Hi we are looking at getting two new Bengal kittens and have been researching a while. These will be our first cats.

We are out of the house most of the day at work but when they first come to us we plan on having about 4 days off so they can get used to their surroundings.

We have time to play with them before and after work and will definitely spoil them with affection.

There is a lot of conflicting information on bengals behaviours we plan on leaving them in the kitchen while we are at work and are a bit worried about the scratching although we hope a big scratching post will help.

Once they are old enough we hope to let them out all day as we live in a quiet area with lots of trees nearby for them to climb, and get an outside kennel for when the weather is bad.

Will they be ok on their own indoors in one large room for a few months before they are old enough to go outside.

Any tips or advice?

Just be aware that bengals can be VERY high maintenance. I have owned cats all my life but nothing prepared me for a bengal. If I am being totally honest, I would not have another bengal as it does impact my life. Maybe I am being selfish but there it is. I don't like leaving Oscar alone as he gets upset about it, crying and pacing, so tonight, it's my brother in laws 50th party, am I staying over at my sister's house ??? No I am not as I don't like leaving him alone overnight! It is sometimes like having a toddler again! Getting two is definitely a good idea if you are out all day but make sure you have lots of time in the morning and evening for play. I would also get two of everything so that they can either share or have their own space and definitely at least 3 litter trays. Have you thought of getting one of the more chilled breeds? If you are worried about damage to your house then maybe a more chilled breed would be for you, or a couple of rescue kittens? If you think about all the cat traits then a bengal has all these traits x 10. When they play, they play hard which can cause scratches etc. They can be VERY vocal. Sherry, a member on here with Raiden an adopted bengal can testify to that!!!!! All I can say is go into the bengal world with your eyes wide open and be prepared for the labour of love! It's the only way I can describe it. I love Oscar more than I can say and would not change him for the world but he is hard work and can be a right little toad Good luck, whatever you decide.

_________________
Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Leaving the kittens in the kitchen when you are at work is fine. Give them a comfy bed and ideally a cat tree/lots of places to climb. Put away anything you don't want knocked over. TBH I would guess they would sleep most of the time you are gone. NOTE: keeping your kittens in the kitchen for 24h a day for several months is not ok. They should be exploring the rest of the house when you are home.

When you eventually let them outdoors, they still might want to sleep in the house all day (mine do). It is not ok to lock a cat out of it's home where it feels safe.

You sort of give the impression you don't want these cats in your house (maybe that's not the case but your post is ambiguous). What is motivating you to keep cats as pets, and in particular bengals??

They recommend only experienced cat owners adopt bengals. They are cats, but not like any cat you would ever have had. They are highly energetic, highly vocal, highly demanding of attention, very social, extremely sweet -- they want to be with you. It's fine to confine them to a smaller area during the day when you are not home, however, they will want to investigate every inch of your home (and may meow while doing it). You need to have a couple of cat trees, lots of cat beds and toys, 3 litter boxes, each cat needs to have its own territory because as much as your kitties may want to be together, they also want solitude at times. As for letting your kitties outside, I am a huge advocate of keeping your kitties safe. I will never understand how someone will pay good money for a purebred cat and then just allow it to roam free. Raiden was a free-roaming cat for six years and bears the scars and a torn ear from the many cat fights. He's used up at least 6 of his nine lives and his previous owner (and I) spent thousands of dollars getting him fixed back up. Once Raiden showed up at my door after the last fight - 2-1/2 years ago, the owner gave him to me and now Raiden gets two walks a day on a harness and leash (it will be much more difficult with two cats unless there are two people) and we built him a 12'x12' enclosure on our deck that he can access 24/7. There are simply too many dangers out in the big world for kitties. Other cats, dogs, other wild predators, cars, children who like to injure kitties, adults who don't want your cat in their yard and will relocate them, strangers who see your kitties and notice the beautiful rosettes and steal them. I'm sure you can come up with something that will allow them to stay safe and secure so you're not worrying about them when you can't find them.

That being said, bengals are very sweet kitty cats. They are not overly affectionate for the most part, won't lay on your lap unless THEY want to. I've had cats since 1960 and I have never had a cat that demanded so much time and attention. My previous kitties were your normal everyday cat and they found a corner and slept 20 hours a day. Not a bengal. Know that everything you read is a generalization and every bengal kitty is different.

Honestly, if you have never owned a cat… you will be extremely overwhelmed by bengals They are VERY high maintenance. They get into everything, absolutely everything – mine open cupboards and pull my things out, eat stuff, steal things from the kitchen bench, climb the fly screens, etc. They are like toddlers and need to be watched. If the Bengal temperament is the sort of cat you KNOW you want – go ahead. But if you are getting them just for their looks – please reconsider. There are other similar-looking breeds that are much more suitable and have less energy. The Ocicat and the Egyptian Mau, for example.

People always tell me “you’re so lucky you have cats, they bring peace to the house”. No they do not. Not bengals. They bring a tonne of energy, chaos, destruction and frustration at times!! Do I love them?? Yes I do. But they are INSANE cats and every time I get home, there is something they have gotten into.

To answer your questions – will they be fine in the kitchen? Yes. So low as there is nothing on the kitchen bench they can eat or hurt themselves with, and as long as all cupboards are securely locked and cords put away.

Please note… there are NOT outdoor cats. Under any circumstance. Most breeders will make you sign a contract and you MUST agree to keeping these cats indoors only. You can train them to walk on a harness. I walk my girl and she loves it. Not only this, but because of their looks, bengals are very likely to be stolen. They are also very good hunters and will cause a lot of damage to wildlife. Keeping them indoors is the best option.

Hi there. I got 2 bengal kittens about 7 months ago now so hopefully I can offer you some advice, but honestly I don't think anything can properly prepare you for the experience until you actually have them and they have taken over your home! I had owned cats before, and just like everybody else has said, bengals are a different ball game entirely. They are for the most part very much like any other domestic cat, but everything is exaggerated and amplified. Their behaviour, energy levels, intelligence, the noises they make, their sheer determination once they have decided they want to do something! This all makes for a great experience because they are so entertaining, but there was definitely an adjustment period for me. I read around the breed a lot before I bought them but it wasn't until they had been here for a few months probably that I felt like i had a handle on the situation. They need your attention, and they have to be contained to a certain extent, because if there is trouble to be found they will absolutely 100% find it! It was a learning curve that proved to be really fun though, and once I had got to grips with them I knew I had made the right decision. They have made my life so much more fun and they are such loving little beasts.

As far as damage goes, prevention is better than the cure! Give them an inch and they will take a mile. You need to move anything and everything that you dont want damaging out of the way from day one. Dont make the same mistake as me and leave things until they were damaged. I have lost a violin, a chess set and a few other bits and pieces that I should have just moved straight away. If you prepare properly though you should be fine. Oh except for leather, that will be ripped to pieces regardless if anything like my two.

Leaving them in the kitchen should be absolutely fine as long as it is made safe for them. They might make some noise, and anything you have missed when bengal proofing will be found while you are out, but after a while you just start to expect that something will be moved when you get back!

I really would never consider letting my 2 outside but thats a personal decision for you and you may want to discuss this with your breeder.

Anything else you want to know, just ask! Mine are 10 months old now and I love them to death. if you have thought everything through and you arm yourself against any potential pitfalls it could be the best decision you ever make! Just have your eyes open and expect the unexpected

Very well said, Zakadoh!

Thanks Sherry! I just remember how prepared i thought i was at the time until they arrived and turned my apartment upside down! Then a steady mix of fascination and frustration all rolled into one until I found my feet, lol

_________________
The little monsters 3

Brian, it is great to see you posting again. It is true -- bengals are like three-year-old toddlers, except they remain three forever! Since you do not have these kitties yet, I would definitely suggest building them a catio or cat enclosure so they can enjoy the outdoors and be safe. Just Google and see the images of everything out there. We have a roof over ours, so Raiden can be out there if it's raining. And he has a heated bed out there in the winter time. As a cat owner, it is your responsibility to protect your kitties.

I love how all of the posts advise against ownership based on all of the reasons above. I think it's a very fair assessment and one I might have taken into further consideration had I heard it. However, I still would have gotten my Bengal. I just would have been more prepared.

When I got her I was living with 4 roommates. It was the perfect set up. Everybody was on a different schedule and there was always somebody home and up and around and interacting with her. It wasn't until I moved to my last living situation that I realized just how much attention my roommates were giving her. I only had one roommate and he didn't really like her, and now that I'm living on my own I can't compete with the attention she was getting at the place I was living when I got her.

Your kitties will be extremely playful. They'll play with you for an hour until YOU get tired, recharge with a cat nap and be ready for more. Fair warning: My girl even started misbehaving JUST to get attention when she wanted to play (once she reached that "stage"). Knocking things off counter tops and pawing at pictures on the wall was all fair game to her. But, if you have kids or anybody that has a rechargeable battery like your kitties will have, then you're golden. If not, they might make you consider adoption.

Sometimes, even when we were living with the four roommates, she'd sit in the corner of the room I was in, menacing at me as she was elevated on something, and she'd give me this low throaty growl/moan when she wanted me to play with her when I was busy (usually studying). A lot of times it would be this angry, threatening tone that made me wonder if she wanted to claw my eyes out just for something to do. But, there's a connection. The cats are really smart animals and it's a much deeper bond than one with just a tabby.

While they're still kittens, the only thing you'll do while you're home is play with them for the first the 3-4 months. They also stay playful well into adult life, if things I read on this forum are true. But that's the thing I love the most about my girl; how playful she is. If you're set on doing this, set up routine play times. It's the only way you'll make it through the day once they get older, because left to their own devices play time would happen whenever, wherever and forever. You'll need to set limits.

But that's part of their nature. Know the breed. They eat mice and small rodents, lizards and bugs and birds in trees (back to the heights). The Asian Leopard cat is a smallish creature. They're always hunting in the wild because they don't eat big meals so of course they have a lot of energy. They graze really well at a bowl of dry food and all because Bengals are still part feral.

When I got Lily as an F6, I made sure to take one of the least aggressive kittens from the litter. However, I still have scars in one spot from one of the puncture wounds from where she bit me once. It took a while to get her over that. I wish I could say I didn't lose a friend over Lily biting someone, but it's the truth. Now, however, she's clicker trained and better behaved than most dogs (according to my vet), and I wouldn't trade her for the world. Bengals respond well to behavioral training and she hasn't been on the counter tops stealing food stuffs in a very long time.

Bengals are an experience in my opinion. You're not adopting a pet, you're adopting another member of the family. Bengals interact, and they communicate like any intelligent dog. I would compare a Bengal to a small child. Your small child will always be 6 or 7. Your kitties will always be playful and seek your attention and be around and remind you they love you in their own way, but that's what you want, right?

I'm sure the original poster isn't going to be too happy with the advice we have given, however ..... preparing for a bengal is not the same as owning a bengal. They are gorgeous cats, no doubt! If you want a bengal kitten, get a bengal kitten, however, take the advice given here because WE KNOW bengals. You will be frustrated at times because your kitten wants to play ALL the time and you have things to do. Your kitten will get into everything as they are super curious and want to check EVERYTHING out. However ... if you have the patience of a saint and have plenty of time to spend with your baby, it's super easy to fall in love with any cat, especially a bengal. They are super sweet kitties. We've just tried to point out that bengals are not your normal kitties.

I remember when I had my first bengal Frosty, we were experienced cat owners, but no amount of reading or advice really prepares you for what lies ahead.
He was a great cat but naughty bengal style, I used to take him for walks on his harness, well it turned out more like he took us for walks, he escaped a few times from his harness, once he even jumped out of the moving car window, thanks to my husbands quick reactions and an extendable lead no harm was done. He did beg to go out quite a lot no matter what the weather.

Then after Frosty passed to the rainbow bridge we had Magic, well I say no more, Frosty was an angel compared to Magic, he constantly chews my artificial flowers, I come down each morning to find a bit more shredded, he attacks my slippers alot, loves using them like a kickaroo, of course all the nice holes in my new net curtains and so on.

Now we also have the beautiful Pearl who is even more disruptive, she too likes my flowers, so far she has annihilated all of Magic's feathers and 5 of his toys all ripped up, I noticed this morning she has ripped a chunk of fur from the cat tree.

You just need to put away anything you do not want broken, chewed or kicked to death.

_________________
Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

But, we wouldn't have it any other way with our bengals. They also bring so much joy and love to us.

^^^^ What they said!

Think of a cat crossed with a monkey with the mind of a toddler then turbo charge it and give it built-in climbing and shredding claws.

They look beautiful, but I'd think very carefully about getting them as a first cat.

You need a lot of time and patience with bengals and a house that doesn't have anything of sentimental value :-) They need a lot of playing with as a bored bengal will choose things around the house to trash.

( and I love my two to bits )