Hi all, just looking for some advice if anyone has any to give. I'm sure this is a fairly standard issue but looking for some reassurance.

I've had my Bengal boy over two years now. He's happy, friendly, playful, loving and generally awesome in every way. Last week we brought home a 12 week old Burmilla kitten and have been slowly introducing them ever since.

We started with smells under the doors and swapping blankets, all the usual stuff. By the time we got to a real meeting both of them were more curious and playful than worried and after several meetings now things seem to be going pretty well.

My problem is this: My bengal (being a bengal) is only interested in trying to play with the kitten. While she wants to run and explore, he chases her non-stop, pouncing on her, pinning her down, and eventually the little one seems to cry in distress. Now, i'm almost certain he isn't aggressive, but his roughhousing is clearly too much for her. We separate them, try and interest them in toys or treats, but the longer they're together the more the little one wants to run about and the more the bengal gives chase.

As i say, i think it's going fairly well as the established cat is showing no aggression and just seems to want to play, but he is clearly upsetting the kitten with pinning her down and generally getting too rough, he doesn't seem to know when to stop.

If anyone could advise as to how to proceed that would be fantastic. I know it hasn't been long and it'll take a bit of time but it's fairly hard to watch and we just want them to be friends. I felt bad for my bengal for bringing a kitten in to his home but now i feel bad for the little girl cause she has to deal with this enormous bengal chasing her over and over again.

Thanks alot to anyone who answers. Hope you all had a lovely christmas too :D

I think you should just slow down a bit. It's great that your adult bengal has had as good a response to the kitten as he has, but you're right, bengals want to play rough, and you don't want your kitten to get hurt, or to develop a fear of the adult bengal. Or for it to affect his acclimation to your and to his new home in general. So I think you might want to wait a couple of weeks before letting them play like that (let the kitten get a little larger and more settled), and then only let them do it carefully supervised for awhile. And don't be afraid to break it up when you think the kitten has had enough or it is getting out of hand. You can let the kitten have some "exploring time" without the adult bengal around by putting your adult in another room for awhile.

Sometimes it tough to tell when the right time is to break up play. Err on the side of caution, but you can also see what the response is after breaking it up to see whether you did the right thing or not, and to get a feel for it. If they both want to go right back to playing, then perhaps you could have let it go, or if one wants to get away from the other cat after the breakup, then you probably did the right thing, or even could have broken it up sooner.

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The little monsters 3

Brian is correct! Your new kitten is probably still wanting to explore the home and put her scent around. Your bengal says, "Hey, I have a playmate. Fun time." Your kitten will continue to grow and that will be a big help. If your kitten is crying out during these aggressive playing, then the play is too rough for her. You want her to keep her confidence and not be terrified of your kitty, so you're going to have to control his access to her at least for a while longer. Introducing cats can take months and I know so many people want it done in days. You've seen the signs that the cats are not completely ready for each other .... so just take it slow. Try feeding them side by side and then separate them when they are done eating. That way your kitten sees the bengal is not a threat while eating. They are both concentrating on their food. Bring them together for playtime, but play with each of them with toys so they aren't playing with each other. Your kitten needs have a good association with the bengal and the bengal needs to know the kitten is not a new toy. Parenting a bengal is like parenting a toddler .... I see it all the time in my bengal. He acts about three years old (actually, he's almost 8 years old -- a year ago, he acted like at two-year old toddler LOL). I know he will never grow up completely, but sometimes I have to treat him like a little boy. Your responsibility is to keep your new kitty safe and sound and maybe the bengal needs a few new toys! LOL. In time, I'm sure they will be best friends.

I just ordered the Bully Remedy from Jackson Galaxy's site:

http://www.spiritessences.com/category-s/1876.htm

One of my cats is larger than the other and she can be such a bully. I hate to see the smaller one afraid to be herself for fear of retaliation. Hopefully it will help.