I don't own a Bengal cat but would be greateful to any owners who can give me any advice as to how to deal with a Bengal cat in my street who won't leave my two young tabbies alone.

I got my tabbies at 7months old from someone who could no longer look after them. The boys had no vaccinations and were not spayed. I took care of that and at nine months they were allowed outside for the first time.

I had been aware of the Bengal cat for some time. He is a beautiful cat, very distinctive, and often wandered around the street and gardens. However, he made a bee-line for my boys as soon as they ventured outside, screaming at them and intimidating them.

This became a regular thing, and the Bengal began hanging around my home regularly. I threw water at him to scare him away, but he stood his ground and screamed at me. I shouted at him to go away, he screamed at me. One day, when my boys were about a year old, the Bengal came into my home though an open window and attacked one of my boys. It was a terrible scene and I tried to pull the Bengal off my cat. He bit me on the hand and I had to be taken to A&E for treatment. I took my cat to the vet for a check-up. He was traumatised.

The Bengal's owners came round with a bottle of wine and bunch of flowers and apologised. They are a lovely couple, and constantly embarrassed by their cat's antics in the street. Apparently he thinks the street, gardens and houses are his territory and wanders around 'defending' 'his' territory against all comers. Unfortunately, that includes the cats who live there. I hold no grudge against the Bengal or his owners because he is just behaving as a Bengal would. At home he is their baby and very cuddly and affectionate.

However, I need some advice as to how to proceed. How can I teach him that my home and garden is not his territory. It is now five months since the incident where he bit me, and he is still coming around intimidating my cats. Every day I hear him screaming at my cats while they sit in the front garden (or back garden). He faces me down when he sees me, screaming at me in his distinctive Bengal way. What can I do to stop this!

I walk my boys to an adjacent woodland where the Bengal does not go, and they play together, but I want them to feel safe in their own garden/house.

Regards,

AJ

If you are on friendly enough terms with the owners, perhaps a word to them about possibly keeping their cat in? If they are so embarrassed by his antics, surely they don't want all of their neighbours to suffer him? They really should have a cat yard or some type of enclosure, or keep him inside where he can't behave in this way.

Seems that they have already acknowledged that he behaves in this way - they really should do something about it. Has he been desexed?

And no, it's not typical Bengal... Sounds typical Tom to me.

this is typical CAT behaviour, any cat...pedigree or moggy will be very upset if it has established a territory & strangers then arrive in it. he will defend his territory unfortunately there isn't much you can do about it.

one of the many reasons so many cat owners are now keeping cats indoors or building safe enclosures for them to go out in for fresh air.

sorry it's not much help for you, but cats are instinctive creatures & can be very territorial.

Our Bengal came to us about seven months ago now. There were several cats in the neighborhood who would travel through our garden regularly. Pixel very quickly started carving a territory for himself once we decided to adopt him and no cats come into our garden now, but pixel is wide ranging and gets into fights as his range covers several gardens and some railway embankments. I worry that he'll get really damaged in a fight as he doesn't always see off his rivals (un-neutered male was the last fight). But I just see this as natural behavior. I think it's very rare for cats to actually kill one another over territory as that's not why they're fighting, they mostly stalk and growl and hiss and spit, with a little actual fighting because it's about intimidation and domination. I don't think Pixel terrorises any local cats, it's a turf war and boundaries are established and fought over and change as the domination of one rival over another changes. Eventually a balance is reached. But I agree that this is cat behaviour and not specific to Bengals.

It's really unfortunate that your boys can't have peace in their own garden, not until they're big enough to chase him off their patch, but there's two of them and one of him, so when they're bigger...

Well, no sooner than I had posted my message this morning than I heard the familiar screams and yowls of Simba outside my front door, giving my cats a hard time again. I went outside and he screamed furiously at me before beating a retreat. I will have to film mim some time on my phone. He is unbelievable!

"...Bengals from my experience are actually all mouth and no trousers, so fingers crossed your two shoul have a peacefull life soon ..........."

Mervyncat, I had to laugh at that comment...

Have to go, Oscar is sitting on my laptop again, makes it hard to type.

AJ

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Our Pride And Joy...Nikita.

Hia Janine,

From my experience, cats don't run to schedules that we try to impose ! Last night I went to visit a friend in the next road and Oscar came with me. I only stayed a few minutes to chat but during that time Oscar sat outside on the step and yowled until I came out. When he wants to go outside, he yowls until the door is opened. When he wants to come inside he yowls until he is let in. (Sometimes he changes his mind and sits at the door, thinking. It drives my husband mad ). I can just imagine trying to explain "sorry you can't go out until xx time Oscar" or "you have to be back home by xx time". Hehehe. "Aye right" his eyes would say. "Rules don't apply to cats". And he is just an ordinary tabby cat. I can just imagine trying to persuade a Bengal cat to stay in or go out according to his owners wishes, and having to listen to his voracious protests for (probably) hours, until he gets his way.

I have thought about fencing, but our garden is enormous and the cost would be prohibitive.