The character of the bengal cat

The bengal cat is more than an ordinary cat, many people are totally in love with their character because it is more similar to the one of a dog. They enjoy following the owner all around the house, look for them when they can't see the owner, some wait for you at the door when they know the time you usually arrive, and they are there waiting for you as you open the door, etc. We have noticed that some bengals love to play "fetch"; you through the paper ball, and they go to find it, grab it in their mouth, and bring it to you for another go! And they can play at this for quite a while too!

Oscar of Ramazan and his dog friend
placidly sleeping

Diwata of Ramazan and Shinju (the ferret)

Bengal cats get along very well with other pets, as we can see in the picture we discover the precious bond between Oscar of Ramazan and his dog friend; and on the other one, we see Diwata of Ramazan cuddled around the ferret. The adaptation period between diferent types of pets can be between 15 to 20 days, and sometimes even before that, it all depends on how you introduce the pet friend, and if there is only one more, or more than one pet friend.

When they arrive to their new home, during the first day, bengals can express themselves in two ways; on the one side, those that are easy-going, that literally come out purring of their pet carriers when they arrive by transport, and straight away are socializing with the new owner which they haven't seen before; and on the other side, those that need some extra time to get acquainted with the new home, smells, noises, owners, family members, etc. But after a few days, they will be fully adapted to their new home showing the typical inquisitive, loving and playful character of the bengal cat.

When they have to bond with new pet friends, at first it will be hard, but in a few days of progressively introducing the new friends, one by one, and every day bit by bit, they will finally become best friends.

Lestat of Ramazan and his good friend

Lestat going for a stroll with his friend.

Lestat of Ramazan at the beach.

All bengals usually show a very loving character, very friendly, social, affectionate and very playful. They love to investigate, specially in the shopping bags, as they know there will probably be some yummy treat for him. They have a very good apetite, for this reason, if we see that our bengal cat is not eating and he stays in a corner without moving much, it is because something is going on. In this case, if we check that he doesn't have any fever, we can give hime some Felovits (a vitaminic paste with taurin to stimulate his appetite) during five days, after that they should eat as usual. It is totally recomended to take him to the vet to rule out other causes for an important loss of appetite. Likewise, it is indispendable to always have at hand the thermometer to check the temperature.

Another common trait of the bengal cats is their interest for water, they just love playing with it. If you live in a tranquil area you can take them for a walk with a cat harness, people take them to the countryside, beach, etc. In this picture we can see how Lestat of Ramazan is enjoying his outing with his friend, wherever the dog goes, the bengal cat follows.

Lestat going for a stroll near the river.

Dali of Ramazan and his friend.

Like people, each bengal cat has their own personality: there are ones that need constant affection, loving to just rest in your arms as much as they can, asking for cuddles. Then, there are others, that don't request such an amount of attention as the first type, they are very happy to get their cuddles while they have their feet on the ground, or while they are resting by you, and they will enjoy to happily play with you for a great amount of time. The important thing is to get to know our bengal cat, and give them exactly what they need so they feel integrated, loved, cared for, they basically want to be part of their new family.

The bengal cat usually becomes the prince or even king of the house. Nevertheless, it is good to put some rules and order in the things we allow or not allow. They usually arrive with certain behaviours like using the cat tray, scratching the nails on the post, etc. So, when they arrive at home, first put them in a room with their things there, so he knows where to go and what to use. Then you gradually leave the door open more hours throughout the day and see if know to find their way to the cat tray. It is important to close them in the room after they eat, so they don't get distracted and learn to go to the cat tray. When you sit at the table to eat, it is normal that the bengal cat will jump on the table, because of the smells of the food and because you are all gathering around a table, they are just increadibly inquisitive and they will love to lick the plates clean. One day we left a bowl of garlic mayonnaise nearly empty, and to our surprise the bengal cat was enjoying it! If it is an undesireable behaviour you can just close the door to eat without the bengal cat jumping on the table. Every family is different, some don't mind the bengal cat sitting at the table; but for others, it can be quite difficult. So the best thing is to close the door, and we have finished eating, we can open the door so our bengal cat can come in.

If they do something that is not correct, it is enough with a "No", it is not recommended to hit them like dogs, because they will associate that pain with the person, and the trust will be totally lost, it is difficult for them to forget that type of reaction.

An interesting strategy is to spray them with one of those plastic spray bottles filled with water. You point to their faces and gently spray them, between the noise and the surprise of wetness, they will probably run away. But we have to take into account that certain bengals will just start playing with it!