Hello everybody...

I have a question in regards of the happiness of our bengal. (female, almost 1 year old)

I have a strong feeling that she's not as happy as she could be and this is kinda heart breaking. (or maybe I'm over-thinking as well since this is the first time we have a cat that is so vocal and demanding)

My girlfriend and I have a very busy schedule:

We leave home around 8-9 AM in the morning and come back around 6:30 through the week...

During the weekend.. on Saturday it's pretty similar and then Sunday we are usually home with her in the afternoon until the next morning.

We live in a loft .. 900 square feet (that's not big) and she's always meowing to go on the other side which is the corridor. When I bring her in the corridor she looks to be happy running from one side to the other .. I throw her toys and play with her for 15-20 minutes .. and then at one point she just looks exhausted so she just throw herself on her back.

She's super attached to me (the man) .. she's always licking me ... she's always sleeping with me ... she follows me everywhere .. but .. again .. she's always meowing to get out of the loft .. to the point where it'S impossible for me to work on my laptop, when I arrive home around 18:30 PM ..

I play with her for probably 25-40 minutes a day... during the day if I'm home .. she sleeps on me or somewhere in the loft from 10:00 AM to .. 3-4 PM .. then around 6-8 PM .. that's when the non-stop meowing starts until we close every light and go to sleep around 10:30 PM.

We brought her to our chalet a few times ... 2,500 Square Feet .. which is a lot bigger .. and she didn't meow a single time...

Now my question is ... is it normal? ... is our loft too small for her ? ... are we not playing enough with her? should we buy her a friend (so far she doesn't really like other cat even tho she's bigger than them)

Thanks for your help

Hello :)

Isn't it the worst? I feel so bad when Azreal (my 3yo female) is bored and wants someone to play with or something to do. And some of the meows she comes out with lol I like to call her 'The saddest cat in the world' when she is dramatic.

To me it sounds as if she is abit bored. Not necessarily unhappy, but bored. Have you walked her on a harness before? I started my cat early to get her used to it (but never too late).

Perhaps a friend isn't the best idea yet; but definitely look into walking her, new toys (must rotate them, she will get bored) and continue as much playtime with her as you can manage :)

Keets

Welcome to our forum. I think you are overthinking your situation. Bengals are very vocal, have loads of energy, follow you around like a puppy dog, want to be with you wherever you are. They are very social. Many owners keep bengals in a much smaller area! How can you tell if your cat is happy? She's your shadow for one thing. You spend time playing with her, although it may not be enough. They seem to want to play 24/7. Bengals are not your ordinary cat. I have a yowler. Mine cries constantly! Doesn't mean he's not happy. He gets two walk a day, has a huge outdoor enclosure, gets plenty of playtime, hugs, kisses, tummy tickles. A vocal bengal does not mean it is unhappy at all.

Based on your post, your bengal sounds perfectly normal! So just enjoy her when you are home. Make sure you have cat trees in both of your homes, window perches are nice as well. I'm guessing that while you are away from home, she is sleeping a good portion of the time.

I read from somewhere that you can tell if they are happy if they hold their tail high in the air. Whenever I doubt if mine is happy, I look at the tail and it's in most cases always up.
Constant meowing and following you around are normal traits, you shouldn't worry that she is miserable because of that.

I agree with the other comments made, my Pearl is a howler, some days it's non stop.

I am home all day with my 2 so it's not loneliness or boredom because we play all the time, she is happy because her tail stands straight up in the air.

Have you thought about walking her on a lead.

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

It's pretty normal to bengals to be really vocal about what they want. Serafina will sometimes hollar at me to play. I've heard many other members say that if their cat is used to be taken on walks or has limited outdoor privileges, then they obsess a bit on that, and are very demanding about requesting that.

Is you cat happy? I dunno, doesn't sound necessarily unhappy to me, but perhaps not quite satisfied with things. She may always request more "corridor time" no matter what you do, but it sounds like you are recognizing her need there, and filling it to the best of your ability.

One thing you should probably look into, if you haven't already, is providing more vertical space in the loft, especially near your workspace where you are having difficulties. If you had some shelving or a tall cat tree where she could climb up and chill out and look down on you as you work, I think that would help.

Often times I'll be working and things will be really quiet and I'll wonder where mine are, and inevitably they are up above me

_________________
The little monsters 3

Tail in the air displays the cat's confidence. My Raiden holds his tail down on our walks, but it's up when he's walking around the house. Strange.

_________________
The little monsters 3

Thanks everybody for taking the time to reassure us over here :).

We will be buying a 70" to 90" tree .. we'll see if it helps!

I was also wondering... if having a second bengal cat would quiet her down and make her be less alone?

What are your thoughts?