The Reality of Owning a Bengal

I won’t lie, Bengals are a beautiful breed with their distinctive markings, eyeliner and little pink noses.
They make for some of the most entertaining, lovable and amusing pets around, and at £500 per kitty you would kind of hope so.

You would not be alone in assuming that the lifestyle of anyone owning a Bengal is a little bit majestic, luxurious and elegant, given the cost of these beautiful creatures.

You would in fact be wrong.

This is because these people own a Bengal.
If you value your home and your lifestyle, don’t buy a part feral overly curious cat. 

 

I am one of these people who own a bengal, we in fact have three, and thankfully my partner and I aren’t precious of our possessions. In truth, we love our Bengals very much. They are part of our family and we would never be without them.

There is Sushi and Pixel who are two brown rosetted sisters and Rocket, who is a snow seal spotted lynx point  male. They are each incredibly distinctive in their personalities and behaviours, and what they do and don’t like.

I would encourage anyone to have a Bengal as long as they happily accept the following:

1. Bengals are not cheap to buy, especially if you want the lynx point (blue eyes).
2. They are incredibly vocal. Constantly. Whether its chirruping at the birds and flies, nagging you to feed them / let them out / play or singing from the rafters at 4:00 in the morning purely because they feel like it, you will not find a quiet home where you find a Bengal- Exhibit A
3. Bengals are very active and very curious (when they’re not sleeping). This will include trying to climb every curtain, every item of furniture, infiltrate every carrier and container and get under every mat and blanket. Your house is their playground and nothing is left alone. Exhibit B
4. Bengals need space and adequate stimuli. It is not as simple as having a typical house cat. They need enrichment in their lives to keep them entertained. For us it includes shelves, floor to ceiling cat poles, floating boxes and hammocks, feather wands and toys, tents and cat tunnels, cat houses and ramps and scratch posts all over the house.Exhibit C
   Bengals can get very frustrated if they are bored and they will take it out on your other pets and become destructive so it is important they are provided with enough space and stimulation to keep them content. Exhibit D
5. They require love and attention (as a cat these are obviously on their terms) but because they are more feral than most house cats, it is important they receive copious amounts of love and attention.
6. Don’t turn your back. They are clever little things and I am always surprised at the ingenuity involved when our cats miraculously find their way up onto the roof, or into the back garden when all that’s available is a tiny window opened barely an inch.

If you can accept these then I strongly encourage you to get one because ours are a true joy and they bring any home to life.

If you are interested in seeing just what you have to contend with with a Bengal, check out our Youtube channel Hot Rocket Bengal Cats and see our 3 kitties in action.