiet while he is sleeping, eating, grooming himself or while we are out on our twice-daily walks.

As for a cat wheel -- ours has one. Just go on YouTube and check out all the videos of cats walking on them. Initially you would need something to attract the cat -- laser beam works as do treats. Ours gets on his wheel almost daily and spins it around for a while. Many times, it is 1 a.m. in the morning.

I know you are frustrated, but a bengal is not going to change, thus it's up to the owner to try and rectify the situation. More play time, or other interactive toys or puzzles for your kitty. Spend as much spare time with the kitty. You might want to put a nice comfortable cat bed or window perch in your office.

Hi,

Please read posts thoroughly on this thread before making accusatory comments against other members. People will obviously have differing opinions but please try to respond in a civil and respectful manner.

Thanks.

I got my year old bengal several cat activity puzzles (some for dogs too). They keep her entertained for quite awhile. She's now figured out most of them (pull the drawer, slide the lever, move blocks from side to side, knock the ball over, etc) so I've got some expert ones on the way. I did hang a bird feeder about 2 feet from a window. She spends a LOT of time sitting on a perch by the window watching them. The bird feeder was probably the best thing I got to keep her entertained for hours. I do have another cat and am getting a F1 in about a month. When I'm on the computer she is usually sitting by the window bird watching. Win-Win!!! Will think of other things to try.

Bengals are actually prone to boredom! They don't sleep all day. They are active and need interaction with someone or something. It's just the breed.

I just ordered the hexbug! Thanks for the suggestion! Our Koneko always seems to want to be into something. Keep in mind, he has 3 other cats to play with. We also have a 15 foot running board that my husband built and installed, when I figure out how to post pics, I can show u. Sisal rope for scratching and a floor to ceiling cat tree to access the runner. Our other 3 cats are meezers, Siamese, and also like high places. Jackson Galaxy would call them tree dwellers! Although 2 of them are recent rescues, a local pet shelter was trying to place 5 cats from a lady that had alzheimers and needed to be placed in a home. We took 2 of her 5. They are both elderly and do not care for high climbing. Wonton however, is a Siamese rescue that's only 3 years old. He is Koneko's close buddy. We also have a screened in deck, all of them love to be outside and look into the koi pond off our deck. Plenty of fish and birds to keep them occupied. They are ALL escape artists however. I take them out on harness and leash, but its never enough. Any chance they get, they pry open the screen door and run loose.