My girlfriend and I have a bengal, Bear -- we named her that cause there are other pets in our apartment building and she always growls at them. When we got her, she had been returned to the breeder a couple times because she was too violent for the families, or some such.

Once she got adjusted to her new home with us, she kept attacking me periodically (she's never attacked my gf though - not sure why). By attack, I mean she would jump on me, and then if I threw her off, she'd just jump on me again; complete aggression, and she'd only stop if I spray her a bunch with a water bottle or wrap her in a blanket until she's whined for a bit. I still find her attacks to be pretty funny, even if I have to deal with quite a few scratches in payment.

We've had her for about a half year now, and her attacks have gotten a lot less frequent. Now, she only really attacks me when I don't take her on her daily walk when she expects it and has tried to get my attention using her normal methods. Her pattern is to rub up against me, then walk to wherever she wants me to go, and if this doesn't work a few times, then she'll yowl. If that doesn't work, she nips me. Finally, after a few nips, if she gets 'frustrated' enough, she will attack me.

I still think she doesn't get enough interaction from us though. She normally sleeps in one of our closets from 10am-12 pm to 6-7 at night. And then when we get home she just wants to play-eat-play-eat-play-eat. I let her have access to the roof, and she likes that, but a lot of times, she comes back down and yowls because she wants one of us to keep her company on the roof. However, we're often doing other stuff.

I was thinking about maybe getting another bengal cat for her so that she doesnt have to depend entirely upon us to satisfy her play needs, but I'm also ambivalent about it. It seems kind of risky because (a) a new cat might have its own problems, and (b) Bear doesn't seem to respond well to the other animals (including other cats) in the apartment complex. So, I worry that if I were to get a new cat, she might bully it, or attack it, and that would just end up making more problems and not solving the problem the new cat was supposed to solve.

What does everyone think about the importance of having a second bengal, and the risk of introducing a second bengal into a household with a bengal who has demonstrated very aggressive tendencies?

I always hate answering this question! One never knows if adding another cat to the household will go well go extremely badly! First of all, bengals are highly social. They want to be with their humans. They want contact with their humans. They are not cats who wander off in a corner and sleep 20 hours a day. Bengals clearly become a buddy. And, bengals have a lot of energy and want to play. And they don't seem to want to engage themselves with their toys -- they want a human on the other end. Bengals take up a lot of time. It's like having a perpetual 2-year old toddler. The fact that you walk your bengal is great! I walk mine, too, TWICE a day and sometimes THREE times in the summer when the days are long. He expects and yowls for his walks when he is ready to go. I will say, my bengal has NEVER attacked me. I think his previous owner probably smacked him good because when I got him, he would sort of cower away whenever I went to pet him.

Attacks are never good and redirecting his attention to a toy is what I recommend. Use the word "NO" sternly. He will learn to understand what you mean. Please do not use a water bottle. It doesn't work and only compounds the situation and your cat loses trust in you.

Know that unless a second bengal bonds with your first bengal, there is going to be no interaction between them except aggression and that is a whole other issue. Introducing two cats takes patience and time -- you can't just throw them together. It can take weeks and months for them to fully co-exist. You already don't have time to spend with Bear. And the second cat is going to need some of your time as well.

I hate situations like this because you are clearly not happy where you're at right now with Bear. I would try working with him to eliminate the attacks and up the play time with him before bringing in a second cat. Since Bear attacks, he would probably be quite aggressive with a new cat entering his territory and that brings in a whole set of other issues.

Nah, this one is easy-peasy... the answer is "hell no". If one of her defining characteristics is aggression towards other animals, and being territorial, then getting a second cat, especially now that she is an adult, and settling in pretty well, would be an awful idea.

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The little monsters 3