Hi everyone!

I am here looking more for advice than anything else really.

I picked up my Bengal kitten Toby almost two weeks ago when he was 12 weeks old. Socialised and healthy, I was so excited.

I had researched the breed and knew that my husband and I would be bringing him a beautiful, energetic, curious ball of fun. And that’s exactly what he is.

The problem I had was that my husband and I were supposed to move into our new home a month or so before Toby arrived. Due to some renovations that over-ran, we ended up not moving in until the DAY BEFORE furball arrived. This had me feeling anxious – had I done enough kitten proofing? Probably not, as we were only in 24 hours before Toby arrived, but I figured I would see what he gravitated too that wasn’t kitten friendly (wires etc) and proof there first.

Two weeks on, I guess I am just feeling a little overwhelmed. No regrets, I absolutely adore him, but a Bengal is a learning curve.

Basically, I am just looking for some advice on a few things.

-Toby does not sleep through the night – he has his own room (our spare room) which is open and he has access to this room, the hall and the kitchen so plenty of space when we sleep. I shut our door as otherwise we would get no sleep. I would absolutely love him to sleep on our bed or in our room, but all he wants to do is chase our feet under the duvet which hurts! Though it is also very funny, but of course we are supposed to be sleeping! Is there a way to get him to settle better in the evenings when we first go to bed?

-As we are still in the process of getting things put in their right places, we do have some frames and knick knacks about. Toby hasn’t intentionally knocked these over, but his little paws always manage to when he bounces onto our tv unit. Would strong bonded double sided tape potentially give these items a bit of protection? I should stress they’re not breakable or delicate as such, I just don’t want to put absolutely everything away as I am hoping the more he sees stuff, the more he gets used to them and then will just ignore them.

-His tummy has been a little delicate. In his first few days he did one solid poop, but the days after that it because very soft to runny. One day it had blood and I panicked, but my breeder said with a change of food and environment in the early days this can happen, and it would pass. The blood did indeed pass, but his poop is still very soft to runny. He is fine in every other way – eating very enthusiastically, drinking and playing. I was advised by the breeder to leave dry food down for him all day, and give him half a sachet in the morning and evening of Felix wet food.

I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer to a new Bengal owner. Toby is beautiful and I love nothing more than when he snuggles up on my lap gazing up at me before falling asleep.

Thanks everyone!

He is so beautiful. I love his color and markings. I would give him a little snack before bedtime and see if that stops him from attacking your feet. One of my kittens did that because she was telling me she was hungry. I would give the two of them 1/8 cup of dry food before bedtime and the biting stopped.

Kittens are crazy. It was a fun time because they can also be so affectionate at that time. I have to admit though I am glad my cats have grown out of that for the most part. They still act that way a couple of times a day, but I have plenty of climbing gyms and towers for them to race around and get that energy out. They are also fascinated by the screened in patio and patrol the perimeter looking for anything that moves.

I also have several self play toys that they use daily and we play with the wand toys every evening before bed. Oh and they have a cat wheel that one uses and the other does not. Well you get the idea, my cats are a priority and I interact with them a lot. They follow me from room to room, it cracks me up sometimes.

Good luck raising you baby.

_________________
The little monsters 3

Our Brian is the best when giving advice, so heed what he's written. As for your prized knick knacks -- you will probably have to take them away for a while. A new kitten will investigate every single nook and cranny of your home. They are curious, to say the least. If you have things you do not want broken, put them somewhere Toby can't get to them. He does not understand boundaries at the moment. Since bengals love to be high up in the air, make sure you have a tall cat tree or two or shelves on the wall that are just for the kitty.

Just like infants, kittens do need to take a few cat naps during the day and can be nocturnal creatures. One thing is to wear him out with play before bed time. Second of all, make sure he has a few places he can choose to sleep. Raiden has several beds and blankets on chairs that he can select from. He does choose to sleep with us at night, which is fine, but hubby takes up half of the king-size bed and Raiden gets 1/2 of my side (the bottom), so I am scrunched up all night long. But I love having him sleep near me. This was his choice when we got him 2 years ago (he's 8 years old now).

I equate a bengal as a toddler who will never grow up! Thus the cat-proofing of the home, the constant attention, weird sleep schedules, etc. I just had Raiden up here crying. When I went to see what he wanted -- a belly rub! He loves belly rubs.

Enjoy your little guy! Understand that this is a change for him -- leaving his mom and siblings and going to a new home with new smells and new humans. There is an adjustment period for ALL of you. The change can result in runny poo from the stress of the change. If you keep him on the same food as the breeder had him on, this condition should clear up. I'm guessing you've had him to the vet for a complete check up and to start a medical records file on Toby.

In a few months, he will be settled in and, outside of his high energy, hopefully, you'll all be one big happy family. Toby is a very handsome little guy -- who could not fall in love with him!

Hi,

I fed my Bengal Felix when I first got him as that was what the breeder had him on but his poos were always sloppy. I tried a few brands of dried food but they didn’t help. Eventually I transitioned him to Applaws wet and dry which has worked wonders. It’s expensive but well worth it. Felix is 80% water, Applaws is 80% meat.