Hi, everyone. This is my first post...

I am an experienced feline recuer, having rescued and rehomed over 20+ cats (some with kits along...) over the past few years. Never, however, did I expect the call I got last night at about 6 pm.

I got the call from a friend in the lower part of my state; she told me that her tenants had "abruptly" moved last week and abandoned their cat...could I come get the cat before it was run over or hurt? She's allergic, but had been setting food out for it on the porch the last few days (dog food...but hey, it's something). I told her I'd be there this morning.

I drove 1/2 way across the state, and managed to get an appointment with my regular vet for this afternoon. Long story short, this gorgeous, bedraggled, injured (although not badly), darling, sweet, wonderful young cat came right up to me, hopped into my lap, and was easily transplaced into a carrier. Into my car he went, me thinking I'd have a serenade for the 3.5 hour trip home, but he curled right up and went to sleep. For 90% of the drive he slept...no issues, no fear, no panic, no anything you'd expect.

Went to the vet. Much to my surprise, she told me I had a Bengal kitty. An unneutered, not show/breed quality (so I'll have him neutered ASAP), about 8-9 months old, underweight, flea-ridden, scratched up Bengal kitty.

I've never dealt with a bengal at all. After a very quick scan of some photos, I'm not sure he's 100% bengal; he's not got the very thick fur, nor the rosettes nor glitter. He does have the white belly, the rust markings, the gorgeous build, has some spots but more bars, the squarish head and is definitely is a chatter-er. And loves water. At the vet's, the first thing he did was go to the sink. I thought he was thirsty, but apparently he just wanted to play. I'd have to guess he's 1/2 bengal and DSH...but that's just a guess. The vet is certain, however, that he is bengal at least part.

Anyway, I was hoping you all could give me some tips, tricks, advice, "watch-out-fors", and any and all other info you think might be helpful. I have him kenneled right now primarily because of the other cats, as well as the fact he's got a few (pretty bad) scratches or bites and needs to have them treated and disinfected. So I'm keeping him private for the time being.

As I've said, I've done quite a few rescue/rehomes, so I'm not too terribly unfamiliar with the process. But I've never done it with a bengal.

And just so you all know, he's sitting here, sort of "humming" at me. The kennel fits into the area where my legs would go under my desk, so he's got me right here. And he's - humming. Can't say it's anything else...just humming. And man, he's a dear one.

So again, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance - and happy Thanksgiving!!

Noni

Hello - welcome to the forum...

Treat him as a normal cat, Bengals aren't that much different except in their behavoir sometimes, which sounds like you've already discovered

I would say to get him neutered as soon as he's up to it, else he will probably start to spray things around your house and once he starts that, he may never stop doing it.....

WOW is he unusual. What a darling, fearless, happy guy. I'd call him little guy, but he's not. He's only 9.8 pounds, but he's tall, taller than my other 2 year old male siamese.

He's a bundle of energy - hasn't rested, won't rest, eats on the dash, and loves to investigate (including places others are not interested in - ie the laundry vent...). He's already stolen some of the toys from the toy basket and piled them up in a spot, and I can see that a trip to the pet store for some chase toys is in order.

Very gentle, too...doesn't use his claws at all on me or the other cats (I've intro'd him to two of them already; they hiss, he sings). He's not shown any aggressiveness, i.e. no growling or biting or hissing; and it seems his main mode of communication is chirping/singing. It's so funny - he so wants to play with the others, he ignores their hissing. He only backs off when they're doing the deep chest growl. 'Til then, he's right up with them.

Very, very interesting last 24 hours.


Absolutely. I've got a tentative appointment for Monday of next week to get him snipped, but that might need to be delayed until his other wounds heal. The vet wants to see him for those on Saturday, so we'll make the decision then. But he is definitely old enough to be neutered, and I really would rather not deal with a sprayer...so as soon as the vet gives the o.k., he's in and snipped.

Thanks for the response - this is somewhat of an adventure; a good one, to be sure, but an adventure nonetheless.

Regards-
Noni

as Gavin said treat him normal!
Don't believe everything you read about bengals!
they are fun loving all the way!
the only thing i would possibly do is put off the snip for a couple of weeks til he is sorted with his other little ailments!

you will find him very inquisitive and will be in to everything!
plenty of TLC and stimulation required! bengals are the dogs of the cat world!! lol

a friend for life there!

Depending upon what the vet says tomorrow, you're echoing my thoughts - so much going on with him, and I'd hate to add to that right now. So we'll see.

I will say that his assorted scratches and owies have not been holding him back whatsoever. He's flying 'round the house, and intensely curious, energetic, and happy.


He is definitely different from any other cat I've ever encountered - and I'm loving it! He's still got the whole gangly kittenish thing going on - his legs are not always where he expects them to be. He's missed a few of the jumps, whacked his head on the entertainment center (misjudged stopping distance, I think), and still doesn't slow down. I've not yet caught him asleep. As a matter of fact, he will literally plop down; he runs to where he wants to lay down, and then throws himself onto the floor...rests his head for the briefest moment, and then whoooooosh off he goes again.

He's "met" all the rest of the cats. They're not quite sure what to think of him, and I am hearing all sorts of hissing, growling (from them), and singing (from him). He really is not intimidated by him at all...and it's fascinating to watch. To be sure, he was raised up around a pug and a chihuahua, so is very used to other animals, but still...no fear there.

What's even more fascinating is I have a crippled kitty here, who can't fight, can't run, and basically has a hard time getting around (she's got a horrific back story...not going to get into it here). Oliver, which is what I've tentatively named the bengal, shows her great respect and deference...not really challenging her at all, and just letting her be, unlike what he does with the rest.

Oliver is a blast...I'm not at all sure where he will be next, or what he'll get into/onto/over/under next. The only cat who is hiding from him is my siamese, but that's because he's male too, and is feeling a little..."challenged" by Oliver. That will go away; I've seen it before with other fosters, and my siamese gets "offended" and then gets very curious and decides it's time to play.

As for believing everything I read, I don't. And I really haven't read anything that I can attribute towards a breed specific negative; rather, most of the negative things I've read come from poor socialization, poor understanding of cats and behavior, and/or people just not "getting" it. I'm sure that there are some honest challenges for being a bengal slave, but most of them are easily overcome with proper training, good boundaries, and consistent love, food, and stimulation.

Thanks to all -
Noni

Sounds like you've got an active Bengal Boy! From your description, he is probably a Bengal-- not all of them have the rosettes or the glitter, and some of them don't develp the glitter until they are fully adult. My snow boy didn't have any spots at all until he was almost a year old-- he was a late bloomer. Your description of his behavior sounds so much like my Winston when he was a kitten. He knew no fear, wanted to PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! but also left my parents' older Siamese male alone when he visited.

Fishing-pole type toys will work wonders, and try playing fetch with fuzzy balls. My boy would do that for half an hour at a time. Anything interactive is good.

But you do have to be careful. When my little girl (Cinnamon) was a kitten, she jumped up the chimney flue while I was cleaning my wood stove. I have the fireplace-insert type of wood stove, and had to pull the whole bloody thing out of the fireplace in order to get her out! They are fast and they are nosy!

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SharonCville

Thanks, all.

Oliver is really giving me a run for my money. He's terrorizing the rest of the cats, and while I know it's just him being an active bengal, they don't realize it. He's INSANELY energetic. And I don't mean energetic, I mean insanely so. He is playing, but he's playing really, really rough - and I'm used to hard to handle cats, but he's close to impossible.

So what sort of toys can I get him that will help him burn off this sort of energy, which is dangerous to the other cats?

And yes, he will be neutered this week - either Friday or Saturday. I know that will help somewhat, too. I've trimmed his claws as he's drawn blood from the others.

Apparently, he was raised with dogs, and because of that he doesn't understand how to play kitty. He really is more like a dog, which is apparently a breed characteristic, but he's just like a puppy - doesn't quite know when to stop. And I know he's just playing because whenever I separate him from one who he's cornered, he looks at me with "what?" in his eyes, and doesn't use his claws on me. If he were angry, I'd expect to get a few scratches, at least, and some "I'm pissed off" vocalizations. But he doesn't do that. So it's reall just play.

So any help would be appreciated...I'd love to keep him with me, but I need to modify some of the behavior so the other cats don't feel so terrified.

Thanks in advance-
Noni

I have no idea why my previous post appeared three times...

Try a sock toy stuffed with batting and a little catnip-- something he can bite and scratch and take his aggression out on that isn't a) your hand or b) one of your other cats. Fishing pole toys would be good, too-- I found that the attachments with the leather strips worked much better than anything with feathers or fur, which my cats immediately shredded.

Mention this to the vet, though. He may calm down after he is neutered, but if not, he may need a mild dose of kitty Prozac or something like that to calm him down until he adjusts fully to his new surroundings.

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SharonCville

Hi, Sharon!

Thanks for the advice - I did get a few fishing pole toys, all with leather thingies. One for the bathroom, bedroom, living room, and one at my computer. Where ever I am, there is one nearby. All the cats love it, so I end up fishing with about 6 cats at a time. LOLOL! Makes me laugh.

I also got a few of those hanging-on-elastic-on-the-door-jamb toys, so he can chase those and leap after them to his heart's content. From door to door he throws himself, catching one, trying to catch the other at the same time in his mouth, and getting confuzzled when he loses one and gets the other.

I did get him neutered on Friday. He was fine while still under the influence...but the next day, blammo, back to running full tilt.

It will be all right, I suspect...I watched a kitty train go racing through the house last night for about 20 minutes...Oliver, Abby and Simon chasing and being chased by each other, leaping over each other to get to the front of the line. Reminds me of my 2/12 year old niece to whom the height of play is to run at you, scream "CHASE ME!!" and then turn and run as fast as possible. These three have a feline version of that, apparently. LOLOL!

And I watched Oliver get himself stuck on top of the curtain rod just now...about 8 foot long and maybe 2 inches wide, he walked across it, came to the far end, couldn't decide how to get back down, and then backed the entire way over the rod to the china hutch...and then do it again.

So I suspect we'll be fine. I love the idea of the sock with nip and batting...maybe I'll have a chance to get that done this weekend, and see what happens with that.

I appreciate your help, Sharon. Thanks.

Regards-
Noni

I have read that Bengals are height lovers. I have heard that they love heights even more than previously thought. And I thought, well, maybe Oliver isn't too fond of heights.

HAH! He just bombed me. I had no idea he was on top of my 8.5 foot bookshelf sitting by my computer. No idea, that is, until he landed on my head. Apparently, it was more convenient to bomb me than to jump onto the sofa the other way. LOL. He was a gentle bomber, though. No claws...just silent flooooop onto my head.

Scared me silly.

Just thought I'd share that with you all. Now I understand why the other cats are often looking skyward in the house. ROFL!!

Best-
Noni

It sounds as though he is definitely part Bengal, although from the markings and description, he definitely has something else going on.

Bengals are just a breed of cat, they share 80% of the same needs, traits and characterists of other breeds. Its that differential 20% that makes them fun and interesting (or a dealbreaker).

The hyperactivity will run its course, the cats will sort out their own pecking order. The snip might settle him a bit as well. Doesnt sound like you have anything abnormal to worry about, just be aware of WHAT might become a climbing opportunity and move the valuables!