Am new to the forum but have owned my Bengal now for nearly 4 years. We are his second (and forever home) as he lived in a village centre and was terrorising the neighbours cats. We live in a relatively rural area with fields as far as eye can see but 2 houses (no cast yet) next door and some housing a couple of fields away (easy walking distance distance for a Bengal I guess). He’s an absolute sweetheart with us and everyone who meets him think he’s wonderful. He has got into scrapes with our nearest neighbours cat who can easily hold his own, but they seem to have reached ‘an understanding’ and he regularly goes into their house for cuddles. Our other neighbours used to welcome him in too but the subsequent people got a half-bengal girl who he used to scare into submission. Again, they seemed to find their own ground as she matured and as they were renting, they moved out soon after. I am completely realistic about how he acts with other cats but they are territorial and there is absolutely no prospect of keeping him inside. On the occasions he has been in, he has literally been crawling the walls and am sure he would dive out of our windows at the first opportunity.
Anyway, the reason for all this background (sorry!) is I was accosted today in my garden by some neighbours who live on the main road. They are not immediate neighbours and are a good 10 minutes away by human standards but I guess our cat’s territory is quite big. They moved in within the last 18 months and came with one mature male cat. They have subsequently bought another female cat who is 3 months old. Our cat has apparently been going into their house and terrorising their cats, who now mess the house as they are so anxious, although the husband said the boy was anxious in his old house and they moved to give him a calmer life! They didn’t say they had been injured yet but do fear for their cats life and said Bengals were a menace. After some discussion, it became clear our cat only goes there once every 2-3 months but in doing so creates havoc. I do have genuine sympathy for them although I have no idea what I can do. They suggested several times that we get rid of him which absolutely devastates me. He only acting on instinct and was here first after all - he probably used to go into their house like he does others when the previous owner had it. I have been reading lots of forums tonight to see what I can do but most of them are coming from the victim’s perspective and brand owners like me as ‘irresponsible’. Bengals seem to come in for some real flack but at home, ours is quite literally a pussy cat - he puts up with all sorts of poking and prodding by our toddler and everyone he meets loves him. I really want to do the best by both cats, but am aware that they are animals with instincts and much of what he does off our patch is out of our control. He has been castrated and I have offered to pay for a microchip catflap at their house as a starting point. He is ‘free to roam’ as he often goes out for a day or two at a time. He often isn’t in when we go to bed so it would be hit and miss keeping him in at night and I suspect it would send him nuts, especially as he really doesn t like a litter tray. I am slightly inclined to think their kitten might be more trainable in this regard but understandably, they think their cat should also be free to go out without fear.
Has anyone experienced this and solved/improved it? I have read about Zyklene to calm aggressive cats down but not sure if it would help in this situation? Has anyone also tried any other techniques such as water spray (he hates water unusually for a Bengal!), or predatory urine spray/scents? Having met the couple, I am really concerned they might hurt him if he persists and really want to ensure both cats are safe.
Thanks in advance!
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