Hi All

I have a 4 year old neutered Bengal boy who goes out. Had him from kitten and been going out for last 3 years. Just had a neighbour tell me her cat needed 5 stitches after a fight with him. I apologised and suggested alternating times our cats go out which she wasn't up for. I'm not sure I trust the neighbour, possibly jealous but I also know I'm protective of my boy.
Any suggestions?

Thanks

Hi there,
Personally I don't let either of mine out, if I did they would never be seen again, plus I would constantly worry about all the dangers.
If you want yours to go out have you tried taking him for walks on a harness, I used to do this with you first bengal.
I have heard that bengals that go out can bully other cats.
I would be scared the neighbour may hurt him for beating up their cat.

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

Your neighbor has every right to be upset, however, the simplest solution is for everyone to keep their cats INSIDE. Much safer for the cats and much easier on the relationship with your neighbor. Complaints can end up going to the local Animal Control -- and then they come out and discuss things with you. Or the neighbor takes matters into their own hands and catches your cat and relocates it to another area. I'm hoping they would not harm your cat.

Do cats have a right to be outside fighting other cats? Yes! But a responsible cat owner will take precautions to make sure their cat isn't a nuisance, especially to neighbors. There are catios or cat enclosures that will allow your cat to have outdoor access and keep him from attacking other cats. You can also harness and leash train a bengal and enjoy daily walks. Know that having your cat outside is exposing him to dangers -- like dogs and bigger and meaner cat.

I have been in your neighbor's situation where a neighbor's cat would harass my cat when he was in his cat enclosure. Eventually, the cat attacked me and I was left with medical bills. I tried to talk with the neighbor about keeping their cat inside. They wouldn't do it. I complained to the homeowners association and discovered they were going to move in a month, which was fine -- but until they finally moved, that cat was on my deck every day, all day. Had they not moved, I would have trapped their cat and turned it into Animal Control. That's how bad I hated their cat. And how sick and tired I was of dealing with the problem. Be a good neighbor and contain your cat! And pay the neighbor's vet bill for their cat! The whole "alternating" thing is not going to work as there is no guarantee a cat will return home at its designated time.

I think you need to take this seriously. Bengals are big, muscular cats and can do some real damage if they want to. Bengals do seem to have a reputation for this sort of thing unfortunately. Now that your boy has beaten up this other cat, it will most likely bully it, and seek it out. That has happened to one of my two and it also ended up with his brother bullying him as well, as they pick up on weakness - survival of the fittest and all that.

I recently discovered that one of my neighbours, who I didn't even know, hit this cat across its back with a broom handle for beating up Hendrix. It is a very mean cat, and would actively seek Hendrix out to bully him, but even I as Hendrix's owner wouldn't have done that. The cat is alright as I've seen it since, and fortunately it doesn't seem to come round so much now. Hendrix has recently toughened up and doesn't behave like a victim anymore so I guess the incentive isn't there anymore. Other than that mean cat, most of the cats in our neighbourhood have their areas and they all respect each other's territory.

However, your neighbour may well defend their cat to the point yours will get hurt. So you need to do something to protect your boy.

Are you able to consider cat fencing around your property or do you have space for some sort of enclosure? Or as already suggested, harness training him so he still gets fresh air if cat fencing etc isn't an option?

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

I can't imagine another cat or human taking a swipe at one of my cats. If they actually hurt one of them I would loose it. I could never allow my cats to roam outside the safety of my house or patio. It's my job to protect them.

*shrug* I mean, one person lets their cat roam free, another person does the same, and then they get upset with each other for what their cats do? I find that pretty comical . How do cats occupy their time in the wild? They stake out and defend territory, they look for mates, and they look for food. If people are not ok with those three things, then they have no business letting their cat roam free.

My $0.02 is that you certainly don't owe your neighbor an apology. But that said, when it happens to your cat, they won't owe you an apology either. They are just cats doing what cats do. And even the neighborhood bully (or maybe it's especially the bully) gets beat up from time to time.

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The little monsters 3

I just want to add that the neighbour didn't witness the injuries being made by my cat, she is assuming it was him, it happened just before Christmas but is only just telling me now, hadn't asked for any compensation... My cat isn't aggresive in the house, is fairly loving by Bengal standards, doesn't hunt...so I'll reframe my question;
Given all the above, how likely is it my cat would ha e caused injuries needing stitches? I don't want to get into a debate about whether he should be outside or not, I want to know about whether this is normal behaviour and what you guys would do in my shoes. Has anyone come across this before and what did you do? My cat hasn't ever come home with a scratch on him, surely if he'd been fighting he'd have something in him?

Thanks

If you are asking whether it's plausible, yes, sure it's plausible. In a "real" cat fight, cats will often wrestle and dig their powerful back legs/claws into their opponents stomach, which can cause a tremendous amount of damage. If the other cat is missing a bunch of fur on it's belly, and has some puncture wounds or big scratches there, then yea, that's probably done by a cat.

Front claws and teeth of course can also cause other sort of puncture wounds, and scratches, especially to the other cats head, which often get infected and cause problems.

I used to see a lot of cat fights, and the aftermath, when I was growing up, as back then pretty much everyone in the neighborhood had cats, and they all ran free. It was basically just a big free-for-all.

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The little monsters 3

Well if she didn't see the fight that's quite a big assumption! Probably the Bengal reputation causing her to assume it was your boy. How does she know it wasn't a dog that attacked her cat?

Have you seen your boy acting aggressive towards any cats? Neither of mine are great hunters and are very affectionate, but I guess they could be different outside. Jagger is very protective of his territory but that is the only time I've seen him being aggressive and that is more posturing as opposed to fighting. Cats will ignore Hendrix but if jagger comes along all puffed up and on tip toes they take one look and run.

In this position I would want confirmation that it was my Bengal who caused the injuries. I do watch mine as much as possible and keep an eye on what other cats are around. Most of them are fine but there are two that are bullies and I've seen them bullying both mine and others in our road. I don't know which one beat up Hendrix when he got injured but I have seen Hendrix slink away on his belly from one of them so I would assume it was him. Maybe she has seen this reaction from her cat if yours crossed its path?

I'm not sure there is much you can do to be honest. Is she being reasonable or is she being threatening towards your cat? My only concern would be if she would be intent on hurting one of mine.

Yes, it is possible your cat beat up hers and could cause injuries requiring stitches, but just because he is a Bengal doesn't mean for sure it was him.

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

Thanks brianj12 and Tabigha

I've watched him interact with other cats and he seems more curious than anything, but there is a cat opposite us who he certainly makes quite a noise at, but I haven't seen him fight.
I'm of the opinion that cats are cats and will do as they please, I respect they way they go about their business as wild creatures, but I also don't want conflict with my neighbours!

It could have easily been a racoon or a possum. They can be quite vicious. I could see my Grace attacking another cat or animal. She is sweet to me, but I have seen what she can do to a piece of wood or a lizard.

Thanks CMYKjill, but we don't get many possums or raccoons here in the uk

If the neighbor did not actually witness the fighting -- then there is no way she can positively lay the blame on your cat! Anything could have caused the need for stitches. Yes, it could have been your cat, but there is no proof. That being said .... the only way to stop this from happening again is to keep your kitty inside. Then if it does, you KNOW it was not your cat who did the deed. Free roaming cats can end up with severe infections (and stitches). Raiden had four before I took him and gave him a safety net of daily walks and a cat enclosure. I can guarantee he would no longer be alive had I not! He instigated ALL the fighting. He thinks he's a bad boy, but he gets beat up in the end and the vet (who has taken care of him for the first 9 years of his life) says "he is a very poor fighter."

Any cat can injure another animal enough to require stitches.

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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