I have a new Bengal kitten I got October 12. She was born on June 11. So she is about 4-1/2 months old now. She doesn't like to be picked up or held. She loves being petted but you must sit on the floor and coax her to you. I have a second Bengal who is almost 11 that I got at 2 years old and he hates being picked up and will crouch down to prevent you from petting him. He will sit next to you on the couch but only on his terms. Is this a Bengal trait? I thought the older one was that way because he was a retired breeder and not raised in a traditional home setting. But now the kitten is that way too. I also have a 2 year old calico and she is always picked up and doesn't mind at all. She was 12 weeks when I got her. I have had several cats through out the years and these are the only 2 that hated being picked up or held. I would love some insight into others experiences with this.

Hi

My two only allow me to pick them up on their terms, they each have their ways to let me know if they want a cuddle, and then you're not allowed to put them down until they are ready! They only very rarely sit on our laps, if they're not on their cat tree, they might curl up on the footstool by our legs although when they were kittens they would lay along our legs. But they are too big for that now.

They love being petted though.

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

My two get more distant every week. They were so affectionate and cuddly as young kittens. They each seek me out when they want affection and one in particular can be a little forceful about getting it. But if I reach out to pet her as she passes she dips down to avoid my hand! The other one loves to be petted any time. They still follow me from room to room and come when I call their names.

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

I love my kitties, Draco and Princess Tiger Lily (my calico is Pixie Dust)! I was pretty sure that it was a normal thing but I wanted to get some other people's thoughts on how their cats are with them. I hope to get some more input on this as well. Thanks.

Bengals, for the most part, do not like to be picked up or held. I can pick Raiden up but he'll fight me to be put back down, almost immediately. Most moggies absolutely love being held -- all of mine were snuggle bunnies. Raiden is not. Won't sit in your lap except under his terms -- and that's rare. It's just something about the breed. However, sometimes if you start the holding process when they are very young, they get used to the holding. It's something I have to do to get Raiden into his carrier and to give him his Frontline each month. He doesn't like it .... but he lives through it.

Dexter is 5 months old and was very timid when we got him. He went into hiding under the sofa.

He is still very cautious of my husband but he is starting to come round to him. My 10 year old doesn't give him any choice lol he'll just pick him up and make him stay on his lap for strokes and cuddles. Dexter accepted this pretty quickly and there's an interesting relationship developing between the two of them. I think it's either that Dexter knows he is a child or understand there is something different about him. My son has autism.

I am Dexter's special person though and am the only one in the family who he doesn't try to get away from when approached. He will happily let me pick him up and immediately starts to purr. He will plonk himself down on my feet when I'm walking around the room so I have to stop and give him attention. When we got him at 13 weeks I spent a lot of time with him every day playing etc and I think he bonded very strongly with me.

He does not like to lap sit though and very rarely cuddles up spontaneously with me. He does come over to me for a play now and again then snuggle up to me or put his face very close to mine staring at me lol and then start washing me. He loves to play on the bed and funnily enough will snuggle up for strokes then. He's a funny little thing.

He is very sweet natured and never gets his claws out on any of us. With other cats I have owned their personalities have developed pretty quickly and you sort of know what you've got but with Dexter there is still a lot of personality to come out.

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie

Bengals IME are not cuddly, pick me up and snuggle type of cats especially when young adults, they can be as young kittens, but once they get a taste for independence and get confident, they only want to be picked up or snuggled on their own terms. Most love being petted, but any restriction introduced or if the petting is at "the wrong time", they tend to jump down and away.
Bengals are in general cats that like being around humans, but not necessarily cats that want a lot of physical fuss or cuddles from humans.

My Bemgal loves to cuddle on her terms. We go days at a time with only a few pets or minutes of play and them she will lay on my chest amd nuzzle and cuddle and purr and knead for hours the next. The key is that it is really on their terms. She will come to me when I call her, but stays on her terms.