I got my boy, Dionysus, a year ago last month from my friend's sister, who was at the time moving to a new house, said that between her 3 kids (one being a new born), 2 other cats, and a dog, one had to give. She loved Dionysus, but she believed he wasn't getting enough 1 on 1 attention, and thought if she was going to relocate him anyway, it may be a good idea to try and find a better fitting home for him. Her sister, my friend, knew I had been talking about getting a cat (at the time I was living alone, and wanted something to come home to, but more low maintenance than a dog) and introduced us. All it took was a picture of my boy, and I fell in love. I had no idea my life would change so drastically. I literally knew nothing about Bengals, other than they're ancestors (and can be costly, so the fact I was getting him for free impressed me as well). The sister warned me, "he's not going to be a snuggly, lap cat, so if you're looking for a cutsey baby, keep looking." She said he mostly stayed under the bed, keeping to himself and not interacting with anyone in the family (feline, canine, or human). I assured her, this sounded like a perfect fit for me, because not only did I live alone, but I work a full time job and volunteer 3 nights out of the week at the local fire station. I thought it would be good for him to have a quiet home, one that he had all to himself most of the time. Boy was I wrong. I guess he was overwhelmed by how much activity she had at her house, but I truly feel like my extremely vocal and active boy is lacking the stimulation he needs here with me. Granted, I have a live in boyfriend now, so the attention he is receiving is increasing over time, but I still feel like he needs more play time than I can give him. He has the typical Bengal behaviors (talking, rough housing with me, following me around, ect). Before I go any further, I do want to say that this isn't one of those posts where I'm saying I'm overwhelmed or regretting getting him, I am absolutely in love, and I fall even more in clod each quirky moment that passes, my life would be torn in half if I didn't have him anymore. So this post is to seek some advice. We are now moving in about a month, to a much larger apartment than the one were in. I am hoping with the extra 600 sq feet, Dion will be happier with more room to run around and get some energy out. However, I am wanting to inquire any success/failure stories anyone has about adding to their Bengal homes. I'd think getting another cat so he has a mate will help as well, but I'm not sure if I can afford adopting a Bengal, so I am wondering if getting a more normal, fully domestic kitty will be just an easy target for my Tasmanian devil, and I'd possibly a pup of some sort might be a better option? However, let's say I do manage to get another Bengal, my home time is going to stay the same (my boyfriend is also a fire fighter, and works during the day) is going to remain at the same amount, and I would hate to take in another Bengsl and not be able to give that one all that he/she deserves. Please help a girl out! What has worked for you guys in the past? Thanks so much!
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
|