Hi

My Bengal is becoming naughty lately. When we first bought her as a kitten 2 1/2 years ago my partner was a stay at home mum, but 11 months ago she was offered a job that was too good to turn down. My partner works through the day, my son is at school and I work shifts varying from Mornings, Afternoons and Nights. The Bengal is never no more than 6-8 hours without company dependant on shift and once the usually activities have be done when getting in she has all the attention with us she wants. As of late however, the past 3-6 months approx. she has become naughty. She is weeing on the sofa and floor. She has begun chewing small cables i.e. phone chargers, speaker cables etc. She has the odd random nip at you now and again when she's just sitting by you or on you. She is scratching the walls and sofa, especially the rough textured wall paper in the living room, to such an extent I now have to redecorate. I believe this could be due to her being bored. She's got numerous toys and scratch posts. Would another Bengal for company solve this problem or would this just make things worse? Any suggestions?

Thanks

There could be a lot of different issues going on here. Boredom can be one of them, although my 7-year old bengal stays home about 9 hours a day and is fine! Not destructive. He sleeps and goes out into his enclosure. Most cats who are bored, however, do not pee outside the litter box. That's a separate issue. It usually means, "The litter box is too icky for me" or "it's too painful to use it." The best thing is to have your kitty checked out by vet. Let a professional make sure your kitty is healthy and there are no health problems. If your kitty is fine, then it becomes a behavioral issue. According to Jackson Galaxy, most cats who pee outside the litter box are stressed out. The solution can be as simple as putting a second litter box where the kitty is going. One of the best ways for a kitty to burn off some energy is to walk outside on a harness and leash. Raiden gets a walk every day -- twice a day on weekends and when I'm home from work. We'll walk a few blocks down to the tennis courts and then he'll walk around the play ground and tennis courts a few times and then we'll walk back.

As for getting another cat! Hmm. That's "iffy." Some bengals will accept another cat easily. Others will not. You're rolling the dice on that one. If you have two cats that won't get along, you have double the trouble on your hands. Read online on how to property introduce them (you'll have to keep them separated for a while). I'd try some other solutions before getting another cat.

Wear your cat out during play time. There's a lot of energy that's been building during the day .... and bengals LOVE and demand attention. You've got to give it to them. Praise your kitty when the litter box is used. Don't yell or punish your kitty -- that just makes the kitty scared and less trusting of you. There are toys that cats can play with by themselves. If you read online, they will tell you that if you're going to be gone for most of the day, a bengal is not the cat for you. Well, they can be trained to be more on your schedule.

And give the harness and leash a try. Bengals adapt great and they love the outdoors! It's good exercise for you, too. And it's a time to sort of bond with the kitty and have some quiet time to reflect on things.

Good luck.

Some good advice from Sherry there I think.

In response to getting another cat, yes this may be a good way of keeping your kitty company, however it's not something I would consider until you have resolved the "inappropriate elimination" issue. A new kitty could increase stress on your cat and make this problem worse. Get this under wraps before you buy another bengal.

As for your cat giving you the occasional nip, is this his/her way of getting attention, or is it in reaction to something else happening in the room?

I agree with Sherry, make sure your cat is healthy and stress free, first of all. If you can combat the litter box issue first, then you can work on the boredom issue. Adding another cat into the mix could give you one of two extremes, a "best buddy" for you cat, or an "arch enemy". This, imo, should not be considered untill your happy with your existing cats health and behaviour, and even then, it should be considered long and hard before deciding. However, you may be able to try to 'socialise' your cat, possibly on neutral ground, with another cat owner? Before taking the venture into your cats fomain, directly.

My first thoughts on the boredom issue: can you make time in the morning routine for play before work? This might help tire out your kitty so you may want to nap for an hour or so once the house is empty. Do you have any "springy" toys, that can help your cat play when alone? A toy is all good, but something that can move or spring back and have an unpredictable movement for your cat will probably keep him occupied longer than something stuffed that wont move without interaction, and even then, only appears 'dead' and uninteresting. If you have hard floors, ping pong balls canbe great, as they are light enough to bounce and ricochet off anything hard, and therefore become more unpredictable and more chase-able & interesting.

Good luck and all the best

I think it's probably a combination of boredom, and a reaction to a changing, confusing, routine in which she finds herself alone more and with her humans less. Cats definitely thrive on routine, so do your best to establish one that includes regular mealtimes, regular playtimes, and regular chill times with her humans.

On the subject of getting a second cat. Yes, it is a risk. You risk further upsetting your cat's status-quo, and the two cats could always end up enemies. But you know what? If I were in your shoes, I'd probably do it! I'd probably roll the dice and get a second bengal (kitten). I think with a lot of patience, and an understanding that it may initially upset your cat, I think the rewards probably outweigh the risks at this point.

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The little monsters 3

Thanks for your replies, some great responses! I shall try the lead in the garden soon and see how she goes out there. A proper fully equipped run is currently in the making along with my garden, so hopefully soon that shall be finished soon! As for a second litter tray she goes in various of places. More currently she pee'd on my leather sofa, then two days later had a poop there too, has she marked it as her territory? Also any ideas how to get the smell of wee out? Its run down the back and the cushions don't pull out. I've tried warm soapy water, leather wipes and febreze fabric freshener but the smell still persists.

Thanks

My previous cat peed all over the house for years. He had a ton of bladder issues and was at the vet way too often! That was the initial cause of the problem, and by the time the issue was finally sorted out (started feeding RAW) it had become habit, and bad habits are hard to break! Especially for cats! Definitely have a vet look her over to make sure that her issues aren't health related, and if they are, your vet can help you fix them.

As far as her being bored, I guess just tire her out when you can and make sure that her mind is stimulated. Taking her outside on a lead is a great idea! An enclosure is even better! I'm sure that when you have her enclosure finished and she is cleared by the vet she will feel a lot better.

As for how to get the smell out of your sofa, you can buy special cleaning products specifically for that from pet stores or make your own following a recipe you find online. In the end, I had to replace 2 living room sets because of my cat... Hopefully you figure things out before things get that bad and she keeps these habits.

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*Lena... and Yuki of course!*