Hello everyone,
We just purchased a 2 yr. old neutered bengal. We've had him for 5 days now. (and he was just neutered 10 days before receiving him.) I know this isn't very much time AT ALL for an adult cat to adjust, but I'm a little worried that he may always be very shy. We've kept him in a large room with lots of places to explore, kept noise to a minimum, kept him on his former food/litter, etc. We've very very slowly approached him and let him smell us and get comfortable with us on his own terms. I've spent so many hours just by his side, bending down low so as to not intimidate him. (and as a result I strained my upper back badly! But that's OK, I really want him to not be afraid!)

Anyway, he seems to be OK being in our presence, just watching us. But he leans low to the ground when we try to pet him. And he certainly won't let us pick him up. He won't come to us when we call him, even though he seems to recognize our voices. When we open the door of the room, to get him to start exploring the rest of the house, he only once ventured into the hall, sniffed around, and then returned to the room.

We have 2 kids, age 7 & 4. They have had no interaction with him yet. We got this cat with the hopes that he'd make a nice pet. But so far he is just a "tenant" in our house. And other than his beautiful coat, he is not showing any signs of being a bengal. I wish he would follow us around! He prefers to be alone.

We want to keep him, but I'm wondering what his long term personality will be. Will he really be a nice pet? We are committed to making this work for our family. How long do you think it may take, and what signs of improvement should we be looking for?

Thanks so much.
Mary Ann
mkeisha38@comcast.net

hi Mary Ann

was he a rehome to yourselves?
i know he is in to unfamiliar surroundings at present but has he ever been an inside cat?
you say he is 2 and was neutered 2 weeks ago? was he a working stud boy? if so he could have spent the last year or so outside in his own pen so what with moving,neutering,coming inside and a new family etc he is taking a lot in.
he will adjust and adapt im sure but will probably take a bit of time.
i know i am making assumptions but that is all i can think of at the moment .do you know his history?
i hope this helps a bit
fg

Behavoir sounds quite normal for a cat who's been through quite a lot - having someone remove your pride and joys and then take you to a different home 10 days later is a lot for any cat to cope with.

He should get better with time, just needs the love and attention you sound like you're already giving him....

Here's a little more info. This cat was indeed used for breeding up until a few months ago. Apparently, they stopped breeding with him because he passed on some kind of genetic flaw involving his rib cage. He doesn't have any health issues himself, but his offsprings did. He was always indoors--never outdoors. He lived with other bengal cats, lots of dogs, and two adults. His prior owner describes him as "sweet," "not overly outoing," but "friendly and gentle."

So again, I need to give him more time. I know I am impatient. I want so badly to hold him and have him jump on my lap. Heck, I'd love it if he'd follow me around like bengals are supposed to do.

How long is reasonable to wait until we may see his full personality?
Thank you.
mkeisha38@comcast.net

Hi Mary Ann

I think it depends on the individual personality of the cat and the environment they were used to.
Although very affectionate, my Bengal took 6 years before he sat on my knee, my moggies who came from Cat Protection were purring the day they arrived and continue to do so and jump on your knee at the earliest opportunity. Another Bengal took about an hour and quite happily sits on my knee (if it is cold). A tip - reduce the temperature in your house if you want cats to sleep on your knee

As a stud cat he is used to doing things in his own terms and probably isn't used to a lot of attention. I don't mean that in a bad way but he may be a little institutionalised. A breeder I know has a stud cat that is so used to his pen that you can leave the door open and he will never venture over the threshold. He probably misses his "friends" the other cats, the dogs, his owners. Although he was always indoors he maybe did have his own pen, not many can keep a working stud cat in the house and give him free rein.
Your cat is not a kitten and will take a lot longer to adjust. How would you feel taken from your home and all the people and things you are familiar with, having had a scary operation and then thrust into an completely foreign environment, especially if you had no say in the matter? Time, time, time and more time is what is needed.

Good luck

I agree completely with Elsa213, an excellent post. Also, his hormones will be all over the place. Sounds like he's doing tremendously well in the circumstances. It's bound to take time for him to feel settled but when he does and he decides that he trusts you i'm sure you will develop a strong bond. Please give him time, it will be worth it.

I have two 5-yr old bengals, and one of them is VERY easily upset with any sort of change. When I moved recently, she hid under the bed in the guest room for a week for no good reason. Her sister as back to normal in 3 hours.

Cats, like humans, adapt in different ways at different rates.

_________________
All the Best
Elaine Lomax
www.wildside-bengals.com

_________________
All the Best
Elaine Lomax
www.wildside-bengals.com

I have a 2 yr. old Bengal that I rescued in Aug. (nothing but skin and bones and had obviously been on the street for a while) She is the sweetest, most loving cat with people (she's pretty much a velcro cat!) but very aggressive toward my other two cats, particularly my female tuxedo. She yowls constantly for no particular reason and I'm about at my wits' end. I don't want to traumatize her with yet another new home (she was apparently dumped) but my entire household is traumatized and she really needs to be in a one cat home where she is the center of attention at all times. It's been 6 months and I'd hoped she'd adjust a little better by now. Finding her another home is a last resort, so if anybody has any ideas on how to deal with her, I'd certainly welcome them. My sister is a vet tech and she said Feliway doesn't work. Her suggestion was Bach's Rescue Remedy, but I was only able to get that in her once---as soon as the bottle comes out, she runs. I really want this to work for all of us, but am quite discouraged.

Hi There,

yes you are right, it isn't fair for her or your other cats if she doesn't like them. Some cats just like one on one.
The sooner she is living in a home with no other pets she should settle much better.

So nice that you took her into your home though.
I have to say that the Feliway plug ins do work a lot when cats are anxious or upset by other cats. I have recommended them to people that have a cat that suddenly started to bite or urinate on furniture for no known reason. When the owners have tried the feliway plug ins they have solved the cats behaviour.

I hope everything settles down soon.

_________________
All the Best
Elaine Lomax
www.wildside-bengals.com