Hi everyone!
We've just adopted a kitten, her father is Bengal and her mother is Balinese. Wondering if anyone has a similar mixed breed?
Also, we've had cats before, but never a kitten, so any advice on making our girl Ozzie feel comfortable would be great. She seems to be settling in fairly well so far. We have two boys ages 7 and 10, and no other pets, and my husband works from home (which means she won't be left alone for long periods of time).
I do have mild allergies, and would like to get our kitty sleeping in a bed of her own (she's currently not interested at all) so any tips for that would be great too.
She's the cutest darn thing I've ever seen!!
Thanks so much! Look forward to connecting with everyone.
Ashley
ozzie.jpg

Hi Ashley. Welcome to our forum! Ozzie is absolutely stunning. That is quite a mix for a kitty. Know with a kitten, especially one with bengal blood, will be adventure to say the least! Make sure she has a tall cat tree and lots of toys. Know that cats sleep where they want to sleep. They will never sleep in the area you want them to. Thus ... the key is having lots of cat beds. And your Ozzie will find another place to sleep anyway. LOL. I'm hoping she isn't triggering your allergies. While bengals are partially non-allergenic, Balinese cats are not.

It appears from the picture she is hiding! She obviously feels safe there. Give her time to adjust to everything.

Thanks for your message!

She is settling in great, and has discovered the piano, which she really likes to play LOL!

Ozzie is definitely adventurous and we welcome it!

I look forward to learning more about our adorable kitty and her Bengal ways!

Ashley

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The little monsters 3

Yes, I have used catnip to entice a cat to use a bed -- but I have dozens of sleeping spots for my cats -- Raiden loves his hooded heated bed in the winter time. Outside of that, he will sleep on a circular bed. During the day, Raiden also sleeps on the bed in the guest room. Legs, on the other hand, has multiple sleeping areas and those are on chairs, ottomans, top of cat tree, etc. If you have a place you definitely do not want to have your kitty sleep, then make it really unattractive to them. For me, the more places they can sleep, the better off you are. This morning, I had two cats in bed with me.

Thank you everyone for your tips and advice!
The only place I really don't want Ozzy to sleep is my bed due to my mild allergies (note - we just learned that Ozzie the girl is in fact Ozzy the boy!).
I am fine with him sleeping anywhere else, but my bed is where he wants to be (or rather, he wants to be close to my husband). I thought if I could make HIS bed attractive to him in my room that might help.
Thanks so much!

While Bengals aren't hypo-allergenic, they are a lot less reactive ( for example, both my daughter and son have mild cat allergies, neither has had any reactions at all to mine despite being in constant contact, play scratches etc ). The mix may cause a problem as mentioned earlier.

The only way to get a cat to use something is to make it more desirable than the one you don't want. As Brian mentions a heating pad under a cat bed might work, I wouldn't put catnip in it if you want the kitty to sleep, but ultimately he will lay where he feels most comfortable. You could try throwing a less comfortable blanket folded at the bottom of your bed where the cat is sleeping and put the cat bed on top of that so he can get used to it, then relocate it. I doubt you'll find an instant solution tho if he just wants to sleep with you.

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The little monsters 3

Know that bengals love to be with their owners. And that generally means sleeping with you in your bed. If that is not what you want, you will have to shut the door and have other sleeping options for Ozzy. My bengal will scratch at the door and yowl if I close him off. He always sleeps at my feet at night. Are you taking medication for your allergies? If so, then it's possible you won't have a reaction to Ozzy the way you think you will.