First off, I am 23 and live with my girlfriend (no kids or other pets). I am relatively experienced with cats, grew up with a family love for Burmese/Aby all my days. It has now come for me to get my own new member for the house and would like something different from the Burmese. I have always had a love for the Bengal but not sure if I would be able to house one. The cat will be left on its own for 6 hours 3 times a week. (Maximum of 6 hours.) Is this far too long for a Bengal? The fact that Bengals are strictly house cats make them quite hard pets to have due to my work commitments. I would never take on a kitten if my home wasn’t suitable so any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Shlou

Would you consider getting two kittens, maybe siblings from the same litter? If you're worried about the cat being bored or lonely it would probably help a great deal to just have two, if that's something you're interested in. Personally I would recommend two boys - boys usually play the same way, and in general are more easy going and bond well with each other, as opposed to females who can sometimes be a little more independent or aloof (I know there are exceptions to this I'm just saying in my experience). If you have two, they shouldn't feel too alone or get too bored when you're away because they'll have each other. I would assume this can be especially helpful for Bengals sine they generally have so much energy and are so inquisitive, a Bengal kitten left alone on it's own for too long may be a little destructive/mischievous. But at the same time, 6 hours only three times a week isn't really that bad. I'm sure there are also some people with full time jobs that have Bengals who do just fine.

I think the idea of 2 kittens is a great idea. We have an 8 month old Bengal and 2 older non-Bengal cats. My daughter is home during the day and plays with him quite a lot but the other 2 cats don't play with him much at all and I think he's bored. He needs another Bengal to rough-house with so we're getting another male Bengal next month. Sometimes even a lot of stimulation from humans just isn't enough, IMO.

Yeah I would suggest getting two! Something to consider! Most breeders actually discount if you purchase two kittens at the same time they like to see siblings go to a good home together! I am a sstay at home mom of four and we still cant keep up with BB and she is 4 months old we are looking into getting her a buddy soon! We actually went back to our breeder a few weeks ago and was going to get another but my husbands hours got cut! Now t hat he is back at work full time we are getting caught back up and on the look for our next beauty! If you cant get two I would advise a lot of vertical space and plenty of toys and rotate the toys BB likes them for about 2 days and then she is tired of them, I put them up and get out different ones and keep rotating them. There is one thing however that she never gets tired of and thats a cardboard box!

_________________

That you all for the replies. I hadn't really thought about the possibility of two Bengals. I'd probably need to enquire to a breeder about this though. Another question - is there any differences with male and females? I know every cat is an individual but are there behaviour traits more common with specifically the male or female? I know these questions are probably asked constantly on here, so i do appreciate any answers.

Shlou

6 hours, 3 days a week isnt that long and you will find he will sleep in the time your out, 1 bengal would work fine, quite a few owners have just the 1 and have a fantastic bonded relationship with their cat.

_________________



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

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

I havent had the experience of owning a male Bengal but from the breeders that I know they all say that while being a kitten they are pretty much the same other than boys play is a little more rough than girls. As they get to be older cats though I have heard that males are more laid back and loving while females tend to be sassy and independent! like you said it all depends on the cat and how they are raised but most suggest a male especially if you get two for some reason most people suggest getting two males?!? I think it is up to you to find a kitten that you bond with and a kitten that has a great personality and one that is healthy! Either way Bengals are a great breed and I love my girl she is sassy and she is starting to get independent but she is still loving too(when she wants to be)! Good Luck! I hope everything works out well! Like Miki said too since you will not be gone too much you will be ok with one just make sure when you are there you keep the kitten stimulated. We were all gone for about 8 hours yesterday and came home to find BB had been asleep the whole time and was bouncing off the walls with energy when we returned!

_________________

My girl always picks a fight with my much bigger boy, and when he fights back she gets upset and runs away Then he'll look sad as if he did something wrong.

If I had a second choice I would get two boys: 1) I like my cats big 2) Just remembering my girl getting spayed terrifies me 3) Maybe my boy will actually have a decent wrestle if my girl was bigger.