Hi. I'm new to this forum and am driven here through some unpleasant behaviour from Oscar, our eight year old Bengal.

He's often been going out on the prowl, occasionally bringing home mice and small birds, and we've known for a while that he's the neighbourhood bully, frequently fighting with other cats, but last year the family next door got a kitten and Oscar has been letting him know who's boss.

This is obviously upsetting for them and us and is causing friction between the two households, but we don't know how to calm him down, or even if its possible to somehow curb his behaviour.

We've thought about keeping him indoors but worry that such a restriction would be against his nature and would be cruel. He's a big strong healthy cat who we feel needs to roam and exersize, we've also considered re-housing him which is obviously upsetting for us and the children but we have to do what's best for him and the other cats.

The odd thing is that we also have a ten year old Siamese (Samson) and while they get on fine, apart from the very occasional squabble, Samson will steal Oscar's food and Oscar just lets him do it (but maybe Oscar knows he can go outside and steal someone else's or catch himself a meal!).

Both cats are fine with dogs, children and are both neutered.

And for what its worth, we live in Lancashire, in the UK.

First of all, welcome to the forum! Oh boy, a territorial outdoor bengal. I understand in the UK, it's common to let your cats roam outdoors. As you've discovered, there is cat fighting that goes on and now there's a kitten who is at risk of getting seriously injured. Keeping a cat indoors is not a crime, nor is it horrible for the cat. But, there are ways around that. I took in a bengal two years ago who was allowed to roam free by his owner. Many trips to the vet with serious infections from cat fights. The guy finally gave Raiden to me and I decided he would no longer roam free. I bought a harness and leash and he went out on his first walk minutes later. We also built a 12'x12'x8' enclosure on our deck for his to access 24/7. This does not keep him from wanting to run outside, but it does keep him SAFE from harms way. There are so many great ideas online for enclosing an outdoor area for the cat.

Nothing breaks my heart more than to hear of a bengal who became lost, a bengal who was snatched out of its front yard, a bengal who was killed by a horse, a bengal who was killed by a dog or coyote. I'm suppose to feel sympathetic when it all could have been avoided by keeping the cat indoors and supervised while outdoors.

Cats are territorial, bengals especially so. Raiden goes after every single cat we see on our walk -- well, he tries to! The other cat just stares and doesn't move while Raiden is clawing his way over to the other cat. I finally pick Raiden up and move him along.

I don't recommend re-homing a bengal unless you're not willing to put in a little effort here. When cats fight, they go for the neck (jugular) and hope to sever the vein and the cat bleeds to death! You're putting your cats at risk and other cats in the neighborhood. If your cat has not been vaccinated for FeLV or FIV, then there's the possibility of exposure to those diseases from the other infected cats. I could go on and on, but it's really up to you. Things are not going to change if you're not willing to help make that change. Know that if you do try to keep your bengal inside, he will howl, yowl, cry, meow constantly! Because he wants to be outside! I listen to Raiden all day long ... but I know that he's no longer exposed to the hazards by being allowed to roam free.

If you're having problems with Samson stealing Oscar's food, feed them in different locations. A diet of mice and birds is not good for your bengal.

Hello and welcome to the forum! I am on the other side of this as I have two Bengals who are bullied by a huge grey cat that roams the neighbourhood. I have a water pistol and he generally runs away if he sees me now thank goodness so he is in our garden less at last.

I doubt you can change Oscar now but as you know the kitten belongs to your neighbour, perhaps you could arrange a 'timeshare'? So if your Oscar is out and about, the kitten stays indoors and when Oscar is in, the kitten can go out. It all depends on whether Oscar completely free roams I guess and comes and goes as he pleases, how he reacts to restrictions and how your neighbour feels about it. My boys are allowed out in the morning, kept in whilst we are at work and then allowed out again in the evening, but we get them in about 8pm so they're not out all night.

I have to say, if I knew where the grey cat that bullies my two lives, I would gladly arrange a timeshare to avoid any fights and as your neighbour probably wants to keep their kitten safe, this may be a way forward for you all until the kitten is bigger and able to fend for himself a bit better against Oscar.

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

Ok, first off, per the cruelty thing, the vast majority of people on this forum keep their bengal(s) as "indoor" cats. Often times that is actually stipulated by the breeder or shelter (at least here in the States). Many people take their "indoor" bengals on regular walks, some have built outdoor enclosures, our use those fences with 45 degree angle barriers to keep their cats in their gardens. Others (like me) have put a ton of effort into "catifying" their homes to allow tons of climbing and high perches and such, inside the house. So there are lots of options for those willing to put in a little effort.

What I find completely baffling though is that you say that you are letting him outside to "roam and exercise". What exactly did you think that roaming and exercising was going to consist of? Claiming and protecting territory and duking it out with other cats is about as basic a behavior is it gets for cats. That *is* "their nature". Now you are contemplating rehoming him because of it, because of a choice that you made on his behalf. I dunno, in some ways maybe you really should rehome your cat, because obviously you've put him in a no-win situation with respect to you.

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The little monsters 3

I had two Burmese that I used to let out. They would roam the streets together in a pack sort of mentality and terrorise the neighbourhood!

My large red Burmese was particularly aggressive with other cats (yes I know a Burmese aggressive!) but was the sweetest, cuddliest teddy bear of a cat to his humans.

I ended up keeping both cats in as they were forever getting up to mischief and I was forever getting complaints from the neighbours that their cats were getting beaten up.

I never felt comfortable letting them out in the first place anyway and if they didn't come home on time I would be searching the neighbourhood and fretting over them. My red Burmese was also a hunter and would kill every single baby bird of fledgling he would come across

He even once left a dead mouse in a frying pan for us!

It did take a while for them to settle as indoor only cats but they did get used to it and during the summer were quite happy to go outdoors on their harnesses.

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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

I do hope you don't think we are being too hard on you. It's a sad situation because cats are territorial. I had a neighbor's cat who would come and antagonize Raiden when he was out in his enclosure. I begged the owners to keep their cat inside. They tried, but the cat cried constantly and they'd give in and let him out and he was right back in our yard. I threatened to trap him and take him to animal control. I even enlisted the help of our homeowners association (our covenants state that all cats and dogs shall be confined to the lot on which the owner resides -- and that's not even enforced). That's when I found out these people were going to be moving. What a relief to not have a cat constantly at my door and Raiden howling at the top of his lungs.

I'm sure your neighbor is not appreciative of his kitten getting attacked. Trying to "share" outdoor time is a good idea. When one is going to be outside, the other will be inside. But that takes communication with the neighbor and many pet owners are just not willing to go though all that trouble when it's easier to just open the door and let the cat outside when it begins to cry.

If you neighbors aren't willing to help work things out, then you simply have to control your cats. It will take a lot of effort and patience on your behalf. But an enclosed outdoor space for your cat could be the best thing. You will find the members on here go above and beyond the normal duties of owning a cat to make sure our bengals are safe. Most have a huge investment and want to protect it.

Hi thanks for all your messages. They've all been helpful. We seriously considered trying to rehouse him but then thought better of it. He's a member of the family and we've always taught the kids to stick at something even when its challenging, so to that end we've decided to build him an outdoor 'run' in the garden. We have a section of the garden that can be used.
I'm quite sure he'll hate being in it, almost as much as I'm hating building the damn thing but hopefully it will be better than keeping him indoors and better than him going about causing trouble.
Nick

Hi Nick

I think building an enclosure is a great idea! It's so different with cats in England, and most unusual to find a cat kept indoors, so I understand you are probably feeling worried about it......I would too. I think you are making the right decision for your cat and the neighbour's kitten. I totally understand in the States there are lots of predators and dangers. I had a friend who moved to Georgia from England. She took her three much loved cats with her and within two years all three had disappeared. I am very lucky that we live in the middle of nowhere and no other cats nearby to set problems in motion. Good luck with the enclosure building! All the hard work will pay off when you can relax with a happy cat and happy neighbours!

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Check Google images for cat runs (or cat enclosure). You'll see many have houses in them for cat naps and to get out of bad weather. If the run is large enough, I'm sure it will be fine. And make sure it's tall enough for people to get in there and engage your kitty in play. Raiden's enclosure is covered and we keep two cat trees out there in spring through fall. I'm going to locate some plastic shelves and add them to the exterior walls of the enclosure. Raiden has a house that he loves to nap in when it rains, even though the enclosure protects him. There are so many great options out there -- and I know it will be worth it for you. I don't know that I would just put him out there and leave him for a few hours. Raiden's is on our deck with a cat door in a dining room window that he can go in and out by himself. We did put in a full-size security door so that we can come and go and I can get in there to clean the enclosure. Good luck.

Spitspot + 1

There really is a very different culture between the US and the UK on the matter of letting cats out of the house, with both alternatives been chosen in what people take to be the best interests of the animal, with diametric outcomes. Obviously there are fewer predators in the UK that might attack a cat, but I wonder if relative house sizes is an issue as well. European homes will generally be much smaller than those of the US. It took me a long time to get used to the idea that having cats in an apartment of 120m squared ( 1300 sq feet ) was not detrimental to their welfare. My mums cat and previous cats have always had access to the outside - they have a number of large gardens and a wood to play/hunt/do cat stuff in. My 2 bengals will always be inside cats though as I see the trouble they can get into indoors - that is enough. :-)

For the OP, I think that building an enclosure gives the best of both worlds- ensuring that Oscar is safe from the world and vice versa, whilst still having a nice bit of territory that he can run around and do cat stuff in.

Yes there is certainly a massive culture difference re letting cats out with the USA and UK. For all the reasons detailed by spitspot and Cranberry.

Oscar will adjust eventually I'm sure, although he's guaranteed to hate the restrictions at first. But at least he will be getting some fresh air and hopefully you can put something in there to give him the opportunity to climb etc - I wish both you and Oscar the very best and I'm so glad you haven't rehomed him!

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

I'm guessing the UK doesn't have traffic, coyotes, large dogs, stray cats, people who would steal a bengal. I think the perils are the same in the UK as in the US. It's the mindset, or maybe that more people in the UK live in the countryside and believe it's safe for the cat. Most owners have paid a pretty penny for their bengals and I wouldn't dream of letting a bengal roam free. It's a personal choice, but when something happens to the poor kitty or people post frantically that their cat has gone missing, it's difficult to have any sympathy when the whole thing could have been avoided.

I also live in the UK and have 2 bengals that go out and have done in my garden since 6months and after they had all there injection and spayed and neutered. I paid a lot of money for my two but i never bought my bengals for the price they where i bought them cause i wanted begal cats the money doesn't come into it for me. You take a risk with every thing in life like walking across the road letting yr kids out life is full of risk..We are lucky in the UK not to have predators like in the US so i understand not letting yr cats out. But I've never had problems with my two like people on here do with behaviour or toileting or with my two crying ( i don't even have a litter tray in the house) and haven't since they started going out they have a microchip catflap and come and go when ever they want for me its works very well and i don't live in the country side. They both have been at the vet for minor things but that what pet insurance is for. Ive had cats all my life but never bengals but i don't see bengals any difference from any other other cat or any different to own its been a breeze both are 8 yr old now and going strong so i guess each to there own really

I see you found the topic I was talking about. Over here, we also do not allow young children to play outdoors without supervision. I know there are dangers everywhere, but there are ways to avoid them. A cat may have nine lives, but an outdoor cat can use them up very quickly. I figured Raiden has lost at least 6 already! You obviously do not have a problem with neighboring cats, which is great!!!! Wish I could say the same.