Hey everyone!

I registered specifically to ask this question and get some feedback. I've been doing a lot of research on the topic, but now I'm ready for some personally aimed answers.

I am currently working full time and still living with my parents. I will hopefully have a career change very soon with a possible flex day in my week, but atm I'm the typical 9-5 40 hour work week.

I have always been a dog person, due to the fact that my parents simply had a dog before I was born, and when he passed we got another. First was a retriever and now it's a lab mix, both very active and playful dogs. I simply CANNOT live without the presence of a wonderful pet. However, I will be moving out within a year and a half, and I want to look towards my future.

I live in southern NY, 24 miles from NYC. I am in the finance industry and will 99% most likely be working in NYC. Therefore, I will be moving out into a residential apartment (converted house) with a roomate or two, and very often dogs are not permitted. Therefore, I did my research to find a cat that will be very much like a dog, and landed on the bengal. I'm looking for a very social animal that will greet me at the door and demand that I show it attention. I want an animal that will follow me around the house constantly reminding me that it's there and that it needs my affection.

This is what drives me away from most cats, but I think I found it in this particular breed. My question is, will I be able to get away with working full time and have a happy bengal. I'm completely confident that I can hang out and play with it while I'm home, but I've heard that they can be quite destructive, and almost spiteful if neglected while I'm not home.

Now while it is a kitten it will have plenty around since my dog is still relatively young (6 years) and my mother works from home. I have no concerns about that. Where I'm scared is when I move out. Will the bengal be calmed down to where I can leave it during the day, or will I have a terror on my hands?

Thanks!

PS. I am a complete animal person. I've visited a breeder and plan to visit another. I've done research but I just want to hear it from existing owners. Thanks again.

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Your expectations of a Bengal being a like a "dog" are too high, IMO.
Some will be exactly what you want, others will be the complete opposite.

Some are couch potatoes when it comes to indoor living, others will almost wreck your apartment with their stir-crazy antics.
In general the Bengal is an athletic, intelligent cat, they like being up high and they are immensely curious, everything is a toy and anything moveable will be batted to the floor with a paw-swipe, many will open cupboards easily and one of mine appears to know how to get into drawers now too.
My experience is that they tend to retain the playing, hyper, curious, manic behaviour far beyond the kitten stage. On anther forum there is a pic of a cat at 10 years old jumping about 6 foot high to retrieve a toy.
Some are very sociable some are quite timid, preferring only their owners. They can be a noisy cat, and although that trait is great for people who love to speak to their cat, not so good at 4am.

I liken them to the Border Collie in the dog world, and like a Border Collie is not everyone's ideal pet, the Bengal is not a cat for everyone.

If lonely, unstimulated, bored or unhappy they can become destructive, that is true.
Read the Behaviour threads on here, that will give you an idea of the type of problems people have and will give you an idea of what you may encounter - worst case scenario.

Like any living creature every bengal is unique, yes many of them are very interactive with their humans, but that does not mean they all are. You pays your money and takes your chances I am afraid.

Having said that, Toshi is not exactly a lap cat as I said before, but he does not have to be to bring great joy. I don't think a single day has passed since he has been here where I haven't laughed at him - usually about 2 seconds into attempting to tell him off for something when he looks at me with that "Butter wouldn't melt" expression plastered all over his little face as if to say "What? it wasn't me!".

Regarding moving home, yes it can 'Freak them out' and "issues" could include destructive behaviour, inappropriate elimination, depression, agressiveness...

Maybe more importantly there are many conditions which can be worsened or brought on by stress, it is a known factor in the mutation of harmless corona virus into a fatal FIP strain for one. Stress in a cat can severely affect their immune response leaving them less able to deal with infections in general.

Of course stress susceptibility is as varied as their need for human interaction and not something you can specify you don't want when placing a deposit on a kitten but there are things you can do to minimise it, from a quiet room through Feliway diffusers and even as far as tranquillizers such as prozac.

You may never have any of these negatives to deal with, and indeed many people don't, but they are traits of the breed and cats generally so you should consider them possibilities.

It really does not matter if it is a Bengal or a Baboon, you need to prepare yourself for the possibilities before diving in and taking on a pet of any kind, if those possibilities are unacceptable to you then taking the risk that they will not occur may just ultimately result in another unwanted/ unloved pet facing a grim future.

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I have to agree with Louise and Elaine. My first thought in reading your initial post was that bringing a Bengal into a situation with roommates may leave a Bengal vulnerable to escape. Roommates will most likely not be as conscientious about open doors as you are.

I knew of another young person who had roommates and an F1 Bengal. It was a bad combo. Someone let the cat out. He was gone for several days. She ended up thinking Bengals and roommates were not a good idea, and she gave the cat to her mother.

You even have to be careful of Bengals and screens. I know of three recently who popped screens off. One was a queen belonging to my breeder. She popped a screen and went missing for 2 years. The good news is, she was found (I found her through word of mouth!!! ). She lived on her own all that time, with a little help from someone who gave her water, a little food and a cracked open garage door for winter.

Another (my own) hung by a claw or two from a second story window after popping a screen. I am since, VERY careful. Another I know of traveled with his owner to her bf's cottage. He popped the screen off and escaped. He was missing for a week in a strange place.

Bengals seem to go missing more than other cats when they escape. NYC is not a great place for a Bengal on the streets. They are more vulnerable to theft than other cats if they escape, and less apt to become someone else's pet by their own choice .

With roommates, I would also be afraid a Bengal would "Meow, meow, meow," like so many do, and that this would disturb roommates if he did it loudly at 4 AM. They also may not appreciate it if he gets stressed from being left alone, and decides to urinate on one of their beds repeatedly.

Ditto to everything Louise said about a move. So in agreement.

Nobody is saying any of this to say you do not know how to take care of animals. It is just fair warning, and a few thoughts to consider before taking the plunge.

I have 2 Bengals. One is dog-like, and the other (litter mate) is shy and not dog-like.

Good luck in your decision.

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Bengal Fan

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Miki & My Beloved Bengals http://mybelovedbengals.blogspot.com/

Shiloh, Darcy, Rudy The Roodster & Ozzy...

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