Nisha, my 6 year old retired F2 breeder is settleing in well with us. She is turning into a very playfull kitty. This morning I woke up with a pile of toys on my chest and her pouncing from my feet to my hips and licking every inch of skin she could find. She obviously doesnt understand what weekends are for. Now this afternoon she is bringing me her furry stick toys dropping them on my chest and running to the end of the bed so she can play. She then gets them away from me (I cant keep a very good grip on them due to RA) takes them under the bed and starts the process over. I am so touched that she is actually bringing me her "trophy". My hubby says that it is just coincidence but I keep telling him how smart these guys are. He laughs at me because we are working on sitting for treats too. What kind of commands or "tricks" have your Bengals learned?

Leads me to a second unrelated question. Nisha does like to do some rough play. She will pounce on your arm, start wrestleing and putting her mouth on you, but not biting hard at all. Should she get alittle rough and you say ouch she stops immedietley and licks. We have had some instances between the other cat or the dogs and her actions/reactions are completely different and aggressive, then she growls, drools and chuffs. Of course, when possible we grab one of her stuffed animals or the stick and encourage her to do more appropriate play verses using our arm, but at 5AM sometimes hunting for a stick on the floor just isnt happening and we either let her play for a minute or gently push her back and give a stern NO. I understand all Bengals are hybrid, but being an F2 we are looking at more of a percentage, these guys need to be respected. I feel that Nisha coming to us as a breeder that spent years not as "normal kitty" and is learning all over how to play. To me this is normal kitten behavior, wrestleing, biting, licking, repeat. I was even warned that her being older she may never become playfull, we are so thrilled with her interaction but want to make sure everyone is safe. How much of this sort of play is acceptable? Is it ever??

She is beautiful. All kitties love to "wrestle" with things, usually toys, but they will grab an arm and do it, too. It's just typical behavior. Raiden has a TNR stuffed toy that he goes after all the time. I do believe Bengals are extremely smart! Your F2 is really quite special that she is so socialized and wanting you to participate in her her playing. That's wonderful!

What a beauty!

My bengal brings me her toys. I throw them for her. When she brings them back, she gets lots of praise and pets. She plays fetch. I basically capitalized on her wanting to play and loving praise. She also will jump on a surface if I tap it.

Regarding the biting, if she is trained to let go when you say ouch, that is really good. I think as long as you keep letting her know and she keeps responding appropriately, you are good. I would focus on other types of play though, it doesn't take much for any cat to get overstimulated or spooked during play and bite or scratch hard enough to cause injury. Remember too, what is safe play for you (as her human), may not be safe play for other family members. I can rub my Bengals belly all day and she will purr and chatter and love it, but if my husband tries, he will be a scratched, bleeding, bitten mess in 2 seconds.

If she is bothering you at night you could try an automatic feeder or more interactive, independent toys so she stays occupied.

Thank you Bri and Sherry!

Nisha is very special. She came at a time that alot of things were happening with me. I was used to working full time and had recently been put on disability and told I could never return to work. I needed her as much as she needed me. I cant tell you how much I dislike being licked by animals but I am letting her do it almost whenever she wants to. If she likes us that much I want her to be happy and feel safe.

As for her rough play, hubby and I are the only ones she will play with. With the kids she will go after sticks or balls but that is it. She really seems to trust us. Believe me, in the begining that wasnt the case. She tolorated me sort of but hated my hubby for the first month. She hissed and growled if he would even look at her. Even with her progress and her response when we tell her to stop, I still feel that its better for her not to use our arm as a toy. I will need to look into a treat dispenser, never knew there was such a thing. I do have a toy that my parrot needs to move certain pieces to get the treat, maybe she would like something like that.

My legs on the other hand are a mess from her, but thats due to her leaping around the bed with my legs under the covers. I trimmed her nails yesterday and she was mad so she went and swatted hubbys face, that was the first time in a while she has had some projected aggression.