Should I get a Bengal cat?

catkins

One of my cats died earlier this year and although, at the time, me and OH, said the usual "we are not getting another", needless to say we are now thinking of getting another cat!

We have 2 male cats - one is an oriental we have had since he was a kitten (he is now 10). He is pretty demanding and has never really got on with our other cats but has tolerated them. The other is a large grey tabby who is a rescue. We are not sure how old he is but we think about 6. We have had him almost three years. When we first got him he used to attack us for no apparent reason. He would bite and scratch at our legs, really clinging on and really meaning it. He is a large cat so it was quite scary (at one stage I was pretty scared of him) but with patience and love he is now a lovely cat. He does sometimes get that certain look in his eye but a firm "no" stops him. He will even let us pick him up although if he does not want to be picked up we don't!!

Anyway enough rambling! We are, as a I say, thinking of getting another cat, preferably a rescue. We thought a kitten may be easier as the other two may accept it better and also probably a female.

We both love the look of Bengals - there is one near us and every time we see it we both comment how gorgeous it is. I have started looking either for a Bengal rescue which would obviously be an older cat or possibly buying a kitten. However yesterday I was reading up about them and a few things bothered me.

Firstly, it seems that they are normally kept as indoor cats. This would be impossible as we have a cat flap and unless the weather is cold our patio door is always open so our dog can go in and out (dog is absolutely fine with cats). I thought the reason they are normally indoor cats is because of the fear of them being stolen but yesterday I was reading that they can be very vicious and have been known to badly hurt or kill other cats!!! Obviously I don't want anything to happen to my existing cats but also there are quite a few cats in my neighbourhood.

The Bengal that lives near me is allowed out so presumably his owners think or know he is fine. He is quite a smallish Bengal - does that make a difference? I have never spoken to his owners and am reluctant to go knocking on their door to ask about their cat.

Also I read that they often attack their humans and I am not sure I am happy to go down that route again.
Can anyone give me any advice? As much as I would love one I am not going to get one if it is not practical or if there is any chance it may hurt another cat. I realise if I get an older rescue it will most likely have been an indoor cat so that could be a problem and if it is likely to be vicious the owner may well not let on.

If we were to get a kitten it would learn to go out early on and should it show any signs of aggression we could deal with that more easily that with a fully grown cat. We do however feel guilty even thinking about buying a kitten when there are so many cats and kittens in rescue

walwin

catkins wrote: »

One of my cats died earlier this year and although, at the time, me and OH, said the usual "we are not getting another", needless to say we are now thinking of getting another cat!

We have 2 male cats - one is an oriental we have had since he was a kitten (he is now 10). He is pretty demanding and has never really got on with our other cats but has tolerated them. The other is a large grey tabby who is a rescue. We are not sure how old he is but we think about 6. We have had him almost three years. When we first got him he used to attack us for no apparent reason. He would bite and scratch at our legs, really clinging on and really meaning it. He is a large cat so it was quite scary (at one stage I was pretty scared of him) but with patience and love he is now a lovely cat. He does sometimes get that certain look in his eye but a firm "no" stops him. He will even let us pick him up although if he does not want to be picked up we don't!!

Anyway enough rambling! We are, as a I say, thinking of getting another cat, preferably a rescue. We thought a kitten may be easier as the other two may accept it better and also probably a female.

We both love the look of Bengals - there is one near us and every time we see it we both comment how gorgeous it is. I have started looking either for a Bengal rescue which would obviously be an older cat or possibly buying a kitten. However yesterday I was reading up about them and a few things bothered me.

Firstly, it seems that they are normally kept as indoor cats. This would be impossible as we have a cat flap and unless the weather is cold our patio door is always open so our dog can go in and out (dog is absolutely fine with cats). I thought the reason they are normally indoor cats is because of the fear of them being stolen but yesterday I was reading that they can be very vicious and have been known to badly hurt or kill other cats!!! Obviously I don't want anything to happen to my existing cats but also there are quite a few cats in my neighbourhood.

The Bengal that lives near me is allowed out so presumably his owners think or know he is fine. He is quite a smallish Bengal - does that make a difference? I have never spoken to his owners and am reluctant to go knocking on their door to ask about their cat.

Also I read that they often attack their humans and I am not sure I am happy to go down that route again.
Can anyone give me any advice? As much as I would love one I am not going to get one if it is not practical or if there is any chance it may hurt another cat. I realise if I get an older rescue it will most likely have been an indoor cat so that could be a problem and if it is likely to be vicious the owner may well not let on.

If we were to get a kitten it would learn to go out early on and should it show any signs of aggression we could deal with that more easily that with a fully grown cat. We do however feel guilty even thinking about buying a kitten when there are so many cats and kittens in rescue

Sorry, I can' give you any advice but Fridaycat is the one to help you with this.
She's got two gorgeous Bengals (14 months old now I think) Spot and Lula.
This is their Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/BengalCatWorld

I'm sure she'll be along here later at some point and be happy to give you some advice.

I can totally understand why you'd be thinking about getting a Bengal. They're stunningly beautiful

Fire_Fox

I also believe strongly in rescue but love Bengals, it would be the only breed I'd seriously consider.

If your door is open all the time that isn't really an ideal environment to introduce a kitten to because they should ideally stay indoors until they are neutered. Many breeders will insist upon this: an entire kitten is at much higher risk of being stolen for backyard breeding and much higher risk of getting lost. If there are plenty of other cats locally your kitten would also be at higher risk of being beaten up so might have to learn to fight early. Maybe wait until the weather is cooler if you would like to go the kitten route? Or could you install catproof fencing/ a large run in your garden? Would you consider two kittens so they can play together and learn their cat manners together without tormenting your older cats?

IMO the chances of an owner lying about the temperament of the cat/ behavioural problems when they are a member of a small 'community' or advertising through a breed rescue is much smaller than from a totally stranger advertising through Gumtree. Perhaps the bigger issue is the owner not knowing what their indoor cat is like around dogs and other cats.

catkins

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I also believe strongly in rescue but love Bengals, it would be the only breed I'd seriously consider.

If your door is open all the time that isn't really an ideal environment to introduce a kitten to because they should ideally stay indoors until they are neutered. Many breeders will insist upon this: an entire kitten is at much higher risk of being stolen for backyard breeding and much higher risk of getting lost. If there are plenty of other cats locally your kitten would also be at higher risk of being beaten up so might have to learn to fight early. Maybe wait until the weather is cooler if you would like to go the kitten route? Or could you install catproof fencing/ a large run in your garden? Would you consider two kittens so they can play together and learn their cat manners together without tormenting your older cats?

IMO the chances of an owner lying about the temperament of the cat/ behavioural problems when they are a member of a small 'community' or advertising through a breed rescue is much smaller than from a totally stranger advertising through Gumtree. Perhaps the bigger issue is the owner not knowing what their indoor cat is like around dogs and other cats.

I have thought about the fact that if we got a kitten it could not go outside until it had been fully innoculated and neutered. We are lucky in that we have two spare bedrooms and a kitten could be kept in there. To start with it would have to be separate from my existing cats so it would have to be confined to a room. Obviously both me and OH would spend lots of time with it so it would not get lonely. Once it was ok for the kitten and our cats to mix (under supervision) we could lock the cat flat and close the patio door for periods. It has to be pretty cold for the patio door to be closed as our dog just wants to go in and out a lot and it is easier than having to keep opening and closing it for him. Luckily neither of us feel the cold that much and the dog is old now and we just want the rest of his life to be happy - to be honest not sure how much longer he has as me and OH have already had "the talk" about 3 times in the last month.

We could get 2 kittens - actually OH having originally been much more stubborn than me saying "we are not getting any more cats" then agreed we could get a rescue and a few days ago said "what about 2 cats?"!!! Maybe a rescue kitten and a Bengal? Just really not sure. As I say, I feel guilty about buying a kitten when there are so many rescues and really do not want to upset my existing cats. There is no way I would want to take a kitten on and then have to give it back although obviously if that were the best thing to do I would.

Fire_Fox

Sorry to hear your dog is getting older, maybe wait a while and see how that goes? A new cat or kitten could be a good distraction when you are grieving. Or maybe get yourself on waiting lists with a rescue or the breed club, being specific about what would work for you? Any decent owner/ rescue will appreciate you wanting the right cat so you don't end up with a failed adoption.

My personal way of dealing with the guilt you feel is to have decided never to get a fluffy kitten, it's cats I love at the end of the day and it is those that are hard to home regardless of breed. Surprisingly cats become progressively harder to home at very young ages, so you can still get a very playful youngster and be 'making a difference'. But that is me your circumstances might mean a different choice is in order.

http://www.catchat.org/adoption/pedigree.html
http://www.bengalcathelpline.co.uk/available.html
http://www.bengalcatclub.org.uk/welfare.php
http://www.bengalcatforums.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=19

HTH.

cte1111

Why not go to a local cat rescue and see if there are cats that you like? Obviously you like your neighbour's Bengal but you might see a cat (or pair of cats) at the rescue centre that you fall for too. The staff at the rescue are likely to be able to help you work out the character of their cats too, so you can avoid any that have attacking tendencies.

It can be hard work integrating new cats into an existing cat household, so whether you get a kitten or an older cat, then it's going to take time and commitment to settle them in but you've already prepared for this. Good luck, hope a cat finds you that you can all love.

catkins

We are not going to rush into it. I find looking at rescue cats at the moment is taking my mind off my dog and I do not think it is fair on him to have a kitten or kittens running mad around the house. Looking at him now I really do not think he is going to be around much longer (maybe days?) but we have been here before and he has suddenly improved dramatically so who knows?

I have thought about going to some rescue centres but, to be honest, when we got our last rescue cat we had a lot of trouble finding anyway that would rehome to us. This was mainly due to our dog admittedly so depending on what happens that may not be a problem. It seems most rescue places near me have a policy of not homing a cat with a dog! In fact we only got our last rescue because the women we initially spoke to made a bit of a mistake and came and gave us a house check. She was a bit put out when she saw our dog (we had told her we had one) but she saw how well he got on with out existing cats and she then got us to take the dog to the rescue and go in the cat's cage with him. On the day we went to collect the cat there was another woman there and she went into an angry rant at how we should not be getting the cat and how it would all go wrong! Of course the dog was fine with him but the other cats were a bit put out at the beginning. Also not sure anyone else would have wanted or put up with him because of his aggression at the beginning (it lasted well over a year).

They also deem that the road we live on is a busy one.

The road is not actually that busy and I know several people, my sister included, who live in very quiet roads i.e. cul de sacs and one friend who literally lives in the middle of nowhere and they have had cats run over. My friend in the middle of nowhere has had two cats run over at different times, one killed and one badly injured.

juliebunny

Bengals are a very special breed, we've had one in our moggie rescue, they are high maintenance and some people liken them more to dogs than cats! I would recommend you research the breed then consider rescues - because they are so lively, LOADS end up in rescue.

Firefox has given you some great links, I'll just add one more who home around the country as my friend just got a Siamese from them!
http://www.rushdenpersianrescue.co.uk/

Fire_Fox

Catkins some of the larger rescues can be a bit blinkered, some wouldn't entertain me as an indoor home despite being happy to look at FIV or deaf. But smaller independent rescues tend to be more open minded, maybe try Purrsinourhearts forum? Cats can of course get run over anywhere, but this is more likely if they are allowed out at night or there is regular traffic. If your road is busy-ish you would definitely be best keeping a kitten indoor perhaps even up to the one year mark, or getting a cat with a lot of road sense. Again have you considered catproofing your garden or an outdoor run? Rescues may be keener to work with that.

KateLiana27

Our childhood neighbours had a Bengal that they let out. It was stolen within a week. And that was in an affluent area. I know a few people with striking-looking pedigree cats (ourselves included, though we got ours as a rescue) and they are all house cats.

You could look into securing your garden - there have been a variety of threads on this. Alternatively, your could have your cat flap replaced by a larger "dog flap" that responds only to your dog's microchip.

catkins

We are thinking about making our garden cat secure - it wouldn't be too difficult as it is not very big! That's the problem though because the garden is quite small I would feel guilty that they would not have much to explore plus of course my two existing cats are used to be able to go further than the garden.

I have a black oriental and he has always been allowed out even though people warned me he may get stolen. Also, as I say, a neighbour has a beautiful bengal and he is allowed out and we have seen him around for a couple of years at least